It began as the story of the guy you can't get rid of--a cable television installer who is a troublesome pest but never dangerous.
By the time it reached the big screen with Jim Carrey as its star, however, "The Cable Guy" had taken on a far more sinister tone. The cable installer had become a menacing stalker, leaving audiences to ponder if they should laugh at his antics or simply recoil.
Today, as debate swirls throughout Hollywood over whether history will judge Carrey's latest effort a hit or a miss, some are wondering if the filmmakers blundered in making the tone of the Columbia Pictures release so dark.
To its detractors, "The Cable Guy" symbolizes a trend in today's humor, where laughter comes at the expense of victims and comedians troll for jokes in situations that are all-too disturbing in real life. Is stalking funny, they ask? Is beating up a guy in a restroom hilarious?
To its defenders, the movie is a daring attempt by Carrey, director Ben Stiller and writer-producer Judd Apatow to erect a "satiric thriller" that explores far grittier themes than the conventional mindless comedies Hollywood dispenses each summer.
"Some people didn't get what they expected out of this movie, but that is just expectations," co-producer Jeffrey A. Mueller said. "I think where Ben was going was for edgier satire, a more intelligent comedy. I think Jim was looking to push the envelope with respect to his audience and his comedic character. He wanted to move more from Jerry Lewis to Jack Nicholson."
From "Pulp Fiction" to "Fargo," today's audiences are treated to uncomfortable humor, whether it is depicting men being sprayed with brain parts or a body being pulverized in a wood chipper.
Stiller believes there are subjects that should be taboo in comedy, but not many.
"I don't think there is anything that we shouldn't be allowed to laugh at except maybe killing children, rape or horrible things like that, which in no way could possibly be funny. But other than that, I don't think there should be any rules. Stalking, obsessive-compulsive people, are all part of life. For me, I'm not that interested in just escapist humor that doesn't have a connection with reality."
*
Some believe that comedy began to change in the 1980s with the rise of the Harvard school and David Letterman, where comedians began making fun of others instead of themselves.
