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Caustic wit gets a full-body workout in this 1994 comedy, in which a cat burglar (Denis Leary) gets trapped in an affluent Connecticut neighborhood and is forced to hold a bickering couple hostage on Christmas Eve, only to discover that their Yuletide spirit is anything but cheerful. Caroline (Judy Davis) and her husband, Lloyd (Kevin Spacey), have been at each other's throats for so long that they've developed domestic arguments into an art form, and the would-be kidnapper turns into a reluctant mediator, even after he's got the battling couple wound up in bungee cords. The situation grows even more complicated when the couple's smart-aleck son comes home from military school, but it's not the plot here that's a top priority. Instead it's the sheer pleasure of witnessing a three-way verbal jousting match, written with razor-sharp skill and delivered by actors who are perfect for their roles. The movie's got a dark edge, but it never gets too dark--you know that it's not going to slide into more seriously damaging territory, so you can sit back and enjoy the volleys of scathing insults and sarcasm the way you would a Don Rickles performance. If that sounds like your idea of entertainment,The Ref will serve it up with style.--Jeff Shannon
This is a very funny movie with a Christmas Eve setting If you liked the Ransom of Red Chief, you'll probably find this movie funny. This movie is similar in theme (the tables are turned on the kidnapper), although filled with some very funny one-liners (my favorite is a line about the need for a mute switch). Dennis Leary is a Christmas Eve burglar in wealthy "New Baybrook" Connecticut, who sets off a boobie trap, alerting the police (who are totally inexperienced at dealing with serious crimes). They set up a roadblock so burglar Leary can't get out of town, so he kidnaps the wife of a fighting couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis), who are driving home from a visit with their marriage counselor. He makes them take him home, although they are expecting Spacey's truly awful MIL and other relatives (including Christine Baranski) for dinner. Their headed-down-the-wrong-track son is due home from the last-resort military academy he's attending. But no wonder the son is so troubled -- his parents never stop bickering. Burglar Leary ends up being a kind of marriage counselor to this rather affluent but deeply dysfunctional family.
This is definitely a Christmas movie, but if you want cute little elves and jolly old Santa Claus, this isn't the movie for you. It's definitely an adult movie, and the language is probably not appropriate for delicate ears or those sensitive to bad language or some sexual comments.
Getting laid by an 18-year-old linebacker is exactly what... ...she needs
The late Ted Demme (accidental cocaine induced thrombotic heart attack) directed this masterpiece. His resume includes Life, Blow, Who's the Man?, The Ref, and The Bet. The Ref was produced by the all too famous Jerry Bruckheimer (King Arthur, Bad Boys 1&2, Pirates of the Caribbean, Black Hawk Down, etc, etc).
Demme did a wonderful job with this fabulous cast. Everyone was funny and played their parts to perfection. I felt Demme didn't over develop the characters (which can be an overkill in comedies), but by the end, you felt like you knew each character very well, and you definitely know which ones you liked and disliked.
Denis Leary did a wonderful job playing the main character, Gus. He is the bad guy, but the good guy all at the same time. The fighting couple, played by Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis (Absolute Power) find that being captured by Gus was a better deal then any shrink their good money could buy/
Gus is a robber who tries to steal from the wrong house. The house has traps set up, and the whole towns police force blocks off all major roadways before he can escape the house to get out of town. He finds himself hiding away in the "odd couple" house on Christmas Eve.
Gus finds himself as a marriage counselor when he is trying to find a way out of his predicament. This is a must watch movie, and should be in everyone's DVD collection just based on price. I strongly recommend watching this movie, especially around the holidays.
Grade: B+ The Ref: Vista Series DVD Petition If you want to take part in a petition to release 'The Ref' on Vista Series DVD, with special features such as a commentaries, featurettes, trailers, tv spots, biographies, outtakes, and the director's cut of the film including deleted scenes and the alternate ending (Gus surrenders and is arrested to prove to Jesse that a life of crime leads you nowhere but jail) which Ted Demme regretted having cut out, sign this petition to help lose this bare-bones dvd, and make a new collector's edition. Shame this couldn't have been thought of and/or been released in time for its 10th anniversary. Still, this would make a great DVD, so help out in this petition to Touchstone Home Entertainment to make 'The Ref: Vista Series DVD'! The link is: http://www.petitiononline.com/m181138/petition.html
