The Cable Guy poster

The Cable Guy (1996)

Film · 1h 36m · Rated PG-13

Comedy, Drama, Thriller

A lonely cable installer's desperate need for friendship turns into a darkly-comic, suspenseful, satirical nightmare.

Dark satire. A full-attention watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is heavy.

Streaming on Paramount+ and YouTube (free).

The Cable Guy parents guide

Some innuendo or implied sex and some strong language, about what a PG-13 should carry.

Our estimate: fine from about 13. Rated PG-13.

Scare
Mildly scary
A few tense or eerie moments.
Jump scares
A couple
One or two sudden jolts.
Gore
No gore
Violence
Strong violence
Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity
Mild
Mild means innuendo, or sex implied off screen, with no nudity.
Language
Moderate
Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Cable Guy scary?
Only a little. The Cable Guy has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.
How gory is The Cable Guy?
No gore and strong violence.
What is The Cable Guy rated, and is it OK for kids?
For teens, mostly: it is rated PG-13, with some strong language and strong violence.

What is The Cable Guy about?

When recently single Steven moves into his new apartment, cable guy Chip comes to hook him up—and doesn't let go. Initially, Chip is just overzealous in his desire to be Steven's pal, but when Steven tries to end the 'friendship', Chip shows his dark side. He begins stalking Steven, who's left to fend for himself because no one else can believe Chip's capable of such behaviour.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

There is a twist, and that is all we are saying.

Cast and crew

Directed byBen Stiller
StarringJim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann, Jack Black, George Segal, Diane Baker

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.