Verizon was the true winner of Super Bowl Sunday with the premiere of their latest ad promoting the company’s 5G Internet. The 60-second spot focuses on saying goodbye to cable and apparently Verizon felt that bringing in Ernie “Chip” Douglas, the character Jim Carrey plays in The Cable Guy, was the best way to get their message across. You can watch the commercial below.
Released in 1996, The Cable Guy is directed by Ben Stiller and written by Lou Holtz Jr. with Carrey in the lead role as the titular cable company worker (or so he claims). The film follows a bachelor moving into a new apartment when his life is forever changed after he has his cable installed by the wrong cable guy. Along with Carrey and Matthew Broderick in the lead roles, the film stars Leslie Mann, Jack Black, George Segal, and Diane Baker, and is filled with appearances from many familiar faces like Owen Wilson, Andy Dick, and Bob Odenkirk.
The Cable Guy was a hit at the box office, but it was pummeled with negative reviews at the time of its release. Many fans have come around to the film as it’s grown a cult following over the years, leading to Carrey eventually reprising the role for a commercial that made many fans happy to see. But Carrey has apparently always stood by the film.
“Jim loves it to this day,” Stiller told Ultimate Classic Rock. “I had the best time making it. Up until the movie opened, it was the best experience. And then when the movie opened and I remember reading the New York Times review and seeing, ‘The first disaster movie of the summer’s come out. It’s called The Cable Guy.'”
Of the film’s original premiere, Stiller said, “It was at the Chinese Theatre and, like, the lights came up. I think it was the director of, maybe it was Ace Ventura, looking at me kinda like, ‘What have you done?’ There was a look in his eye like, ‘What was that? You’ve taken our beautiful Jim and what have you done to him?’ Because it was weird and it was dark.”