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 is a genuinely funny film that mixes elements of dark comedy and elements of holiday films quite well. Some of the jokes are pretty vulgar, but they work in the context of the film. I wonder why a "holiday" film like this was released in March, because it could have done so much better in the prime months of November/December. This film is memorable and for the kind of film it is, it does have a heart and it features some touching moments.Ted Demme's film is about a cat burglar who sets off an alarm by mistake and is forced to kidnap a married couple to use as insurance. But what he doesn't realize is this couple bicker nonstop even under gunpoint, and he may end up solving some nasty disputes.With this kind of material, the direction and the acting have to be good. Luckily, the acting is good. Denis Leary is really funny and at the same time, we realize he's not a truly awful person. Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis kick it off from the get-go and they have awesome chemistry. Their dialog that they interplay with each other goes a long way to making the actors effective.Overall, this is a funny, smart black comedy that will be good counter-viewing as opposed to other holiday films like Elf or The Santa Clause. This is Bad Santa territory right here. Because of the great direction by Demme and wonderful acting by the three main leads, this film rises above most holiday films. I rate this film 9/10.

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!

There's no denying it… Most of the humour in The Ref is a result of people being mean, and not just "Your Mama's so fat" mean, but "Your Mama's a c*cksucker" mean.Had I not seen it already my first reaction to that is I am as tired of mean-spirited humour as I am of torture masquerading as horror.The fact that it is mean does not make something funny, but if done with a little creativity and in the right context, calling grey haired old ladies "c*ck-suckers" in front of their children and young grandchildren can be funny. Hilarious even.The Ref makes no concessions to political correctness, it is witty, razor-sharp and well plotted and written… and yes mean spirited.___________________________________________________________ It is Christmas Eve.Gus (Denis Leary) is a small time thief, deliberately small time. He plans his heists carefully, takes what he can and lies low for a while, as he says himself he can get in and out of whatever he wants without being detected. By not aiming too high he normally stays under the radar and out of harm's way. On this night the job was to provide enough cash to see Gus out for good and he and his practically useless alcoholic getaway man Murray would see their days out in paradise somewhere.Only this night things went awry, Gus triggered an alarm and Murray bolted leaving Gus to fend for himself, covered in cat p*ss and with dogbites on his arse. In a small town the news that a crafty burglar is loose is met with instant reaction from far more quarters than simply the police.Now the houses Gus chose to steal from were of the well to do (and apparently therefore) "important people" who know others in high places. The police chief is well meaning but ultimately powerless once the local high and mighty gain momentum.With a full court press designed to nab Gus resulting in a curfew and door to door searches Gus is desperate for somewhere to lie low, he takes some impromptu hostages in a convenience store, Caroline and Lloyd Chasseur.This is where the fun starts for all involved.Lloyd and Caroline have been experiencing "marriage problems", in short they basically hate each other and constantly bicker and argue. In betwixt their disagreements is their conniving son Jesse, himself a small time crim who dabbles in blackmailing his military school teachers.Being Christmas Eve Jesse is due home imminently, as are Lloyd's brother, his wife and kids… and Grandma Rose for dinner.******************************* Gus is unaware of what he getting himself into, and in the early stages he struggles to maintain control of the situation even when they are tied up. The couple constantly forget their situation such is the power of their mutual resentment, and they ceaselessly tease and snap at each other and Gus. Gus finds he is pretty much stuck for a while until Murray can find suitable transport, so a plan is hatched that will enable to the dinner to go ahead, Gus will simply play the part of the couple's marriage counsellor.All this sounds pretty dodgy but I can assure you it all works very well.So Jesse arrives first and is immediately tied up and left upstairs as a bargaining chip so that Lloyd and Caroline play along and don't disrupt proceedings. Once the rest of the family arrives it is clear that the standard of manners aren't going to simply improve. To keep matter brief Lloyd's brother is a downtrodden pussy, his wife is a snarky overbearing pretentious bitch, their kids are no prizes either but not too horrible, and Mother Rose… Mother Rose deserves her own movie. She is unbelievable. Acting as if the world owes her a favour she is instantly grating, sarcastic, bitchy, presumptuous and scathing, and woe-betide anyone who disagrees with her or dares to criticise her or her actions. The worst thing is that she coolly and calmly spits out every poisonous thinly veiled barb with poise and confidence, like she is doing you a favour by pointing out all your failings. If a more reprehensible 70 something Grandma exists I am yet to see her.Dinner proceeds as planned, complete with an elaborate theme and formal settings. Everyone fakes getting along for a while, just like every large family gathering, but Mother Rose fires things up and then Caroline gets a little drunk. Snippy chat soon turns to a full blown argument, which in turn then explodes into open family warfare. No stone is left unturned and no foible unmentioned as they all hoe into each other with gusto. Gus's mood changes from bemusement to a sense of powerlessness and he gives up pretending that he is a marriage counsellor and steps aside for a while.At the conclusion of the dinner everything possible has been aired and no opinion has been covered up or withheld, there is a lot of swearing, inappropriate comments all around and some extra special rants that have to be seen.Even though the lines are laced with venom and the characters treat each other with disdain it is all unfortunately quite believable and brilliantly delivered. You really think Caroline and Lloyd hate each other, the sister-in-law despises them both and bullies her kids and husband, and EVERYONE detests Mother Rose but puts up with her because she ultimately is cash up and has to die sometime right? And this is before they decide what to do with Gus.Final Rating 9 / 10. Next Christmas dinner must have been verrrry uncomfortable.