THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 19, 1996 TAG: 9606190604
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 67 lines
WHO PUT THE MEAN in Ace Ventura?
The answer, available, with as much stutter as shutter, at local theaters is obviously ``The Cable Guy,'' a movie that is so miscalculated that it makes you wonder ``Who is responsible?''
For the record, ``Ace Ventura, Pet Detective'' got a favorable review here, and, yes, Jim Carrey, the reigning king of movie comedy, was, initially, quite funny. Was? Well, he still has that rubber face and a neck rotation that might be the envy of that little girl in ``The Exorcist.'' What he doesn't still have, in the case of ``The Cable Guy,'' is an endearing character that supports the stupid hijinks.
Chip Douglas, the threatening cable guy who comes calling on ever-innocent and naive Matthew Broderick, is, to put it mildly, a psycho. He convincingly suggests a TV fanatic who has gone over the edge in a fit of loneliness.
``I can be your best friend, or your worst enemy,'' he snarls at befuddled Matthew. It's a far cry from his goofball catch phrases, ``Smokin'!'' in ``The Mask,'' or ``All righty, then!'' in ``Ace Ventura.''
Not since Andy Griffith played Lonesome Rhodes in ``A Face in the Crowd'' has a comic quite so convincingly suggested authentic menace. There is every suggestion here that Carrey can be a formidable serious actor - and that he does have a range beyond goofball. The trouble is that ``The Cable Guy'' is such a muddled concept that it isn't the right vehicle for this breakthrough.
Chip Douglas, named after one of the characters in ``My Three Sons,'' is a potently pathetic character - so bereft of friends that he takes the first chance to plug into the life of nice-guy Broderick (who is beginning to look a little mature to play these boy-men). He gets Broderick arrested, attempts to break up his relationship with bland girlfriend Leslie Mann and even turns his own family against him (playing ``Porno Password'' in a scene that stops the movie short).
Janeane Garofolo has a cameo as a waitress. Eric Roberts appears as a TV actor who is doing a movie about a real-life killer. In the movie's most interesting subplot, a media trial goes on in the background, with a Mendendez-brother lookalike as a child actor who killed his twin brother. Somewhere, vaguely, there is an indictment of tabloid culture here.
Directed by Ben Stiller (son of comics Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller), the film was originally intended for Chris Farley (who would have been more comedic and less menacing). One can only suspect that it got wrapped up in superstar Carrey's determination to expand his range. If so, he has merely confused, and perhaps betrayed, his fans - especially the little kids who expect him to be a goofoff.
The relentless campaign identified it as a comedy. But the movie looks as if it's going to become ``Friday the 13th'' at any second. A major misfire. You'll want to unplug it long before you are allowed to escape the theater. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Columbia/TriStar
Jim Carrey is a threatening psycho in ``The Cable Guy.''
Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``The Cable Guy''
Cast: Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann, George Segal,
Diane Baker, Janeane Garofolo, Eric Roberts, Ben Stiller
Director: Ben Stiller
MPAA rating: PG-13 (adult themes, violence, language)
Mal's rating: One 1/2 stars
Locations: Cinemark, Greenbrier 13 in Chesapeake; Circle 4, Main
Gate in Norfolk; Kemps River, Lynnhaven 8, Pembroke, Surf-N-Sand in
Virginia Beach by CNB