The Ref (1994)

I laughed like hell during this movie. Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey fit their roles perfectly and their first scene, with B.D. Wong, gets the movie off on the right foot. It only gets funnier after that. This is the only movie I can tolerate Denis Leary in; I find him very annoying and smug normally. This movie should be on television every Christmas!

Fmovies: For years now, I have been able to rely on a twisted programmer at local station CFTO for the perfect antidote to a Christmas overdose to show up, right on schedule, Christmas night, or, at worst, Boxing Day Night.

This movie probably isn't as funny if you aren't already full up to your eyeballs with stockings and chestnuts and carols, but on Christmas night, this movie will have you in stitches.

The lengthy set-piece when the family finally sits down to Judy Davis' traditional Scandinavian Christmas feast has me laughing out loud every time I see it. Think: Long Day's Journey Into Night on coke. Seriously. (But in a funny way.)

Plus: Any movie that contains the line "I just punched out Santa Claus. Don't f**k with me," or words to that effect is a movie with it's heart in such a very wrong place that you just have to love it.

Brief storyline of the film, the plot idea is relatively simple; Denis Leary plays Gus a professional burglar who after a foiled robbery seeks to make good his escape by taking married couple Lloyd and Caroline Chasseur hostage. Lloyd (played by Kevin Spacey) and Caroline (played by Judy Davis) are however going through something of a marriage crisis and poor old Gus ends up playing referee between the two warring factions of this married couple. Add in a delinquent son, a mother-in-law of humongous bitchy proportions and a drunken Santa Claus and let the mayhem begin! I have to say that the interplay between Learn, Spacey and Davis is simply fantastic with the machinegun like dialogue whizzing back and forth between them, my favourite quote from the film is Leary's character and he said "From now on, the only person who gets to yell is me. Why? Because I have a gun. People with guns get to do whatever they want. Married people without guns - for instance - you - DO NOT get to yell. Why? NO GUNS! No guns, no yelling. See? Simple little equation." The black humour of the film is just brilliant and it's actually what you would expect from Kevin Spacey and Denis Leary film with past films like "Swimming with Sharks" With likewise the stingingly cruel comments from the mother-in-law from hell are a real hoot, as is the bumbling capers of the town's less than competent police force. What makes the film work on another level though is that the arguments and disagreements that have the family at each other's throats are not contrived or unbelievable. Both husband and wife put forward extremely credible points of view that I'm sure having cropped up in the minds of most viewers. This gives the film a lovely poignancy and all that more enjoyable.

Overall, I found this a very funny movie. Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey bounce off each other hilariously, and I found Denis Leary's character just brilliant (and is now one of my favourite comedian) The script is original, the humour is dry, sarcastic and 'laugh out loud' good for a black-comedy so Great stuff!

The Ref fmovies. 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.

Let me say this movie couldn't be more real, now having said that Denis Leary didn't even have to blink when reading this script, it was simply written for him because lets face the facts who better to be a gun wielding, curse slurring, angry robber then him. Secondly the relationship between Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis could have a movie all in itself, its real down and dirty dysfunction the good old fashioned way with objects being flung and secrets being expelled in every direction, and the reunion of the entire family makes you want to curl up and laugh hysterically for hours. Bottom line if you haven't seen this movie its an absolute MUST SEE. 10 out of 10 with a bullet.

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?"