57 channels and nothing on

The Cable Guy

(1996)

I've been hearing for years that this is one of the most misunderstood and underrated films of the past couple of decades, and now I have proven it. Because, good god, it can't be as bad as I think it is; it can't be as unfunny and unrewarding in its squirm inducement as it seemed. Its advocates credit it with creating discomfort that somehow equals artistic achievement by demanding intellectual engagement, so my perception must just be wrong that what it elicits is the vicarious embarrassment that any jackass behaving idiotically in public can induce in us. I readily admit it: I have failed to understand it; I have failed to appreciate it properly; hell, I'll say it's better than Citizen Kane as long as you promise I'll never have to see it again.