Directed By:Ted Demme
Written By:Marie Weiss, Richard LaGravenese
The Ref
Metascore
Mixed or Average
59
User score
Generally Favorable
6.5
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
59
63% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
26% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
11% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
91
The performances are uniformly excellent — even Leary knows when to shut up and just listen — and this nasty romp delivers so many honest laughs, you may end up watching it twice in the same night to make sure you weren’t hallucinating.
75
Between Leary, Davis, Spacey and Johns, director Ted Demme (nephew of Jonathan, and director of Leary's MTV spots) has captured lightning in a bottle, and The Ref has enough subtle and not-so-subtle interplay to make a repeat viewing worthwhile.
70
Don't be misled by commercials that make The Ref look like slapstick silliness. This is a grown-up film that delights in undermining Christmas cliches.
63
If its dark heart had won out to the very end, The Ref could have been a minor classic. But it's a hilarious antidote to heartwarming holiday films -- and has some of the cruelest humor of any comedy in quite some time. [11 Mar 1994, p.G5]
60
If THE REF lived up to its early scenes, it would be a very funny movie indeed, but it soon sinks into a blandly commercial rut that slowly drains away what bitter energy it has.
40
Ref takes a one-note premise and claustrophobic setting so far that its eventual message — communication and commitment are good things — arrives DOA after the third or fourth time Leary has carped his disgust at all things yuppiefied.
33
First-time director Ted Demme (no relation to Jonathan), also of MTV ("Yo! MTV Raps"), displays little flair for comedy or storytelling beyond a sketch length. He also seems to have the sensibility of a dirty-minded eighth-grader. [11 Mar 1994]
User score
Generally Favorable
6.5
25% Positive
1 Rating
1 Rating
75% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Aug 29, 2024
6
Denis Leary and Kevin Spacey match wits in this ever-so-gently whitewashed holiday staple. Spacey, whose flammable relationship with wife Judy Davis takes center stage, is at his deadpan, sarcastic best from start to finish, while Leary's brand of comedy is somewhat neutered by the film's family-friendly nature. At its core, though, this is a startlingly simple premise that never really evolves into something grand enough to carry a feature-length picture. It's got some good one-liners, a few solid recurring gags, a volatile core relationship, but can't make the shift into high gear that would've lifted it to a higher level.
Production Company:
- Touchstone Pictures
- Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Release Date:Mar 11, 1994
Duration:1 h 37 m
Rating:R
Tagline:They might be his hostages but what they're doing to this guy is criminal.
Awards
Chlotrudis Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Casting Society (CSA)
• 1 Nomination
