Good start, but then it gets ruined

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

"Gus" (Denis Leary) is a cat burglar who accidentally trips an alarm in a house he is attempting to rob and is forced to evade the police on foot because his partner "Murray" (Richard Bright) has panicked and driven off in the escape car. He then decides to kidnap a married couple by the names of "Lloyd" (Kevin Spacey) and "Caroline" (Judy Davis) in order to hide out in their home long enough for him formulate a plan to get away. Unfortunately, the couple he kidnaps have all kinds of marital issues which he inevitably gets caught up in. If that wasn't bad enough, some dysfunctional relatives appear at the house which creates even more turmoil for him just as the police slowly begin to close in. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an okay comedy which was greatly hampered by the vulgar language throughout the course of the movie. Be that as it may, while I personally didn't think the comedy was anything special, the movie itself was still adequate enough for the time spent. That said, viewers who might enjoy a comedy of this type may want to check it out. In any case, I have rated it accordingly. Average.

You look at "The Ref" and just know that it was written precisely for Denis Leary. It's just the kind of vehicle tailor-made for a comic with his talents; the man varies between exasperation and rage like nobody's business. And he's the source of most of the comedy herein.But it's not just Leary, who's the unfortunate intermediary for unhappily-married Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis, a duo which is the real comedic heart of this thing. They're perfectly hateful and bitter, fluent in shouting matches and their bickering forms the basis of this viciously dysfunctional (read: very fun) holiday movie. It's the kind of horribly awkward family Christmas gathering you actually want to attend.7/10

The Ref (1994) *** (out of 4)One of the most "adult" Christmas movies ever mad, THE REF tells the story of a thief (Denis Leary) who needs a place to hide out after a botched robbery so he kidnaps a couple (Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis) not knowing their going through a martial problem. Soon their arguing puts the thief in the middle and things take a turn for the worse when their annoying family members show up.THE REF didn't make too much of an impact when it was first released but over time it has gained a good cult following and rightfully so. I remember seeing the film when it was first released and found it to be uneven but there was just something about it that made me go back for repeat viewings. It soon dawned on me that the film wasn't uneven but in fact it was simply the perfect mix of comedy and drama. Throughout all the sarcasm and wit that Leary brings to the picture, you've got two great dramatic actors really delivering strong performances and making you care about this troubled couple. The way the film goes from one laugh to another and then onto a serious subject is something rather unique and the way director Ted Demme handles it is quite great.The film works so well because the three leads are simply perfect in their roles. That smart mouth nature of Leary is just flawless here as this role was simply made for him. Spacey and Davis are so good dramatically that they can sell this portion of the film but their comic timing is also flawless. The three perfectly play off one another and it leads to some great laughs. Another strong aspect of the film is the actual screenplay, which contains all sorts of bad, adult language but everything just feels and flows so naturally that you can't help but feel as if you're watching a real troubled couple and a real thief getting thrown together.THE REF isn't a flawless film by any stretch of the imagination but there are certainly enough laughs to keep it moving well.

Not really sure what the movie was about since I stopped watching at the 4th "f" word. Just don't care to watch movies that can't be funny without filthy language. Thought I would add The Ref to my collection of Christmas movies, but just couldn't bring myself to place it beside A Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Elf, and the many others I have accumulated over the years. After reading the summary of the movie, I thought it would be a fun movie but I respect my family and myself too much to listen to the horrible language. My fault for not reading the rating and the reviews before I purchased the DVD.Too bad it just didn't make the cut.