The Ref
By the basic information, The Ref (1994), written by Marie Weiss and Richard LaGravenese and directed by Ted Demme, seemed like it could either be a really well done, high tension movie, or it could be a boring, drug-out mess. It came down to the actors pulling off what they did, the mains played by Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis, and Denis Leary. The movie started off as all shitty Christmas time movies do, with kids running around, looking in the windows, the salvation army ringing his bell, and shoppers walking down the snowy streets after dark. They should have jumped right into the action with the two Caroline and Lloyd (Davis and Spacey) at their marriage counselor. It is what sets the tone, the relationship, and the excuse for Gus (Leary) to be in their house later on, posing as their marriage counselor.
For the most part, the shots seemed simple but not bland. There was some use of depth but the film felt very quaint, which I think is what they were going for: being trapped in a never-ending argumentative marriage in the suburbs. It is a comedy, but a dark comedy and not a stupid one. They don’t go for the one liners or the easy laughs, instead focus on the situational humor and rely heavily on the acting. The Ref did a good job of keeping the energy up and running by having constant commotion and hindrance to Gus’ plans with set up and pay off of introduction of characters and new situations. There was always some set up so nothing felt strait out of left field or random, but rather orchestrated. The music wasn’t anything noteworthy but that being said, had me focusing on the situation, putting us into the reality of their situation, and in that sense the music was a success. It effectively had us worried and excited to see how everything unraveled. The story itself had a few minor characters that played sequential roles to moving the plot forward as Gus, Caroline, and Lloyd were stuck in the house with each other. The couple, Lloyd and Caroline, bicker and argue even when Gus first has a gun to their head and as the night goes on, they both start to open up to Gus, telling him their problems. So, in a way, Gus does become their marriage counselor, being the antagonist for both of them to see how shitty of people they’ve both been when they are unaccustomed to compromise or are so focused on the other’s wrongs they won’t admit their own.
The setting of Christmas time adds another level of comedy as there are more interactions and reasons for people to act certain ways, allowing for more drama to be strung out without feeling strung out. The only thing I combat story-wise, is the ending. Why the hell do Caroline and Lloyd end up helping Gus escape the police after he kidnapped them and threw them around? Is it because he gives their son some good advice? They could relate to him? Perhaps it was because in a way he did help their marriage more than their actual therapist ever could, and so many family issues were finally confronted. But it doesn’t explain why they tied up the rest of their family or why their niece and nephew helped them with that after having a gun pointed at them. And what happened when they let them go? Would everything that just happened be forgiven because they’re family? No. Lloyd’s horrendous brother and sister in law would go and tell the police, if not them then the stone cold, self-absorbed, money hoarding grandma sure would.
The movie ends with Gus and his partner in crime sailing away to Jamaica and we don’t get another word on the family. That’s another thing: everyone in this movie are terrible people. The women are overbearing on their husbands, hit their kids, yell and scream, looking out for numero uno, putting themselves first above all else and damn anyone’s feelings. The two brothers are both push overs to their mom and don’t seem to really care about their wives or family, but Lloyd’s brother doesn’t really have a role other than to be the little boy dad who can’t stand up for himself. Both Lloyd and Caroline have major problems and are both bad people to each other, but it’s Caroline that’s portrayed as worse, she’s the enabler of the problems and blames Lloyd for everything. While Gus seems to be the only voice of reason, trying to bring peace for his own sake while sporting a short temper and quick reactions.
Overall, The Ref was a good movie. It keeps the audience members on their toes, tossing them from one way to the other. There is a lot of dialogue between characters but it feels very real and doesn’t make the movie a “talkie” or sacrifice any action. The reason being that the characters aren’t saying what they need to do or what’s happening, they just do it. But they tell stories and bring up old arguments. The dialogue is a way for the audience to get a feel for who these characters are. They tell off, call out, or submit to each other, telling terrible stories and accusations. It all unravels smoothly not jumping around to random points or leaving holes unless a hole is meant to be left in order to fill later in the movie.
June 13, 2017