Cable Guy, while not my favourite Carrey movie (I think I prefer both Mask and Liar, Liar) failed for the reasons I didn't hate it -- Carrey was so nasty and creepy, and that's what I've always thought of him.

See, I LIKED Carrey in the film. The OTT stuff went over very well with the younger kids in the theater I saw it in. He was scary, but not scary enough to give six-year-olds nightmares, and kids adore broad humor and he was the only one providing it. The ony ones laughing at Streep (who I totally agree was brilliant) were adults. We were there with friends whose son was frightened to death by Star Wars, and didn't sleep for months and when he did sleep had horrendous nightmares. They were checking this out for him to see fo rthat reason, so it was on my mind.

My guess? He was encouraged to go OTT by the director, because, well, that's why we hired him.

Yuh, Frank, you're probably right. It just irks because everything else about the movie is so dark and lovely and right. I don't know whether the director had a brain fart, or some studio executive insisted, "But it's a holiday movie! We need Carrey! You can't cast some Masterpiece Theatre asshole the kiddies have never heard of!"

Whatever it was, it's just a shame. Everything else is so very marvelous, and he's such a blight. And, yeah, probably doing exactly what he was told to do. Shame on whoever told him. Bad filmmaker/executive/money head! No biscuit!

eta: Sigh. Robin is, again, wise -- Lord knows, Emmett loved Carrey in this, and so did every kid in the audience. But they might've also loved a more finely-tuned Carrey, or someone else altogether. We'll never know now; we're just stuck with a movie that kids love unreservedly and grown-ups love with one large reservation. Where's my unreserved love object, dammit?

Oh, hey, look, Michel Gondry!

makes out with Gondry in absentia

I think the opposite -- the director failed to reign him in,

This is what I think happened. I forget the guy's name, but I don't think the director has a lot of experience, which having experience is probably helpful when directing a movie with Jim Carrey in it.

"reign him in" would be more properly said as "rein him in", as in "rein in a horse."

Forgive me, it's been making me twitchy and anxious and I just had to say it.

I think the opposite -- the director failed to reign him in,

(sorry connie, not going to correct a cut and paste quote)

Or even more likely, both. I expect that the movie executives also had a hand in it.

We're paying Jim Carrey, have him BE Jim Carrey - the kids'll eat it up.

But yeah, an inexperienced director would probably get steamrolled by Carrey.

Who was the director who got in a fistfight with Clooney?

Who was the director who got in a fistfight with Clooney?

David O. Russell, on THREE KINGS.

The Biggest Movie Mistakes from 2004.

I don't see "All the haircuts in ALEXANDER".