The Cable Guy
While filming of the scene in which The Cable Guy plays basketball, it became obvious that Jim Carrey could barely dribble a basketball, nevermind make a basket. Ben Stiller had Carrey mime the action without a ball, and VFX added the basketball in post-production.,"The odds that Steven would have been in jail (the prison scene) for "receiving stolen property" are slim to none, and after an interview Steven would have likely been cited at the police station and given a court date. Some states have a separate but similar charge called "possessing stolen property" or "possession of stolen property." The distinguishing factor here is when the accused learned the goods were stolen. If he knew at the time he acquired the property, then it is receipt of stolen property. It is possession of stolen property if he only learned the property was stolen after he obtained it. All Steven had to do was tell the police who Chip Douglas really was, and Steven would have been sent home and it would have been The Cable Guy who would have been arrested." ... but the Police Officers and Guards seen in these scenes are all "Preferred Customers" and they clearly went outside the law to lock up Steven at the request of Chip. Since this is still a comedy film, the suspension of disbelief is held when it is acknowledged at least twice in these scenes that Chip is manipulating the authorities with his connections via long-time cable hook-ups; and we'd seen the arresting cop at the karaoke party earlier in the film, too.,Chip Douglas: The future is now! Soon every American home will integrate their television, phone and computer. You'll be able to visit the Louvre on one channel, or watch female wrestling on another. You can do your shopping at home, or play Mortal Kombat with a friend from Vietnam. There's no end to the possibilities!,The Columbia logo at the beginning of the movie segues into static from Steven's cable TV.,In order to qualify for a 12 certificate, the UK releases (prior to its July '17 Blu-ray release) were ordered by the BBFC to cut 4 seconds by removing some imitable violence. The cut occurs when Steven and The Cable Guy are fighting on top of the TV satellite, towards the ending. A shot of Guy headbutting Steven, as well as a brief ear-clap, has been omitted.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Rock/Heavy/The Phantom/Homage/Ma Saison Preferee (1996),My Three Sons Theme
Written by Frank De Vol
Courtesy of Dot Records,There's nothing like mid 90's Jim Carrey, even in this less popular flick.

Jim Carrey plays the cable guy going by the name of Chip Douglas. He's wacky, to say the least, but he may be even more than that. When Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick) ordered cable for his new apartment, he had no idea who would be coming to his place to hook it up. Steven made the drastic mistake of asking Chip for illegal cable. Well, Chip gave him the illegal cable, but it was not NSA (no strings attached).

Steven had inadvertently signed a life long pact with Chip that could only end badly. Chip was desperate for a friend and TAG, Steven was it. He was not going to leave Steven alone and Steven would find out what the penalties were for trying to abandon Chip.

"The Cable Guy" is funny and dark. If Jim Carrey hadn't had such mega-successes before this movie, I think this would be more remembered from his anthology. And Carrey made the movie. Matthew Broderick was a stick in the mud. He was this monotone, deadpan stiff. I suppose that that's what his character was supposed to be, but I have yet to see Broderick in anything where he wowed me. Carrey, on the other hand, stole every scene he was in.,