Jim Carrey Returns To A Familiar Role In Verizon's Super Bowl 2022 Commercial

When you think about the Super Bowl and comedy legend Jim Carrey, the mind can easily wander to his role in the first "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" movie as he works the case of finding the Dolphins' missing mascot and quarterback Dan Marino in 1994. However, Verizon had a different zany Carrey character in mind as inspiration for its latest game-day campaign.

Verizon's Super Bowl commercial will aim to promote its 5G in-home and business services in a humorous way, continuing its lighthearted approach after its 2021 ad with Samuel L. Jackson, per Adweek. Apparently, Verizon is going beyond a commercial and presenting fans a mobile experience for what is called the "Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Ultra Pass Powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband" — what a mouthful. The offering of a second-screen experience that "lets fans feel as though they are on stage with the artists," according to People, will be available in the Pepsi Halftime app.

Verizon CCO Andrew McKenchie spoke with Adweek about the commercial and mega-star collaboration: "[Carrey] was pretty psyched to do this and felt like this was the right time — you can't get a better moment than the Super Bowl to do something like this," noting the significance of the nostalgic character reference from 25 years ago. Carrey posted a look at Verizon's campaign on Twitter with the caption, "This Sunday ... he's back ... and he just wants to connect!"

Jim Carrey is putting on the tool belt once more as Chip Douglas from "The Cable Guy." Verizon released a 10-second Super Bowl teaser of the actor suiting up and another of him pounding on a door as seen through a peephole, shouting, "Cable Guy!" as he did in the 1996 film.

Carrey posted a slowed-down video of the suit-up on Twitter with narration to hype the character's return. "Humanoids," Carrey begins with the Cable Guy's distinct lisp, "have long felt the need to escape the rigor of life through streaming content ... and it is I, only I, who possess the necessary skills to fulfill that need. It is ..." the actor pauses as he runs a drill with a dramatic expression before continuing: "my purpose."

"The Cable Guy" was not a runaway success like the cast, director Ben Stiller, and producer Judd Apatow thought it would be, as many people were taken aback by the strangeness of the titular character. In an interview with Charlie Rose in 2001, Carrey said, "Just to get that character on film is a triumph." The actor loves "comedic characters who try to act like they're in control, and even convince themselves that they're in control but they are completely and obviously not in control in any way." It is this delusional behavior that was once off-putting for moviegoers, but now contributes to the praise of "The Cable Guy" as a cult-classic. Check out the full commercial during Super Bowl LVI on February 13.