Why did the movie The Cable Guy nearly ruin Jim Carrey's career?

Answer 1

For two reasons, I think. First, after this film was released, I think Carrey became dangerously close to being typecast. The physical comedy that he displayed in movies like Ace Ventura, Dumb & Dumber and The Mask made him a star. In The Cable Guy, we saw the same slapstick humor -- the weird faces and poses and strange noises -- turned into a parody of itself.

It was almost like Jim Carrey spoofing Jim Carrey, and I think a lot of people were like, "Is this all he can do? Funny faces and weird noises?" It gave people the impression that Jim Carrey had no acting range, that he was incapable of playing anyone other than the same weirdo he played in Ace Ventura, Dumb & Dumberand The Mask. It was like he just kept playing the same character over and over again.

The other problem was, this film was a lot darker than the movies he played before. The Mask, Dumb & Dumber and Ace Ventura were very lighthearted, goofy, feel-good movies, and The Cable Guy was not. A lot of people find this movie to be too disturbing and too depressing.

His character just wasn't loveable. He was sinister, and had a mean streak to him. I think a lot of people just hated the character. They expected another goofball comedy like Carrey's earlier films, and instead they got something that was dark and very creepy. Instead of just a weirdo, Carrey's character was a sociopath, and sociopaths are not funny at all.