O Árbitro

Denis Leary plays Gus, a cat burglar who's foiled in the opening minutes of the movie by a rich mans' alarm / booby trap. Now on the lam, he decides to take a hostage. Unfortunately, his choice of Caroline (Judy Davis) is not a good one, as she and her husband Lloyd (Kevin Spacey) are going through a VERY rough patch, and can never stop sniping at each other for very long. Things aren't going to get any better, and Gus is forced to spend an untenable Christmas Eve pretending to be their marriage counselor and having to deal with Lloyds' dysfunctional family.

"The Ref" would be an excellent Christmas time viewing choice for people who want to dispense with excess sentiment and more family friendly material. It has an extremely profane script (by Richard LaGravenese and Marie Weiss, based on Weiss's story), delivered to perfection by an incredibly well cast bunch of actors. The dialogue and situations are commanding enough that the time just flies by. The not terribly attractive bunch of characters includes Lloyds' rich & bitchy mother Rose (Glynis Johns), his weakling brother Gary (Adam LeFevre), Gary's abrasive wife Connie (Christine Baranski), and Lloyd and Carolines' troubled son Jesse (Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.), a student at a military school.

One can't help but sympathize with Gus to some degree; who would actually desire to spend time with this family? Still, even after all the fighting and yelling, we see truths come out and characters becoming more honest with themselves and others. The subplot with the incompetent, moronic officers on the local police force is rather silly. None of the scenes that don't involve the family are as interesting.

Leary is ideal for the lead, but it's Spacey and especially Davis who truly shine. Then again, everyone does a fine job. There are a number of recognizable actors throughout the supporting cast; in addition to Johns, LeFevre, and Baranski, there's Raymond J. Barry, Richard Bright, Bill Raymond, Robert Ridgely, J.K. Simmons, John Benjamin Hickey, Arthur J. Nascarella, and Vincent Pastore. Brights' widow, actress Rutanya Alda, has a brief cameo. Simmons plays a slimeball character named Siskel, so named because LaGravenese was getting a little revenge on film critic Siskel, who'd previously dismissed "The Fisher King" that LaGravenese had written. B.D. Wong appears unbilled.

Good fun, with a particularly satisfying wrap-up.

Eight out of 10.

Have you noticed? Lloyd, Kevin Spacey's character in "The Ref" is closely related to Lester, Kevin Spacey's character in "American Beauty" if you see both movies, back to back, you'll notice the astonishing similarities between the two. Twins? Maybe. If they are, or were, poor Lester, a lot of things will become immediately clear. To start with, he had Glynis Johns for a mother. Miss Jones creates such a frighteningly funny portrait of a castrating mother that Lester's emasculation is perfectly explained. Not to mention their choice of spouses, time bombs Judi Davis and Annette Bening This little piece of trivia will add, to the considerable pleasures of this delightful and underrated Ted Demme's dark fairy tale. The opening at the marriage counselor's office is just superb, I can see it endlessly, it never fails to make me laugh. Kevin Spacey and Judi Davis are a couple part Edward Albee part Terence Rattigan. They are priceless. Dennis Leary's energy is contagious and relentless. His best part to date. The clunky sub plot involving their son and, what it appears, like a hurried ending, doesn't spoil the fun. The writing by the brilliant Richard LaGravenesse and Marie Weiss is pure joy. Ideal to see with a bunch of friends.

I liked the vibe, the theme and the story. The actors were great. Everybody made you felt the tensions in that family. The jokes were good, cruel some but not above the limit. I had those kind of laughs that you have when you watch Home Alone. This is a different kind of Christmas movie and I'm glad I found it. We need more movies like these.

With today being Christmas (Happy Ho Ho everyone!), it was that time of year when I dust off this classic film and sit down with a glass of eggnog. Every year, I enjoy this fine film more and more. Simply marvelous! Denis Leary is hilarious, and so is Kevin Spacey. If you have not seen this Holiday classic, do yourself a favour and go out and rent it.

Leary plays Gus, a cat burglar, who on Christmas Eve finds himself on the run from local authorities after robbing a very posh home. Gus takes Caroline and Lloyd hostage (played marvelously by Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) and forces them to bring them to their home to hide out. However, unbeknown to Gus, this is the most dysfunctional family he will ever meet. And so the madness begins.

Great film for adults, however, you may want to keep your children out of the room and out of earshot, as their is some substantial language and adult humour in this movie. However, if you like adult humour, you will definately love The Ref.

A must have for any collection.

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.