Review of The Ref (1994) by Manal S — 18 Apr 2011

I was completely surprised and taken aback by the ruthless brilliance of The Ref.

Wickedly funny and wonderfully cast, Leary shines next to Spacey and Davis which I was not at all expecting. In reality, when you put a novice rookie next to complete and utter genius, you get a cringe worthy result. So is not the case here.

Leary shines as 'Gussy'. A cat burglar who has fouled up the 'biggest score of his criminal career', when the booby trapped house of a local Connecticut billionaire, sets him on the run, and after the local police section off the town in an attempt to catch him, he resorts to taking a feuding married couple, fresh from counselling, hostage. What follows is and endless rollercoaster ride of side splitting hilarity, where you honestly don't know who to feel more sorry for, especially when poor Gussy get's landed with his hostages whole extended family, who are all dysfunctional head cases.

The thing I love most about this film, is the fact that it revolves around Christmas. A holiday that is supposed to bring out the best in everyone, brings out the worst in this family, which is a parallel that I think many people can relate to.

So if you are tired of being bombarded with sickly feel good Christmas films, and want a healthy dose of realism, do yourself a favour and hire the ref.

You won't regret it.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

WATCH IT IF YOU LIKED: Watch it if you are a Seinfeld/Larry David fan, or everybody loves Raymond.

CHILDREN: There is no violence, but there is a fair bit of swearing so be aware.

RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY: Mild Blasphemy.