Ben Stiller reflects on how the theme of “The Cable Guy” holds up 30 years later
Ben Stiller reflects on how the theme of “The Cable Guy” holds up 30 years later
Mekishana PierreMon, June 15, 2026 at 9:57 PM UTC
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Ben Stiller at SXSW in 2025; Matthew Broderick and Jim Carrey in 'The Cable Guy'Credit: Mat Hayward/WireImage; Columbia/Courtesy EverettKey Points -
Ben Stiller looked back at his second directorial feature at the 2026 Tribeca Festival, where a new 4K restoration of The Cable Guy had its world premiere on Friday.
Joined by costar Matthew Broderick, Stiller shared his thoughts on whether the film's themes of loneliness and wanting a friend still hold up as the film celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The Cable Guy, written by Lou Holtz Jr. and produced by Judd Apatow, also starred Jack Black, Leslie Mann, Owen Wilson, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick and more.
It's been 30 years since Ben Stiller showed movie lovers the dark side of TV with his 1996 black comedy film The Cable Guy, and the director is grateful to say that the film's central theme still holds up.
Stiller got the opportunity to look back on his second directorial feature at the 2026 Tribeca Festival, where a new 4K restoration of the film had its world premiere on Friday. The director was joined by Matthew Broderick — who starred in the movie opposite Jim Carrey — for a walk down memory lane via a post-screening panel moderated by Leah Wyar, President at Entertainment Weekly's parent company People Inc.
"The themes, of course, are I think very universal," Stiller said of the film's central relationship between Broderick's Steven Kovacs and Carrey's cable installer Ernie "Chip" Douglas. "It's about loneliness and it's about relationships and it's about wanting a friend."
Matthew Broderick and Jim Carrey in 'The Cable Guy'Credit: Columbia/Courtesy Everett
The Cable Guy, written by Lou Holtz Jr. and produced by Judd Apatow, also starred Jack Black, Leslie Mann, Owen Wilson, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick and more. The film followed Steven as he clashes with Chip in increasingly disturbing ways after an attempt to bribe him for free movie channels gets their wires crossed.
When Chip says he'll make Steven one of his preferred customers, he only asks that in return, Steven will hang out with him now and again, which Steven reluctantly agrees to. He soon comes to regret that decision as Chip reveals his unsettling nature.
While things don't quite work out between Steven and Chip, Stiller revealed that the project was a great opportunity for him to work with Broderick and Carrey, who had already been building an "incredible run" of roles that he had long admired before directing them.
Ben Stiller and Matthew Broderick attend 'The Cable Guy' premiere during Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2026Credit: Dominik Bindl/Getty
"I get excited even thinking about it, because there's nothing like that really. It was very inspiring for me as an actor, what you were doing," Stiller said, turning to Broderick. "And so I was kind of starstruck and excited at the possibility of putting you and Jim together — because obviously Jim was like this one kind of energy and your, you know, ability to ground and react."
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It also allowed the director to bring on a "special collection of talent in that moment," whom are now highly regarded as some of the most well-known comedic minds.
"I mean, at the time it was just our friends. ... It's just people you know who you want to work with," he said of the cast, as Broderick echoed, "Yeah. What a group, though. It really is unbelievable."
"No, it's funny, some movies have casts in them that you just would go, 'All those people went on to do such great stuff.' But, yeah, no, I mean, I'd just been working obviously with Andy and Janeane and at that time, and Odenkirk and Cross," Stiller added. "They [were all] Ben Stiller Show people, so that was how we knew each other."
Matthew Broderick and Jim Carrey in 'The Cable Guy'Credit: Columbia/Courtesy Everett
The Cable Guy was a box office successupon its release, but both Hollywood and audiences weren't sure what to make of the black comedy. "It sort of was not, you know, really received that well in the moment, and that was weird," said Stiller, though he has nothing but fond memories of his time making the film."I love movies, I love making movies, and I love shooting on film," he recalled of the production process. "We cut this digitally, but we shot it on film, but just that process to me — you find so much in the actual process of it. And Robert Brinkman is just an incredibly talented cinematographer and we had a really great connection together in terms of how we saw it, and like trying to embrace the wide screen aspect of it."
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"We were just like nerding out [in a] weird way," he continued of filming the movie. "During the making of it, I was just unaware, you know, naive. Just like 'Oh yeah, let's do that thing, that'll be fun.' And that's kind of where the best stuff happens, where you're just trying to please yourself in a way as an audience and do stuff that you, you would like to see."
on Entertainment Weekly
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