The Ref

In between his time as a chain smoking, rapid fire monologuist and his tenure as a basic cable auteur, it looked for a second like comedian Dennis Leary might become a legit movie star. The 90s brought major roles in films like Operation Dumbo Drop, Judgment Night, and Suicide Kings. He even popped up as a rebel leader in Demolition Man and wrote the romantic comedy Two if By Sea with Mike Armstrong, who he had met while working on MTV's Remote Control. My favorite role of his, though, has got to be that of Gus in 1994's The Ref.

No one has ever accused Leary of having much range - he's at his best when he's sticking close to his foul mouthed, grouchy persona, and The Ref definitely allows him to do that. Robbing a house on Christmas eve, things go horribly wrong and Gus is forced to take refuge in the car (and home) of the Chasseurs, a bickering yuppie couple. Now hostages, Lloyd and Caroline (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) infuriate Gus with their incessant sniping as he frantically tries to plan an escape. Much like in The Birdcage, the film climaxes with a family dinner that goes horribly (and predictably) wrong. Gus manages to leave town with the help of the Chasseurs' estranged son and the entire incident ends up bringing the couple closer than ever.

The reason this movie works so well is a combination of great writing and great acting. The film is infinitely quotable, particularly the Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf-esque scene towards the end when the Chasseurs finally unload on each other - and their assembled family members. Spacey and Davis are able to delightfully spit venom at each other and simultaneously show glimpses of the people they used to be before life didn't turn out the way they thought it would. Christine Baranski is great as Lloyd's passive-aggressive yuppie sister-in-law, but it's Glynis Johns - the adorable Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins - who steals the show as the cold-hearted matriarch of the Chasseur clan. Leary does what he does best for the most part, and some of his finest acting is unspoken when he observes the surprising effect his "visit" has had on the Chasseurs as Lloyd and Caroline have their epic meltdown.

The Ref has all the elements of a classic Christmas movie - a snow covered small town, a Christmas tree, a family coming together, etc. Although in this film the town is full of selfish bluebloods and incompetent cops, the tree is beaten repeatedly with a fireplace poker, and the family only comes together after binding and gagging their annoying relatives. The Ref is profane, witty, and like the best Christmas comedies, manages to perfectly ride the line between cynicism and authenticity. I just saw it for the first time and it's now one of my favorites. Make it one of yours, if it isn't already.