Customer Reviews

The Ref : Widescreen Edition

5 star:		(104)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

If you're looking for an intelligent, witty, and biting comedy, you'll find exactly what you want with Ted Demme's THE REF. A first-rate cast (headed by Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, multi-nominated Judy Davis, and a surprisingly full-rounded performance by Denis Leary) takes you into the lives of an unhappily married couple and their down-on-his-luck kidnapper on Christmas Eve in a wealthy suburban Connecticut town. Other invaluable cast members include Glynis Johns, Christine Baranski, Raymond J. Barry and a cameo by Broadway's B.D. Wong. In what must be considered a "black comedy", Spacey and Davis throw verbal knives at each other throughout the course of the film, all with an underlying knowledge of their love for each other. Be prepared to laugh out loud at a one-liner one minute, and to be touched and heartwarmed the next. I have watched this film over and over again, without ever failing to enjoy it from start to finish. PERSONAL NOTE: I remember Gene Siskel reviewing this picture when it first came out. He commented on how the "villain" was bald and was named Siskel. He took this as a personal affront, which I find absolutely ridiculous. First of all, Siskel is not the villain, and the fact that he was played by a bald actor (JK Simmons) was coincidental. I never seemed to have the same regard for Gene Siskel after that review.

The Ref one of my favorite movies, holiday or not. Dennis Leary is at his sarcastic best as a cat burgler trying to survive a bungled job. Not only is he on the run from the law, he is trapped with the family from HELL when he holds hostage Lloyd and Caroline and eventually their whole disfunctional family. Kevin Spacey wasn't a household name yet at this time, but he gives a stellar performance and the whipped, frustrated Lloyd. Judy Davis is also excellent as the neurotic Caroline.

Give this movie a try, you won't be sorry.

I rented then bought the Ref,not exspecting much. I had seen a little of Denis Leary and Kevin Spacey at that time was just blossoming into a star. Next to the Grinch trying to steal Christmas, this is the most uproarious funny send up of Christmas I've ever seen, yet after watching it you still feel good and miraculously it extends the good cheer. Leary plays a master thief, who robs and then takes hostages, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis, and if he knew what trouble they would be, he would have run faster from them than the police. These two yuppies take arguments to high art, with Leary only barely having control because he has a gun, but that does not stop their tirades. Add to this wild mix is the family coming over for dinner, gourmet-cooked by Judy Davis, and they hate it. The great Glinnis Johns, as Kevin Spacey's mother, is wonderful, as is all the supporting cast. Only a super-animated character like Leary can keep up with this wildly funny, fuming couple and try(barely) to sort things out. From start to finish, the film rocks with verbal velocity, sight gags(the Swedish candle headpieces were my favorite, with mother saying "my head is getting hot,") and a drunken neighborhood Santa turning quite Scrooge-like and whacky when inebriated. The laughs never stop but like most movies there is a short time to try to stop all this nonsense, draw some moral conclusions(after all this is a Christmas movie-kind of) and find an ending. The ending isn't very clear, for we have seen and heard so much. It would be difficult to draw just one conclusion. Suffice it to say that The Ref is the funiest movie I've watched in years. The acting is brilliant, and that other Director Demme brother, Ted, has a great touch, keeping the sparks and laughs flying at a furious pace. In its own way, The Ref is a minor masterpiece of comedy.

We were really surprised at this sleeper of a movie. I had not heard of it before, and since first viewing it, watch it three times.

It is a holiday movie, where the holiday is understated. This movie with Kevin Spacey playing the husband is just hilarious. There is a lot of language in the movie, so, be prepared for that. The angst that Spacey and Davis going at throughout the movie is simply hilarious. You wonder how people could hate each other so much. The interplay with Spacey's extended family is really funny.

It is like taking a Christmas dinner where the family does not get along, and adding a lot of spice to it. There are so many funny scenes in the movie that you will not know what is coming next.

This movie is great for couples and friends to watch together, not a family movie, the language is too stiff.

As far as Holiday films go - this is the first of over 30 Holiday movies I watch every year at this time. It is funny and witty and amazingly well performed by everyone. Some may be offended by it - but those who can take it for what it is worth it is hysterical.

Dennis Leary (Ice Age, Stand Up COmic, A Bug's Life) is a small time burgler that meats his match in a home with a unique security system. That system fubbles his robbery and then leads him in frustration to meet Judy Davis (Life with Judy Garland, The Reagans, Deconstructing Harry) in a convienence store.

She plays the disgruntled wife the amazing Kevin Spacey (K-PAx, Pait Forward, American Beauty, A Bug's Life) who in himself is dissapointed in his life and marrage and more.

From there Dennis's character relazies he hijacked his Parents and all the relatives that go with it. On the road through this kidnapping all the characters learn about their lives, true feeligns and what is it to be true to each other.

Their son is also cleverly played by Robert J. Steinmiller, Jr. (The Ref, Rudy) who also learns a valuable lesson about his soon-to-be divorced parents.

Dennis, Judy and Kevin are amazing on screen. They dry humor and black comedy about real important human issues makes this fun, educational and extreemly humorous.

Coupled with the amazing performance of Chrstine Baranski (Happy Family, How The Grinch Stole Christams, The Birdcage) and the ever amazingly annoying mother-in-law played by Gylnis Johns (Marry Poppins, Superstar),

This movie has performances that shine with every cast member. No one is week, uninteresting or unbelievable. Directed by the late Ted Demme (Blow, Snith, Beautiful Girls) this has to be my favorite film of his.

Fun for the whole family (Under 13 watch with Mom and Dad)this film is fun for the Holidays. Check it out. I bought it. 11-30-03

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

With so many reviews, I guess the core materials have been covered. So, into the fray! American Beauty was much hailed, but Ref, essentially an earlier concept of the same movie, went unrecognized, due to its comedic classification. The Ref utilized some of the same cast members, whose performance there, I felt, was superior. Despite the show's sometimes goofy presentation, the issues and emotions had far more depth than the later release. Too, Beauty had a preachy quality, telling you how to live your life. The Ref, doesn't really tell you how; it just says you can't control everything that happens to you - deal with it. Furthermore, Beauty had a flitty feel (perhaps a result of the repetitious musical cues), simply inhanced by one-dimensional characters, who never really connect. The Ref's characters are very similar, on a basic level; and yet, they not only connect, they clash painfully. Even the insignificant townsfolk have layers of unexplored realism. These people are forced to confront their issues, to learn and grow. Beauty's people, on the other hand, seem to drift even further into their own isolated misery, spiting the movies intended message. Leary's role in The Ref is multi fold. Primarily, he is the catalyst of change and the voice of chaos - little effort on his part. Ultimately, while his humor may have removed the film from any Oscar contentions, it also gives the viewer a much needed stress release valve. The drama there is so intense, you get the idea that this family would happily choke the life out of each other. When (like me) Leary goes off on a rant, anger is displaced with negative jocularity, creating an antithetical surrealism. It's like being comforted by the fact that your buddies laugh at you for doing something stupid. The "ref" both makes and breaks the movie. I will concede this however; had I not seen The Ref, my opinion of American Beauty would be higher. You know how it is; everything is relative - good is only good until there is something better (but in this case, better came first).