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Unedited
Slopping the Prigs

By Joe Queenan

T has long been my belief that motion pictures express the subliminal fears, dreams, and neuroses of the American people. Thus, the Look Who's Talking series reflects the public's nagging fear that their children are only going to grow up to be about as smart as Bruce Willis . The Nightmare on Elm Street movies reflect a deep fear among teenagers that their parents would really rather see them dead. And the Police Academy series reflects a general fear that everyone on the Los Angeles Police Department is a moron.

Enormously popular films such as these have a soothing, therapeutic effect on the public's nerves, speaking as they do to the issues that most perplex us. This is why the epic failures of The Cable Guy and Multiplicity is so bewildering. Seldom in history have two films so directly addressed the problems that we all face. And seldom in our history have two films with such pertinent, powerful, timely messages been consigned with such alacrity to the dustbin of pop cultural history.
In the case of The Cable Guy, much of the blame for the film's failure rests with critics who have misinformed filmgoers about its message. Most critics have dismissed the motion picture as a comic reworking of Bad Influence or Single White Female, films that deal with psychopathic individuals who force their friendship on hapless, lonely apartment-dwellers. This is much too narrow a reading. What The Cable Guy actually deals with is an issue too sensitive for the press to touch: class warfare, the secret but ongoing battle between blue-collar workers and white-collar workers. The real message of The Cable Guy is: people who work in trucks installing phone and cable lines detest people who work in offices and make more than $35,000 a year. And, as anyone who has had recent dealings with the phone or the cable company will attest, the guys in the trucks are winning. They hate us, and they are out to make our lives miserable.
The critics have also failed miserably in their assessment of Multiplicity. To hear them tell it, this brilliant Michael Keaton vehicle is just another dumb comedy whose only selling point is the technological wizardry of all those Keaton clones cavorting on the screen at the same time. Nothing could be further from the truth. The real theme of Multiplicity is the inadequacy of the American male. In cloning himself, Keaton's downtrodden working stiff is tacitly admitting that he is too tired when he comes home at night to satisfy the sexual demands of his wife. The fact that the clone then needs another clone, and that the second clone then needs a third, affirms what men have long denied, but what women have known for years: no single American man can satisfy a woman. No two American men can satisfy a woman. American men are so tired, so beaten down, so neurotic, so sexually inadequate that a woman needs a whole carload of them to meet her requirements in the getting-one's-jollies department.
This is a very sad statement indeed.
This summer, the American public has given a vigorous thumbs-down to two of our finest comedians as they attempt to address serious social issues. Instead, they have spent a small fortune to follow the cinematic machinations of tornados, murderous extraterrestrials, and treasonous spies, none of which pose even the slightest threat to the republic at this time. The question is: can the public's rejection of The Cable Guy and Multiplicity be explained purely by the failure of movie critics to do their job, or is there some deeper, less obvious explanation for these surefire hits turning into mega-duds?
Yes, there is. Both The Cable Guy and Multiplicity contain strong homoerotic overtones: Jim Carrey definitely has a thing for Matthew Broderick in The Cable Guy, and Clone #2 in Multiplicity is definitely gay. In eschewing these powerful, controversial, socially relevant movies, the American public is clearly saying that it is not yet ready to deal with the issue of the latent homosexuality that exists in us all. Maybe when the films come out in video.

Has Joe hit the mark, or did The Cable Guy and Multiplicity just bite?



