Rating: 
Summary: This is a very funny movie with a Christmas Eve setting
Review: If you liked the Ransom of Red Chief, you'll probably find this movie funny. This movie is similar in theme (the tables are turned on the kidnapper), although filled with some very funny one-liners (my favorite is a line about the need for a mute switch). Dennis Leary is a Christmas Eve burglar in wealthy "New Baybrook" Connecticut, who sets off a boobie trap, alerting the police (who are totally inexperienced at dealing with serious crimes). They set up a roadblock so burglar Leary can't get out of town, so he kidnaps the wife of a fighting couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis), who are driving home from a visit with their marriage counselor. He makes them take him home, although they are expecting Spacey's truly awful MIL and other relatives (including Christine Baranski) for dinner. Their headed-down-the-wrong-track son is due home from the last-resort military academy he's attending. But no wonder the son is so troubled -- his parents never stop bickering. Burglar Leary ends up being a kind of marriage counselor to this rather affluent but deeply dysfunctional family.
This is definitely a Christmas movie, but if you want cute little elves and jolly old Santa Claus, this isn't the movie for you. It's definitely an adult movie, and the language is probably not appropriate for delicate ears or those sensitive to bad language or some sexual comments.
Rating: 
Summary: Getting laid by an 18-year-old linebacker is exactly what...
Review: ...she needs
The late Ted Demme (accidental cocaine induced thrombotic heart attack) directed this masterpiece. His resume includes Life, Blow, Who's the Man?, The Ref, and The Bet. The Ref was produced by the all too famous Jerry Bruckheimer (King Arthur, Bad Boys 1 & 2, Pirates of the Caribbean, Black Hawk Down, etc, etc).
Demme did a wonderful job with this fabulous cast. Everyone was funny and played their parts to perfection. I felt Demme didn't over develop the characters (which can be an overkill in comedies), but by the end, you felt like you knew each character very well, and you definitely know which ones you liked and disliked.
Denis Leary did a wonderful job playing the main character, Gus. He is the bad guy, but the good guy all at the same time. The fighting couple, played by Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis (Absolute Power) find that being captured by Gus was a better deal then any shrink their good money could buy/
Gus is a robber who tries to steal from the wrong house. The house has traps set up, and the whole towns police force blocks off all major roadways before he can escape the house to get out of town. He finds himself hiding away in the "odd couple" house on Christmas Eve.
Gus finds himself as a marriage counselor when he is trying to find a way out of his predicament. This is a must watch movie, and should be in everyone's DVD collection just based on price. I strongly recommend watching this movie, especially around the holidays.
Grade: B+
Rating:
Summary: The Ref: Vista Series DVD Petition
Review: We were really surprised at this sleeper of a movie. I had not heard of it before, and since first viewing it, watch it three times. It is a holiday movie, where the holiday is understated. This movie with Kevin Spacey playing the husband is just hilarious. There is a lot of language in the movie, so, be prepared for that. The angst that Spacey and Davis going at throughout the movie is simply hilarious. You wonder how people could hate each other so much. The interplay with Spacey's extended family is really funny. It is like taking a Christmas dinner where the family does not get along, and adding a lot of spice to it. There are so many funny scenes in the movie that you will not know what is coming next. This movie is great for couples and friends to watch together, not a family movie, the language is too stiff.
Rating:
Summary: A surprising hit....
Review: With so many reviews, I guess the core materials have been covered. So, into the fray! American Beauty was much hailed, but Ref, essentially an earlier concept of the same movie, went unrecognized, due to its comedic classification. The Ref utilized some of the same cast members, whose performance there, I felt, was superior. Despite the show's sometimes goofy presentation, the issues and emotions had far more depth than the later release. Too, Beauty had a preachy quality, telling you how to live your life. The Ref, doesn't really tell you how; it just says you can't control everything that happens to you - deal with it. Furthermore, Beauty had a flitty feel (perhaps a result of the repetitious musical cues), simply inhanced by one-dimensional characters, who never really connect. The Ref's characters are very similar, on a basic level; and yet, they not only connect, they clash painfully. Even the insignificant townsfolk have layers of unexplored realism. These people are forced to confront their issues, to learn and grow. Beauty's people, on the other hand, seem to drift even further into their own isolated misery, spiting the movies intended message. Leary's role in The Ref is multi fold. Primarily, he is the catalyst of change and the voice of chaos - little effort on his part. Ultimately, while his humor may have removed the film from any Oscar contentions, it also gives the viewer a much needed stress release valve. The drama there is so intense, you get the idea that this family would happily choke the life out of each other. When (like me) Leary goes off on a rant, anger is displaced with negative jocularity, creating an antithetical surrealism. It's like being comforted by the fact that your buddies laugh at you for doing something stupid. The "ref" both makes and breaks the movie. I will concede this however; had I not seen The Ref, my opinion of American Beauty would be higher. You know how it is; everything is relative - good is only good until there is something better (but in this case, better came first).
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