The Ref (DVD, 2003)

This Dark Christmas Comedy starring Denis Leary is a movie about a jewelry heist gone bad and is not for the faint of heart.

Please take note that the language is quite offensive most of the time and the the subject matter is adult. The movies time line takes place during Christmas Eve and there are some rather sacrilegious remarks made that I personally found very funny but very crass and very abrasive at the same time. This movie is not your typical Christmas fare...it is along the same lines as Billy Bob Thorton's Bad Santa.

Denis Leary (Gus) is just as foul mouthed and irreverent in this movie as he is during his stand up comedy routines....so, consider yourself warned.

The movie takes place in a small Connecticut town on Christmas Eve.
Denis Leary (Gus) is attempting to secure his future with one last big jewelry score. His efforts prove to be unsuccessful when his greed gets the best of him and things go awry. He finds himself trying to bribe his way past a guard dog ( a Rottweiler named Cannibal) and from there his troubles only multiply.

Gus finds himself stranded in this small community with a reward bounty on his head and the local police doing house to house searches. In an attempt to "blend in" he takes a couple hostage for the night and all H*ll breaks loose.

Gus has the misfortune of taking the most dysfunctional and disagreeable couple in town as his hostages. The insane are running the asylum and Gus's efforts to regain control are what makes this dark comedy so very, very funny.

Silent night?
Holy night?..........
I don't think so!

If you enjoy the type of dry and sarcastic humor that is characteristic of Dennis Leary (with a little less crudeness) you will LOVE this movie just as much as I did. Leary plays a career criminal who ends up taking a constantly bickering couple with marital problems hostage on Christmas Eve after a failed burglary attempt. He ends up having to referee arguments between them, thier delinquent son who returns home from military school and a houseful of other relatives who show up for dinner while at the same time trying to plan his escape. I believe this movie appeals to adults of all ages- anyone who likes to laugh.

This is one of the best comedies ever! Although the language is a little strong in places, the laughs generated by these great actors are priceless. Dennis Leary (the thief) takes Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis hostage. Their incessant bickering drives him crazy. That, combined with Leary's bumbling accomplice, the couple's delinquent-minded son, and the in-laws coming for dinner, makes for an interesting (and hilarious) evening. One of my favorite scenes is when Leary tells grandma about how mothers are supposed to be "nice" and that her husband isn't dead, he's just hiding from her. I am delighted to finally have my own copy of this movie!

Loved this movie - had it on VHS and replaced it again with the DVD. I am a DVD collector and The Ref is a must for any collection. This is a classic comedy. Dennis Leary is awesome as a burglar (Gus) who has the misfortune of having to lay low in the home of a very angry and toxic-tongued couple, (Played superbly by Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey's) because the police are hot on his trail. The dialogue is constant and hilarious. Guarantee you will love this one. Enjoy...

I bought this movie for my husband for Christmas it was something he wanted. This movie is a comedy starring Dennis Leary and Kevin Spacey along with some other actors, it is a comedy of a guy who holds a very dysfunctional family hostage during Christmas. I found this movie very funny it is only "R" rated beacause of some language here and there. I would reccomend this movie to everyone.