The Ref (Hostile Hostages in some countries) is a 1994 American Christmas black comedy crime film directed by Ted Demme, written by Richard LaGravenese and Marie Weiss, and starring Denis Leary, Judy Davis, and Kevin Spacey.

The plot centers on a burglar who, while evading capture from the police, is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve.

The film was released on March 11, 1994 and was a box office disappointment, though positive reviews praised its dark humor, dialogue, and performances.

[2][3] On Christmas Eve in an affluent Connecticut hamlet, Lloyd and Caroline Chasseur are in a marriage counseling session with therapist Dr. Wong.

As the police search for Gus expands, he is forced to continue hiding out in the Chasseur home while waiting on Murray.

Complicating matters are visiting neighbors, such as George, who is dressed up as Santa Claus and arrives to deliver a fruitcake for the family.

The state police arrive, and Lloyd, having a change of heart, decides he cannot "spend [his] life sending everyone [he] care[s] about to prison."

[5][7] The studio cast Leary based on the sarcastic funny-man persona he cultivated in MTV spots that Demme directed.

"[10] After test audiences responded poorly to the film's original ending—Gus turns himself in to show Jesse that a life of crime leads nowhere quickly—a new ending was shot in January 1994.

[1] Its total gross at the domestic box office was only $11,439,193, after coming in at #4 opening weekend, behind Guarding Tess, Lightning Jack and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

[16][17][18] Leary made fun of himself in a humorous article written for a 1995 issue of Playboy where he pretends to interview Pope John Paul II.

The website's consensus reads: "Undeniably uneven and too dark for some, The Ref nonetheless boasts strong turns from Denis Leary, Judy Davis, and Kevin Spacey, as well as a sharply funny script.

"[13] She praised its "gleeful irreverence, dark wit and cynicism", adding, The Ref "is a film to warm the hearts and touch the nerves of dysfunctional families everywhere.

"[22] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers praised the performances of Spacey and Davis, saying "They are combustibly funny, finding nuance even in nonsense.

"[25] Glenn Kenny of Entertainment Weekly gave it a grade of "A−", writing The Ref features "some of the sharpest dialogue heard in a Hollywood flick since the heyday of Hecht and MacArthur" and that "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".

[26] Negative reviews opined that the film's biting humor goes too far and that the movie "can't sustain its defiantly misanthropic tone".

[27] Owen Gleiberman, also of Entertainment Weekly, gave the film a "C−" rating and wrote, "The Ref is crushingly blunt-witted and monotonous in its celebration of domestic sadism.

"[28] In his review for The Washington Post, Hal Hinson criticized Leary's performance: "A stand-up comic trying to translate his impatient, hipster editorializing to the big screen, he doesn't have the modulation of a trained actor, only one speed (fast) and one mode of attack (loud).