teddy knight from [204.140.227.227] at Saturday, Aug. 3, 1996, 3:19am ET
I haven't seen Cable Guy, but I did see Multiplicity and gave it a positive review in the local paper. I agree with Joe that the #3 seemed gay and that that may have frightened straight critics since he was still able to satisfy the wife better than the everyday working dude #1. I was rolling on the floor during this film. But I am female and therefore biased on the subject of male sexual inadequacy. There does seem to be a dearth of energy out there. Much more talk than action. Keep telling it like it is, Mr. Queenan. You're the best.
roberta targine from net.br at Saturday, Aug. 3, 1996, 4:05pm ET
I've seen the cable guy, and what i really saw was a sad story of reality mixed with some touches parody. The reality part is the influence TV has on everybody's life, and the parody was to all action movies in general (like Jim Carrey falling into an antena and not dying). Maybe the biggest mistake was the casting of Jim Carrey, that with his "funny faces" made many people miss completely the true meaning of the story.
Michael Skeen from mn.us at Saturday, Aug. 3, 1996, 6:19pm ET
Bullshit! I haven't seen either of the films (although I want to very badly). I think the only reason why these films were performed poorly is because there are too many films out there right now. Although the publicity surrounding summer blockbusters is great, it ends up that every interesting film gets released in that time. "Twister," given that it was release three weeks before the summer began, should show that if you put something worthwhile out there and give it enough publicity, than it can be a hit ... even in the spring!
Doctor Mad from [153.37.1.31] at Saturday, Aug. 3, 1996, 6:39pm ET
Interesting reviews of Cable Guy & Multiplicity. Not only is the public homoerotic, but overall, they are drawn to mindless, dumb movies like bees to honey. The sad state of movies reflects the sad bubble gum mentality that reigns in this culture.
Oliver Gottfried from shore.net at Saturday, Aug. 3, 1996, 10:56pm ET
Yes!!! Finally someone besides myself saw beyond the basic
plot and into the heart of The Cable Guy! But not only does
it deal with the struggle between blue- and white-collar
workers, but it also makes a strong message about the role of TV in our society today. A great story.
Scotty Hall from mn.us at Sunday, Aug. 4, 1996, 3:09pm ET
I agree. The Cable Guy does have a deeper meaning. It deals with how television is rotting our minds on a daily basis. I saw it twice and it was great. The studio's biggest mistake, however, was marketing it as a total comedy. It had funny moments but was actually quite serious. I think it is one of Jim Carrey's best performances. Matthew Broderick was great too.
Jesse from [198.5.214.54] at Sunday, Aug. 4, 1996, 6:00pm ET
Are you kidding? Not only does your review employ simplified stereotypes as icons of American culture, it reads way too much into movies that are, well, terrible. It would be indulgent and silly to try to read anything into both of these films, which suffer in fact from not knowing how to deal with their respective subjects. I suppose that now "Dazed and Confused" is a fascinating take on the social effects of the French Revolution. Wake up.
Craig from arizona.edu at Sunday, Aug. 4, 1996, 10:48pm ET
Unlike several of your respondents, I have actually seen both of these films. "Cable Guy" had some definite moment of hilarious comedy, but on the whole, it was a failure as a coherent story about anything. I can see Mr. Queenan's point, though, and despite his tongue-in-cheek style, he has touched on a definite sub-theme in the film. "Multiplicity" really had very little going for it other than the technical gimmickry and I really was hoping for more from Director Harold Ramis, who managed a modern classic with "Groundhog Day."
Martin from [136.148.2.95] at Monday, Aug. 5, 1996, 9:18am ET
I haven't seen Multiplicity as it hasn't yet been released here in the UK. The Cable Guy I did see and it is doing rather well at the British box office. The whole class conciousness thing is very true although I haven't seen any reviews that bring this up. Perhaps this is why it's doing OK here - there is a long history of class conciousness in the media in this country. It still wasn't a very good movie - Matthew Broderick seemed miscast and the ending was a bit predictable.
Chris from [204.249.104.6] at Monday, Aug. 5, 1996, 11:09am ET
I wish *I* were as smart as Bruce Willis. The guy went from being a New Jersey bartender to the star of a plethora of hit action films, along the way hitching up with one of the most luscious (if annoying) babes in Hollywood! Oh, he's smart all right.
Incidentally, The Cable Guy and Multiplicity I can wait for on Home Video. I'll see the movies, but not for 50 bucks (tickets plus popcorn plus sitter plus pre- or post-film grub)
Dave Bogard from [207.17.84.136] at Monday, Aug. 5, 1996, 2:30pm ET
I think the problem with "The Cable Guy" isn't the movie itself, but the audiences expectations of what a Jim Carrey film is. They're expecting the same sort of goofy, good-guy story, and in this movie, he played a warped-by-TV, off-center, nutcase. The movie does address the problem with television. It is a vast wasteland - and should NEVER be considered a suitable baby-sitter for children.
maggie from [204.177.189.75] at Monday, Aug. 5, 1996, 5:17pm ET
Dear Jesse,
Um, yeah, I think he's kidding.
Rain Lashley from ucf.edu at Tuesday, Aug. 6, 1996, 2:34am ET
Twister = . ID4 = . Eraser = .
Cable Guy = ok. Kingpin = ok/.
The Summer of Movies!
Rain Lashley from ucf.edu at Tuesday, Aug. 6, 1996, 2:37am ET
My last message was censored. Real nice.
Whenever you see "=," I had sHÏt there.
That's the Summer of sHÏt Movies!
Russ from alcatel.com at Tuesday, Aug. 6, 1996, 10:19am ET
PLEASE!!!!!

