The Ref

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About the film

holiday robbery parent child relationship burglar christmas party hostage blackmail santa claus bad mother-in-law mother-in-law liberation of hostage police connecticut thief dysfunctional family dark comedy man hunt dinner alcoholic christmas marriage counseling

The Ref

Release Date: March 09, 1994

Year	:	1994
Slogan	:	«They might be his hostages but what they're doing to this guy is criminal.»
Genres	:	Comedy, Crime, Drama
Production Companies	:	Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Touchstone Pictures
Director	:	Ted Demme
Producers	:	Jerry Bruckheimer, Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson, Howard Feuer, Richard LaGravenese, Ronald M. Bozman, Marilyn Stonehouse, Jeffrey Weiss, Deborah Zwicker
Writers	:	Richard LaGravenese, Marie Weiss, Marie Weiss
RunTime	:	97 mins.
Budget	:	11000000
Revenue	:	11439193

Caroline and Lloyd are a married couple constantly at each other's throats, masters at crafting acid-tongued barbs at the other's expense. Indeed, they are so obsessed with belittling each other that they never stop -- not even at gunpoint. The gunman is Gus, a thief on the run from the police, who kidnaps the couple as an insurance policy, planning to use their home as a hideout. But their incessant bickering proves more than Gus bargained for, forcing him -- for the sake of his own sanity -- into the unenviable role of peacemaker. To make things even worse for Gus, he discovers that he has taken the couple hostage the night of their big Christmas party, and the guests are already on the way. Not wanting to leave Lloyd and Caroline unattended, Gus opts to attend the party, pretending to be the couple's marriage counselor. This naturally leads to a series of comic confusions, as the hostage crisis and marital tensions head towards their inevitable conclusion.