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Episode 151 - Flick Flops Holiday Review - The Ref (1994)
This week we submit to arbitration with The Ref, Ted Demme’s 1994 holiday hostage comedy starring Denis Leary, Judy Davis, and Kevin Spacey as the most dysfunctional trio to ever share a Christmas Eve. When a burglar ends up trapped in a house with a family who arguably needs more help than he does, chaos - and some brutally honest therapy - ensues. But did this dark holiday madness cure the onset of our winter blues or is The Ref just the loudest Christmasshole in the room?
#TheRef #DenisLeary #KevinSpacey #TedDemme #JudyDavis #ChristmasMovie #DarkComedy #90sMovies #HolidayFilms #MovieReview #FilmAnalysis #CultClassic #ChristmasComedy #FlickFlopsPodcast
Release Details
- Title: The Ref
- Year: 1994
- Director: Ted Demme
- Writer(s): Marie Weiss, Richard LaGravenese
- Top Billed Stars:
- Denis Leary
- Judy Davis
- Kevin Spacey
- Glynis Johns
- Raymond J. Barry
- Running Time: 96 minutes
- Country of Origin: United States
- Official Release Date(s): March 9, 1994 (USA)
Background & Interesting Details
Ted Demme’s breakout film: While he worked heavily in MTV programming before this, The Ref helped solidify his emergence as a feature director.
Dark comedy vs. Christmas expectations: The studio struggled to market a movie that was both a holiday film and a caustic marital satire. Over time, it found its audience on cable and home video.
Script origins: Writers Marie Weiss and Richard LaGravenese (who also wrote The Fisher King) originally constructed the story as a more serious dramatic hostage scenario before leaning fully into comedy.
Judy Davis improvised many lines: Her high-strung performance as Caroline is partly thanks to Davis riffing on-the-fly, which meshed perfectly with Leary’s abrasive comedy style.
Leary’s stand-up persona shaped Gus: His rapid-fire ranting was so aligned with the character that some lines were rewritten to fit his cadence.
Filming location: Though set in Connecticut, much of the production took place in Toronto, a common mid-90s cost-saving choice.
Glynis Johns (the grandmother) is the same actress who played Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins.
Cult revival: In the last decade, The Ref has been rediscovered as an offbeat holiday staple for people who love sarcastic, dysfunctional-family Christmas movies.
Controversy: Kevin Spacey’s later scandals haven’t affected the film’s cult status much—many fans still revisit it as a sharp comedic ensemble piece.
The dinner scene choreography: The climactic dinner sequence took days to shoot because of the number of overlapping insults, blocking, and timing.
Other Projects (Director/Writer/Main Leads)
- Ted Demme (Director) Blow (2001), Life (1999), Beautiful Girls (1996)
- Marie Weiss & Richard LaGravenese (Writers) LaGravenese: The Fisher King, Living Out Loud, A Little Princess, P.S. I Love You Weiss: Primarily known for The Ref
- Denis Leary Rescue Me (TV), Demolition Man, Ice Age series (voice of Diego), Wag the Dog
- Judy Davis Husbands and Wives, A Passage to India, Barton Fink, Marie Antoinette (2006)
- Kevin Spacey The Usual Suspects, American Beauty, L.A. Confidential, Se7en
Social Links:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tummytwins
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flickflopspod/
- X: https://twitter.com/flickflopspod
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tummytwinsmedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/flickflopspodcast
View all episodes
By Tummy Twins MediaThis week we submit to arbitration with The Ref, Ted Demme’s 1994 holiday hostage comedy starring Denis Leary, Judy Davis, and Kevin Spacey as the most dysfunctional trio to ever share a Christmas Eve. When a burglar ends up trapped in a house with a family who arguably needs more help than he does, chaos - and some brutally honest therapy - ensues. But did this dark holiday madness cure the onset of our winter blues or is The Ref just the loudest Christmasshole in the room?
#TheRef #DenisLeary #KevinSpacey #TedDemme #JudyDavis #ChristmasMovie #DarkComedy #90sMovies #HolidayFilms #MovieReview #FilmAnalysis #CultClassic #ChristmasComedy #FlickFlopsPodcast
Release Details
- Title: The Ref
- Year: 1994
- Director: Ted Demme
- Writer(s): Marie Weiss, Richard LaGravenese
- Top Billed Stars:
- Denis Leary
- Judy Davis
- Kevin Spacey
- Glynis Johns
- Raymond J. Barry
- Running Time: 96 minutes
- Country of Origin: United States
- Official Release Date(s): March 9, 1994 (USA)
Background & Interesting Details
Ted Demme’s breakout film: While he worked heavily in MTV programming before this, The Ref helped solidify his emergence as a feature director.
Dark comedy vs. Christmas expectations: The studio struggled to market a movie that was both a holiday film and a caustic marital satire. Over time, it found its audience on cable and home video.
Script origins: Writers Marie Weiss and Richard LaGravenese (who also wrote The Fisher King) originally constructed the story as a more serious dramatic hostage scenario before leaning fully into comedy.
Judy Davis improvised many lines: Her high-strung performance as Caroline is partly thanks to Davis riffing on-the-fly, which meshed perfectly with Leary’s abrasive comedy style.
Leary’s stand-up persona shaped Gus: His rapid-fire ranting was so aligned with the character that some lines were rewritten to fit his cadence.
Filming location: Though set in Connecticut, much of the production took place in Toronto, a common mid-90s cost-saving choice.
Glynis Johns (the grandmother) is the same actress who played Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins.
Cult revival: In the last decade, The Ref has been rediscovered as an offbeat holiday staple for people who love sarcastic, dysfunctional-family Christmas movies.
Controversy: Kevin Spacey’s later scandals haven’t affected the film’s cult status much—many fans still revisit it as a sharp comedic ensemble piece.
The dinner scene choreography: The climactic dinner sequence took days to shoot because of the number of overlapping insults, blocking, and timing.
Other Projects (Director/Writer/Main Leads)
- Ted Demme (Director) Blow (2001), Life (1999), Beautiful Girls (1996)
- Marie Weiss & Richard LaGravenese (Writers) LaGravenese: The Fisher King, Living Out Loud, A Little Princess, P.S. I Love You Weiss: Primarily known for The Ref
- Denis Leary Rescue Me (TV), Demolition Man, Ice Age series (voice of Diego), Wag the Dog
- Judy Davis Husbands and Wives, A Passage to India, Barton Fink, Marie Antoinette (2006)
- Kevin Spacey The Usual Suspects, American Beauty, L.A. Confidential, Se7en
Social Links:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tummytwins
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flickflopspod/
- X: https://twitter.com/flickflopspod
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tummytwinsmedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/flickflopspodcast