By Geno McGahee
Christmas can be a chaotic and stressful time. Families meet out of tradition or obligation and, for some, it can be a time that they want to avoid. In the 1994 Xmas comedy “THE REF”, this is explored and we see Denis Leary across from Kevin Spacey and that is hard to beat. Leary was very big at this time with his stand up, but he was still an unknown commodity as an actor. Could his popularity translate to the big screen? In 1993, he did a great job as the bad guy in JUDGMENT NIGHT, but the film would bomb. One year later, he’s the star of THE REF, which shifted the focus to his comedic style more so. It wouldn’t do much better at the box office, but it was another really good film and display of the talents of Leary.
Kevin Spacey was about to break into the big time with THE USUAL SUSPECTS, but, at this time, I only knew him from his small role in SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL. Spacey would go on to become one of the best and most successful actors of his generation. So both Spacey and Leary had something to prove here and they accomplished a great deal in this Xmas comedy.
Lloyd (Spacey) and his wife, Caroline (Judy Davis), are on the verge of divorce. They fight all of the time and continually take jabs at each other. Caroline cheated on Lloyd and it is a topic that continues to come up in some way during their spats. Their 15-year-old son, Jesse (Robert J. Steinmiller JR), is coming home from military school and has turned into a conman, scamming or extorting money from his elders. The infighting with his parents has absolutely impacted him and how he operates.
Gus (Leary) is a thief with a plan to have one big score in the affluent neighborhood, but when one of the rich guys puts a trap in place to capture any potential thief, he finds himself stuck in the town. His partner in crime, Murray (Richard Bright), made a run for it and left him on foot. With a curfew in place and the police desperately seeking to find the crook, Gus takes Lloyd and Caroline hostage and quickly notes that he “hijacked his parents” as they argued the entire car ride to their home. One of the funniest lines is when Lloyd notes that he will not turn Gus in and that “he’s not a hero.” Caroline responds “I can vouch for that. Lloyd is no hero.” It was hilarious.
Lloyd drives to his home and Gus ties up both him and his wife and they continue to argue. Gus is trying to find a way out of there. He finds Murray and tells him to find a boat because every car is being searched. As he does that, Gus must remain at the home and that is a problem. Lloyd’s family is en route to the house for the annual holiday party and it’s unavoidable. When Jesse comes home, Gus ties him up in a closet and puts on a suit. He pretends to be a marriage counselor and prepares for the in laws.
Lloyd’s brother, Gary (Adam LeFevre), his wife, Connie (Christine Baranski), their children, and Lloyd’s mother, Rose (Glynis Johns), are coming, but they stop for a meal first because they hate Caroline’s cooking. Caroline is a target for most of the family but mostly for Rose. Rose uses her money to control her family and isn’t happy with Lloyd’s choice in women. Unfortunately, Lloyd shared his wife’s infidelity with his mother and that has made her that much more difficult. Remarkably, Gus becomes a great help to the family and starts breaking down the problems and forcing Lloyd and Caroline to speak to each other.
This is one of those bad guys gone good sort of films and it plays out very well. It’s touching at times, funny at times, and it’s relatable. Spacey and Leary work very well off each other and the banter between Spacey and Davis is great. It was easy to route for the couple and for Gus in this.
THE REF is a holiday movie but I don’t think it captures the Xmas spirit as well as it probably could have. This may have been written and then sort of forced into the Christmas season to sell it. Whatever the case, this is a quality movie with plenty of laughs and plenty of heart. I highly recommend it!
Rating: 8/10
