The Cable Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Cable Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Now with even more juice.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 9, 2026

Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Ben Stiller's The Cable Guy finally arrives on UHD from Sony, replacing a pair of Blu-rays issued during the 2010s. The studio has given this subversive comedy a well-rounded upgrade here including a new 4K restoration, a new Dolby Atmos remix (in addition to the theatrical 5.1 audio), and one new retrospective item stacked on top of copious legacy extras, all wrapped up in Steelbook packaging. While this release is held back slightly by the studio's typically high price point, it's almost a bargain considering what those older Blu-rays are still going for on the secondary market. (If you already own one, keep it -- this 4K release sadly isn't a combo pack.)

For a complete synopsis and appreciation of The Cable Guy, please see Martin Liebman's 2011 review of Sony's 15th Anniversary Blu-ray, a solidly well-rounded release in its day and a prized possession for die-hard fans of this largely underrated production. I agree with Marty's take on the film and, though I strangely did not see it in theaters back in the day, I've always considered The Cable Guy to be a reliably strong showcase for Jim Carrey's particular brand of comedy that still holds up surprisingly well in today's streaming-dominated landscape.

The Cable Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the UHD disc but downscaled to 1080p/SDR and should not be considered an accurate representation of true 4K picture quality in terms of detail, color, and brightness levels.

Sony has produced a very solid upgrade for The Cable Guy, whose previous Blu-rays were sourced from the same master which was at least 15 years old. This time around, its new 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision master was reportedly sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original camera negative, with the end result looking like a much more solidly consistent presentation with excellent fine detail and image stability that handles the film's darker moments very well. Color is carefully represented, with special attention paid to all those cooler tones that sustain a lightly creepy vibe, and no revisionism seems to have taken place here. The HDR layer appears to be subtle, bringing out bolder bursts of color like the "Medieval Times" signage and stylized cross-lighting while supporting more dialed-back hues against adjacent blacks. Film grain is largely well-rendered and though occasional signs of filtering are present (an early encounter with Steven's ex-girlfriend Robin seems suspiciously smooth, for example), these moments are rare. This whipping 100GB disc is tightly encoded and shows no signs of compression artifacts, such as macro blocking or black crush, and it maintains a very high and supportive bit rate when needed. Overall, I'm very happy with how it looks.

The Cable Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Cable Guy is not always a sonically demanding movie, but certainly enters more ambitious territory than the bulk of 1990s comedies at key moments. As such, the default Dolby Atmos remix doesn't greatly advance upon its original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track (also available here as a secondary option, thankfully), basically tightening up some of its edges and filling out the sides and rears more fully while adding in occasional height support for sporadic scenes of action (the climactic transmitter showdown, obviously) and occasional freak-out moments like Steven's nightmare and Chip's memorably over-the-top performance of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" during the psychedelic karaoke jam. Speaking of the soundtrack, it likewise sounds great here with renewed precision and includes such memorable bands and performers from the era as Jerry Cantrell, Cracker, Primitive Radio Gods, Silverchair, Porno for Pyros, Filter, Toadies, Cypress Hill. All things considered, it's a sufficiently smooth upgrade that will likely be appreciated by those with Dolby Atmos or 7.1 setups, and having the original 5.1 option on board is just icing on the cake.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature and all extras listed below.

The Cable Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in matte-finish Steelbook packaging with terrific design elements that expand upon its original poster that was used for previous home video releases. The front and back covers showcase a wall of CRT (tube) TVs displaying various characters and scenes from the film, with Jim Carrey's Ernie "Chip" Douglas front and center; unlike the others, his screen has a subtle reflective sheen that makes it stand out while preserving The Cable Guy's slightly creepy vibe. Inside is a more traditional splash image depicting their phone call in prison. Overall, this is a nicely understated design and looks great in-hand; it's more or less perfect for the film, in my opinion.

Bonus features include a new 30th Anniversary retrospective interview with director Ben Stiller and actor Matthew Broderick, as well as almost all of the legacy extras from Sony's solid 15th Anniversary Blu-ray -- only the Comedy Central "Canned Ham" featurette has been omitted (likely due to rights issues), but that's no big loss.

• NEW! 30th Anniversary Conversation (26:07) - This June interview with Ben Stiller and Matthew Broderick was recorded live at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival and moderated by People, Inc. president Leah Wyar. Both participants are in good sprits and reflect candidly on the film's production and legacy during this nicely-shot piece, even if several of Wyar's initial questions and comments are annoyingly surface-level.

• Gag Reel (6:29)

• Deleted & Extended Scenes (9 clips, 23:57 total)

• Audio Commentary - Featuring Ben Stiller, producer Judd Apatow, and Jim Carrey

• HBO First Look: The Making of The Cable Guy (24:14)

• Rehearsals (5 clips, 17:11 total)

• Nighttime Camera Test (1:14)

• Leslie Mann Audition (2:59)

• "Leave Me Alone" Music Video by Jerry Cantrell (4:34)

• Theatrical Trailer (2:28)

The Cable Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ben Stiller's underrated dark comedy The Cable Guy is a lesser talked-about entry in star Jim Carrey's monumentally popular 1990s film output, with contrasting performances by Matthew Broderick and an amusingly creepy atmosphere contributing to the off-kilter experience. It's aged surprisingly well considering how much the technological landscape has changed in the last 30 years, so even newcomers should have fun with this one. Sony's welcome new 4K Steelbook aims to replace their OOP Blu-rays with noticeably refreshed A/V merits and one new bonus feature as well as most of the old ones. A slightly lower price point and a Blu-ray copy would've made this release just about perfect, but it's damn near close enough to make it a no-brainer for fans of the film. Highly Recommended