The Ref (1994)

On Christmas Eve, a thief (Denis Leary) on the run from the police kidnaps a married couple (Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis) and holds them hostage in their home. However, the couple's constant bickering as well as their dysfunctional relatives begin to wear down the thief's patience. Directed by Ted Demme (BEAUTIFUL GIRLS). When I first saw THE REF back in 1994, I thought it was a wickedly funny movie. Some thirty years later, I'm not so entranced. Although enhanced by the skillful playing of the three leads, Denis Leary's performance is one note but he plays that one note impeccably. At a relatively brief 90 minutes or so it doesn't wear out its welcome though it can't sustain itself and the film's final 10 minutes are uncharacteristically sentimental (the ending was re-shot because of a negative audience response). But one can't escape the fact of being cooped up with a cast of screwed up and unpleasant characters. There isn't a decent person in the entire movie. That gets old after a while. The fine score is by David A. Stewart (of the Eurythmics). The talented cast includes the wonderfully tart Glynis Johns as the mother from Hell, Christine Baranski, Raymond J. Barry, Richard Bright, J.K. Simmons, John Benjamin Hickey, BD Wong and Rutanya Alda.