Even Free Cable Has a Price

Ernie "Chip" Douglas is a lonely and disturbed cable guy who desperately wants a companion. Raised on TV (his "babysitter") while his Mum went to bars at nights, Chip (Jim Carrey) is under the impression that people are having exciting, melodramatic lives which he wants to be a part of. He meets Steven, a designer who has recently broken up with his girlfriend, while installing his cable. Steven gives Chip an extra $50 in exchange for all of the channels and fakes an interest in Chips line of work, which a naive Chip takes as an opportunity to make a friend. What follows is a manic, hilarious and at times disturbing story of unrequited and possessive friendship.

Chip takes Steven on the "information superhighway" to see the satellite that gives America cable. Steven thinks this is a one off meeting to thank him for the free cable, that is until Chip shows up at his basketball court, takes an injured players place and ruins the game for everyone involved; almost breaking the back of real best friend Rick (Jack Black in an early role). Realising that Chip is more than a little strange Steven decides to back away from him, only to return home to 11 messages on his answer machine from his new "best friend". With a night of snuggling up with his ex while watching chick magnet Sleepless in Seattle on his mind Steven ignores the calls with bad consequences. This pattern continues throughout the film as Chip manipulates and stalks his way back into Steven's life by giving him expensive electrical goods for his home, buying him a prostitute to take his mind off Robyn, paying the cast of Medieval Times to let the two of them have a joust to the (near) death and beating up the guy that Robyn goes on a date with.

Everything Chip does is done with the best of intentions. He desperately wants Steven to like him and to be happy but goes about this in the most alarming and consequential ways possible. Chip is torn between a normal friendship and a life of melodrama with melodrama as the outright winner. He gives Robyn free cable and tells a horrible story about giving his ex space which had traumatic consequences to get her to take Steven back. It works but doesn't make Steven want to be his friend again. Feeling used and abandoned Chip hijack's his ex best friends life. The electrical goods he accepted were stolen and Steven ends up arrested and put in jail for the weekend. Worse still, there is no sign of anyone called "Chip Douglas" who works for the cable company. Chip, who is now calling himself "Larry Tate", visits him in jail and warns "I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. You seem to prefer the latter."

With Steven in the clink Chip takes the opportunity to ingratiate himself with Robyn and Steven's family. When released Steven tries to play Chip's game but the it get too much and he punches him in front of his horrified girlfriend and parents, making them believe more than ever that it is Steven who has issues. While Steven's hacked work computer sends a viral of him bitching about his boss to everyone in the office Rick phones him with information on Chip who has been sacked by cable companies for stalking clients while using fake names such as "George Jetson" and "Mr Magoo". Having taken this news on board Steven barricades himself in his home, turning off all the lights and locking his door. Chip realises that Steven is on to him and takes drastic measures to get his attention. He kidnaps an unwitting Robyn and takes her to the satellite dish. There is a climactic battle as the two battle for Robyn but with helicopters and police swooping the area Chip knows his time is up. He tells Steven "Somebody has to kill the babysitter" and falls onto the satellite dish, taking out the whole areas TV signal. He is airlifted to hospital, with the paramedic telling him "Hang in their buddy." Chip asks "Am I really your buddy?" The film ends as it has begun, with Chip / Larry / Ricky Ricardo having a new victim to terrorise into being his new best friend.

The Cable Guy is a very dark comedy that dips it's toes into the water of psychological horror. Jim Carrey is excellent as the clingy and deranged Chip whose mind is so destroyed by television and movies that he has almost no identity while Matthew Broderick is quietly impressive as the anal retentive and harassed Steven. Highlights of the movie are obviously the jousting scene and the karaoke session but there are many funny parts in this to pull you through the more sinister moments. The Cable Guy is a gem of a film that didn't get the recognition it deserved, but for those who "get it" the movie becomes an easy favourite to watch again and again.