If any of these films (Cable Guy i saw) had even begun
to aspire to have such lofty ideals and intentions, as
you imply, as opposed to the re-hashed-lets-get-something-
out-for-the-summer-crowd sort of feel that these films had,
then maybe their popularity may have been different.
Ben Stiller (i don't recall if he directed Cable Guy, but
certainly an influence) and the symbolism/analogies having
the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Ben gets an A for effort
but I think his stuff just loses it on the big screen.
Cable guy may play better on the small screen.
Nix on the homophobia too. If there was any blatant refs
to homosexuality, they were just used as a comic device,
and weak ones at that, that wouldn't, certainly turn people
off. Can you say "Bridcage"?

Just my 2 cents.

Russ
terrib from [207.60.111.106] at Tuesday, Aug. 6, 1996, 11:32am ET
Both Multiplicity and The Cable Guy were about construction type guys. Neither one showed any butt-crack. Ergo - they failed. (Who wants to see a movie about installer type guys wearing tool belts who don't show butt-crack.)
Jim Carrey's wardrobe was especially terrible. He wore a one-piece body suit when he was installing cable. (What did they do - steal that thing from the Micheal Myers Halloween flicks?) That plus he looked like Mr. Rogers in one scene and no one wants to play Porno Password with Mr. Rogers. What good is class-warfare films wherein the lower classes are prevented from using one of their most potent weapons?
DaveK from [140.163.92.150] at 4:07pm ET
The American public is not ready to deal with latent homo-
sexuality? "Batman Forever" was more homoerotic than both
of these films put together and was the highest grosser of last year!

Maybe if he had put a gay character in "12 Steps to Death" it would have gone over better.

Just kidding.
Dog from ucf.edu at 10:54pm ET
you!
Eric from cloud9.net at 12:30am ET
I would like to state my opinion of The Cable Guy, and to dispute the many other claims made by various sources. The film was NOT poorly written, poorly thought-out, dull, dry, too dark, or disorganized. It WAS a great film dealing with some very complex issues (homosexuality, obsession, mental problems, etc.) that was reviewed poorly by critics who missed the point completely. My hypothesis:

1) People see the name Jim Carrey and say, "OK, this is gonna be a dumb movie that is not at all serious. I'm ready to laugh." The problem is, The Cable Guy is not an extremely funny film, but it is a fairly serious one.

2) I completely disliked the coming attractions. The preview seems to emphasize the funny, goofy side of the film instead of the very real, very dark theme. This prepared people for a dumb "Jim Carrey" movie instead of a dark, devious, downright SCARY film.

In conclusion, I feel that The Cable Guy was so badly reviewed because people were not expecting the film to be so dark. In fact, most people were COMPLETELY unprepared for it.

My review:

CABLE GUY *** 1/2
CatsEye from msu.edu at 2:19pm ET
I really have to disagree with Mr. Queenan. These movies are set before us to entertain and to read such messages into them as that they contain overtones of homosexuality or the struggle of class against class is going more than a little overboard in the course of reviewing them. Such statements remind me of a commentary I read on the New York Times website about _Independence_Day_. The author argued that the aliens were used as a metaphor for AIDS.
What nonsense! Do we honestly need to look for meanings in every single film that comes out? Aren't there enough films that deal with homoeroticism/homosexuality (_Jeffrey_ comes to mind) and class versus class (do I honestly have to name any?) that we shouldn't have to invent overtones for other films?
As for why these films failed, it's quite simple.
Cable Guy was a flop for two reasons. First, the studio had no idea how to market this film. Was it a comedy or a black comedy or a drama? This leads into the second problem that the audience had an expectation for Jim Carrey. That expectation was Ace Ventura 3: Let's Install Cable. They didn't get that film, they didn't watch the film they got. It failed.
As for Multiplicity... I've heard good things about it. The couple of friends of mine who have seen it as well as my parents really enjoyed it. But not enough for me to shell out the extra dollars to see it in the movie theaters. I'll take that money I would have spent to see a film that has to be seen in a theatre (i.e. ID4, SuperCop, DragonHeart, etc) and rent it on video later. Maybe.
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Unedited: Joe Queenan Archive Index


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