Product Details

• Actors: Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., Glynis Johns
• Directors: Ted Demme
• Writers: Richard LaGravenese, Marie Weiss
• Producers: Don Simpson, Jeffrey Weiss, Jerry Bruckheimer, Richard LaGravenese, Ronald M. Bozman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• VHS Release Date: August 11, 1995
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (137 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303153348
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,277 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

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

Product Description

Denis Leary plays an unfortunate cat burglar, who is abandonded by his partner in the middle of a heist and is forced to take an irritating Connecticut couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) hostage. He soon finds that he got more than he bargained for when the couple's blackmailing son and despicable in-laws step into the picture. Before long they're driving him nuts with their petty bickering and family problems. The only way for him to survive is to be their referee and resolve their differences before he can be nabbed by the police.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Christmas Movie, June 19, 2000

By 

David Kleist - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ref [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Okay: if the "eff" word offends you, don't buy this video. However, if you grew up in a dysfunctional family in which your parents argued about absolutely anything while you were required to cheer, you'll love this comic holiday tale of a burglar who wanted simply to make his last heist and retire to the islands. Unfortunately, he's attacked by the dog Cannibal; his alcoholic partner deserts him; and he kidnaps a couple who resembles his own parents: two chronic arguers who would pick at each other at the very edge of doom. My mom was obsessed with certain Scandinavian traditions, and when the comedy cuts to a Swedish sit-down feast during which all participants wear garlands of candles and eat traditional Swedish food, I practically go into cardiac arrest. This is not only one of the funniest films ever made, but also it is an accurate portrayal of the nightmare which Christmas becomes for so many middle-class families. Dennis Leary, Kevin Spacey, and Judy Davis are brilliant beyond belief in their rapid-fire deliveries of sadistic sarcasm. Buy it; savor it. Ho ho ho!

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Christmas movie, June 25, 2003

By 

Robin Wolfson "Reliza" (Cameron Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ref (DVD)

It's true. This is my favorite Christmas movie. Now, be warned, you have to be a fan of smart, talky movies (think of comedies from the thirties and forties). The uniting of Judy Davis, Denis Leary, and Kevin Spacey was inspired, and Christine Baranski and Glynis Johns (one of my favorite stars when I was a kid) provide extra pith to an already pith-laden production.

Now you know, of course, that whenever you get Kevin Spacey and Denis Leary in one film there's going to a lot of talking and a lot of ranting, and the rants are truly delicious, topped off with Spacey's line: "The corpse has the floor!"

Judy Davis more than holds her own with Spacey and Leary, and B. D. Wong is delightful as the overwhelmed psychotherapist. As everyone gets a number in a musical, everyone gets a rant in The Ref, reminding us again of why two people argue: because they're both right.

Give yourself a treat and don't wait for Christmas to watch this one.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Movie!!!!, June 8, 2001

By 

"moreland98" (Vacaville, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ref [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I have a toddler son and very little time to sit down and watch an entire movie. EXCEPT for The Ref. TBS shows this movie a lot, for which I am eternally grateful. Even with the "choice" language suctioned out, I still have to put my head between my knees to keep from passing out due to laughter everytime I see this movie. This movie is the film equivelant of a good shot of Bushmill's whiskey: strong and dry, the humor evaporates on your tongue and leaves you wanting more. Denis Leary is a cat burglar who kidnaps a bickering couple (Kevin Spacey and Judi Davis) to help him escape the cops after a bungled burglary. Little does he know that he has the couple from hell as his hostages... Other reviewers have done a great job explaining the plot, so I won't repeat. This could have easily veered off into stale stereotypes that would bring enough chuckles to not be a complete disaster, but not the home run that it is. Leary, Spacey, Davis, etc. (not to mention Ted Demme, the director), however, conspire to make this a slyly intelligent comedy, with subtle hilarious comments on marriage, in-laws, suburbia, parenthood, good and evil, and all the other grown-up dilemmas that most everyone deals with. I own approximately 5 videos of my own (3 of them are workout videos), and would gladly pay full price to replace my copy of The Ref if need be. This movie is inexplicably not on most reviewer's "Best of..." lists for reasons that escape me. Shame on them! Again, I cannot urge you strongly enough to buy this video. Without a doubt, this is Denis Leary's finest hour as a comedic actor.