Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 31-August-08
Spoiler Rating: Medium

The Ref (1994)

When I first saw The Ref I thought it was an excellent concept not fully realized. My opinion has changed 14 years later. I still think it is an excellent concept, but I also think that the movie suffices as it is. Sure, the characters' problems resolve themselves too quickly and neatly to approximate real life, but hey, the action goes down at Christmas when cinematic miracles are bound to happen.

The concept is twofold. The Ref tells the story of a married couple working out issues with help from the unlikeliest quarter; meanwhile, it peels back the veneer of upper-middle-class suburbia to show the human corruption underneath. The tone is humorous, as both subjects are ripe for lampooning. The movie opens upon Caroline (Judy Davis) and Lloyd (Kevin Spacey) failing to bond at a counseling session, and upon Gus (Denis Leary) failing to escape unnoticed from a mansion he has just robbed. The three come together when Gus hijacks Caroline at gunpoint and forces her and Lloyd to take him home. Their well-to-do Connecticut town is alerted to the criminal in its midst, so Gus needs to cool his heels while his boozy partner (Richard Bright) procures a means of flight. Unfortunately for him, his captives cannot stop bickering even when tied up and menaced in their own house. They have reached the point where nothing can interrupt their meltdown.

Gus is a poor schmoe who never got a break, and he is disgusted to see people with so many material and personal assets wallowing in grievances of their own making. He has enough worries of his own without being immersed in others', but the night is still young. It is Christmas Eve, and Caroline and Lloyd expect their troubled teenager (Robert J. Steinmiller, Jr.) and extended family for dinner. Thwarted in his quick getaway, Gus assumes the guise of an on-the-spot marriage counselor in order to meet the guests. They prove to be as screwy as the hosts, largely due to Lloyd's tyrannical and manipulative mother (Glynis Johns). It is easy to understand why Caroline and Lloyd made so many mistakes with each other and their son. Their white colonial may be trimmed for the perfect New England noel, but the folks gathered beneath the tree would rather deck each other than the halls.

Movies about family dysfunction during the holidays are not uncommon, which is sad because they obviously strike a chord. The Ref sets itself apart by adding Gus to the mix, who somehow keeps it grounded. It is neither too cynical nor too sappy, neither too stupid in its comedy nor too serious in its depiction of "normal" Americans who have messed up their lives.

Copyright © 2008 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.