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The Ref

source: The Ref

The Ref

This has to be one of them most underrated Christmas movies ever. Just go up to someone and mention it, and watch them say, "What?" "No, MY favorite holiday special is "It's a Wonderful Life." Try not to pity them too noticeably. Denis Leary plays Gus, a burglar who gets interrupted in the process of completing a job in a well-to-do Connecticut suburb, and winds up taking Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey's couple hostage. Not a good idea, as he quickly discovers. They're so busy bickering that they barely acknowledge Gus, and he must come up with creative ways to keep shutting them up. The main obstacles to Gus escaping undetected are 1) the couple's son is due back from military school, 2) the in-laws are due shortly for a guilt-filled dysfunctional Christmas visit, and 3) the local Keystone Kops are attempting to track Gus down. It's 2) which is really the problem, as the couple's family is even more intolerable than the couple themselves. Sample scene: The in-laws are seen eating at a diner shortly before they're due. "Eat up, kids. Heavens knows what we'll get at Aunt Caroline's." This proves to be a wise move indeed. And if you got a kick out of Kevin Spacey hurling the asparagus in "American Beauty," you'll appreciate the scene where he loses it and starts hitting the Christmas tree. ("Excuse me, the 'corpse' still has the floor!") All I can say, that it's good that Gus came along, because the family definitely all had more than a few grievances to air that had long been festering. Though I'm not sure they got every last drop of venom out (maybe a sequel?).

Ted Demme's The Ref is one of my favourite holiday comedies of all time, one I re watch every and never tire of. It's the most cheerful black comedy I can think of, while at the same time being one of the most cynical, acid tongued Christmas movies on record. In spite of this pissy tone, however, it still manages to elicit warm fuzzy feelings and make you care for its lovable, curmudgeonly characters. It's also got a spitfire of a script, given wildly funny life by its star, the one and only Denis Leary. Leary, every the motor mouthed, nicotine fuelled teddy bear, is an actor who's work is very dear to me. Many times when I was younger and wasn't in the best place in my head, I'd watch various films of his, and his standup and he always put me in a better place. Here he plays short tempered cat burglar Gus, who is forced to lay low in a small town on Christmas Eve after being busted and nearly caught by a state of the art alarm system. He takes a middle aged couple hostage to hide out at their house, and goes from the proverbial frying pan into the fire. Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis play the couple, who bicker endlessly and drive Gus up the wall by constantly being at each other's throats and never shutting up. Spacey never comes up short in intense performances, whether dramatic or funny, and he owns the role, meeting Leary and Davis's manic energy with his own verve. Davis, an underrated actress, pulls out all the stops an delivers like she always does as well. The three of them are left in the house to hash out their issues, criticize each other, fight, make constant jabs at character and all that other lovely Christmas-y stuff. The hilarity peaks when Spacey's insufferable brother and his family show up for the most awkward Christmas dinner in history, as the trio tries to disguise the fact that they're harbouring a criminal from the dimwitted clan, and Spacey's tyrannical bitch of a mother (Glynis Johns). There's balance to the stressful vibe, though, as Leary's presence elevates every emotion from the couple and eventually turns things around, all expertly played by the actors for laughs both obvious and subtle. The excellent Raymond J. Barry is crusty delight as the mean spirited Sheriff, and there's great work from J.K. Simmons, Christine Baranski, Arthur Nascarella, Vincent Pastore, Richard Bright, Adam LeFevre and B.D. Wong. A Christmas classic for me, for a number of reasons, and one of the funniest, overlooked holiday flicks out there.

No Christmas would be complete without a viewing of The Ref, alongside our other fave, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It features the wonderfully matched sniping of Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis as the couple on the rocks who ultimately learn to come together with the aid of the put-upon criminal ( a wonderful Denis Leary ) who is by far the sanest of the lot. Set this in the weirdly Disneyesque beauty of Niagara-on-the-Lake at Christmas ( yes it really looks like that ), throw in one of the best rants ever delivered in a movie, and you have a near perfect sugar-free Christmas classic. Careful though, it is addictive.

This film almost worked for me, no doubt because there is a great deal of talent who worked on the movie. But there was one HUGE flaw that seriously ruined this film. Who was I supposed to like in this film? The thief? His stupid partner? The bickering couple? Their annoying son? Quite simply, no one in this movie was likable, and so I didn't much care what happened to any of them. And as a result, despite the funny moments and decent pace that kept things moving along smoothly, I just didn't care about what I was seeing...and movie flaws just don't get much bigger than that.

Judy Davis is one of the most effective and talented actresses around today. Her emotional range and realism is astonishing and compelling. I think her linking with Kevin Spacey in this movie was an inspired piece of casting that produced a riveting, engaging and downright funny piece of comedy drama, which I will always remember. I lamented in her early days that she did not always receive good parts, for example, in the dire right-wing political movie 'Who Dares Wins'. Nevertheless she dignified an abysmal script and mediocre fellow actors with a portrayal of a confused terrorist whom finally you care more about than the hero. However, in this movie, she is the star - not because she is trying to shine, but because she is just so astoundingly effective as an actress. Her engaging mix of vulnerability and bitter disappointment forges a devastatingly simple key to keeping her in the center of focus, along with a Spacey complementary performance. 'The Ref' was one of the best comedy drama movies that I have ever seen - Judy Davis in top form. I watched it on video last night (as 'Hostile Hostages'). Thanks, Judy!

My absolute favorite dark comedy. All the adults in our family will put this one on after the tykes are put to bed on Christmas Eve. Side-splittingly funny, bitingly tart fun. Anyone that was raised in suburban America will be able to relate the characters to family, friends, and neighbors. Great early roles for Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis, and Christine Baranski, and the deliveries are spot on and maintain the dark comic tone throughout. First-time viewers might cringe a little at the tone early on, but will quickly warm up to it; initial "oh my's" will soon enough surrender to hearty laughter. If the holidays get ya a little overwhelmed or uptight, this will bring great relief!! Consider it a nice stiff egg nog compared to the rest of the seasonal hot cocoa. Favorite line from Christine Baranski: "Sex and drugs, and women getting set on fire ?!?! What kind of Christmas is this?"

i think that this is one of the most hilarious Christmas movies i have ever seen. first, it is a perfect role for Denis Leary, who really runs with it. Second,the dysfunctional couple, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are fantastic, battling back and forth, the whole movie, as their lies and secrets are slowly unveiled, with help by Leary. Finally, Glynis johns, as the mother would make you long to be an orphan. Although she does not have much screen time, some of the funniest lines in the movie happen at her instigation. And i like the movie ending better than the one Dehme originally planned(with Leary being caught by the police.)