Summary

The article discusses "The Ref" as an underrated dark humor Christmas movie, highlighting its unique take on family dysfunction during the holiday season.

Abstract

The Ref, a 1994 film, is lauded as the best dark humor Christmas movie, overshadowed by more popular titles like Die Hard and Bad Santa. It tells the story of a cat burglar, Gus, who takes a dysfunctional family hostage just before Christmas, leading to a mix of humor and heartwarming moments. The film's plot, writing, and cast performances, particularly by Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis, and Christine Baranski, are praised for their excellence, despite Spacey's later controversies. The article emphasizes the movie's rewatchability, noting its profane and challenging humor that appeals to those seeking an alternative to traditional Christmas fare. The author recommends "The Ref" for viewers looking for a more cynical holiday laugh and invites readers to share their thoughts if they agree with the movie's underrated status.

Opinions

The Ref is considered a gem that tackles the real-life characteristic of family dysfunction at Christmas in a funny and heartwarming way.
The movie is seen as an antidote to overly sweet Christmas movies, offering a refreshing take with its rated R comedy.
Kevin Spacey's and Judy Davis' performances are highlighted as brilliant, contributing significantly to the film's success, despite the shadow cast by Spacey's real-life controversies.
Christine Baranski's portrayal of Lloyd's bossy sister-in-law is noted as particularly memorable.
The article expresses that the film's humor is both unexpected and enduring, making it a movie that

The most underrated dark humor Christmas movie ever

Forget Die Hard and forget Bad Santa, the best dark humor Christmas movie is one you’ve probably never heard of.

The movie is called The Ref, a 1994 gem about a cat burglar named Gus who, through an unfortunate series of events, is forced to take a dysfunctional family hostage just before Christmas.

Family dysfunction is one of the main characteristics of Christmas in real life, of course, and The Ref tackles it in a gut-bustingly funny and ultimately heart-warming way.

As Lloyd says when he’s realized what he’s gotten himself into: “Great, I hijacked my fu***ng parents.”

I can’t reconcile how good this movie is with how few people know about it.

Let me count the ways.

Denis Leary. Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The plot and writing

The Ref is an antidote to the sappy sweet Christmas fare of yesteryear (The Holiday, Love Actually) and the seemingly non-stop flood of holiday romances.

Not that there’s anything wrong with The Holiday and Love Actually, both of which I’ve seen more times than I can count with my wife. They serve their purpose.

The movie opens with the main protagonists, husband Lloyd (Kevin Spacey) and wife Caroline (Judy Davis), in a marriage counsellor’s office just before Christmas.

The writing crackles in this movie, and that’s evidenced by the first few scenes — in the counsellor’s office, in the car afterward, and following Gus (Denis Leary) taking them hostage when they stop at a store on the way home.

In the counsellor’s office, it is deeply funny and hostile. In the car, it’s moving, you truly sense the desperateness and despair of a couple falling apart.

And then it’s hilarious again when Gus enters the picture and Lloyd and Caroline start bickering about whether or not Lloyd inadvertantly ran a stop sign, leading to the Gus line above about hijacking his parents.

The movie really takes off as Gus assumes the role of the couple’s therapist in order to fool Lloyd’s annoying extended family, which is due to arrive in just a couple of hours.

The cast

It’s unfortunate that everything Spacey has touched is now tainted by the toxicity of his behaviour in real life, because there are some really brilliant performances in this movie.

I think the reason this movie works is because it not only had a funny script, but it was brought to life by truly great actors.

Judy Davis is incredible; darkly sarcastic but also a caring mother and, at one time, wife. She runs the emotional gamut with seeming ease.

Leary’s range is limited of course, but it’s a nice snapshot in time of the 1990s when he was at his comedic peak.

His anger sizzles as he tries to hold it together for the sake of keeping his head down while a curfew (that he caused by trying to steal some jewels from a wealthy neighbour) passes.

Christine Baranski is incedible as Lloyd’s bossy sister-in-law, who is mean to her own immediate family and drives everyone else nuts. To this day, I can’t hear the name “Caroline” without hearing her voice in my head.

And the Grinch-like matriarch, played to horrible perfection by Glynis Johns, delivers the line of the movie when Gus says he should to tie her to the back of a truck.

I won’t ruin it here.

The rewatchability

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this movie, and it never gets old to me. Considering it’s a rated R comedy, I typically watch it when I’m doing late-night Christmas wrapping after the kids have gone to bed.

The funny lines come out of nowhere and hit you like a freight train, and there are so many of them that you’re sure to forget a few between viewings.

To be clear (again), this is not a movie for people looking for standard, Joy to the World Christmas fare. It’s filled with profanity and challenging humour. It is not for kids.

But if you’re feeling dark this Christmas and want to laugh harder than usual at a holiday movie, I think this one might be for you.

If you’ve already seen it and agree, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

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