Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Comedy/The Ref
The Ref poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 67.1 / 100
1994·Comedy / Crime / Drama·1h 37m

THE REF

“They might be his hostages but what they're doing to this guy is criminal.”

A cat burglar is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve.

Above the Line
Ted Demme·DirectorRichard LaGravenese·ScreenplayMarie Weiss·ScreenplayAdam Kimmel·Director of PhotographyDave Stewart·Original Music ComposerJeffrey Wolf·Editor
Cast
Denis Leary·GusJudy Davis·Caroline ChasseurKevin Spacey·Lloyd ChasseurGlynis Johns·Rose ChasseurRobert J. Steinmiller Jr.·Jesse ChasseurRaymond J. Barry·Lt. HuffRichard Bright·MurrayChristine Baranski·Connie ChasseurAdam LeFevre·Gary ChasseurJ.K. Simmons·Siskel
Full Crew
(30 credits)
Directing· 4
Ted Demme·DirectorBlanche McDermaid·Script SupervisorAnn-Marie Ferney-Tellez·Third Assistant DirectorRon Oxley·Second Assistant Director
Writing· 3
Richard LaGravenese·ScreenplayMarie Weiss·ScreenplayMarie Weiss·Story
Camera· 2
Adam Kimmel·Director of PhotographyMichael Ringston·Assistant Camera
Editing· 2
Jeffrey Wolf·EditorJohn Gilroy·Associate Editor
Sound & Music· 6
Dave Stewart·Original Music ComposerStuart Levy·Supervising Sound EditorJohn Purcell·Dialogue EditorPeter Waggoner·Sound Re-Recording MixerTodd Kasow·Music EditorStephen McLaughlin·Music Producer
Art & Design· 3
Dan Davis·Production DesignDennis Davenport·Art DirectionJudianna Makovsky·Costume Design
Production· 7
Jeffrey Weiss·ProducerRon Bozman·ProducerJerry Bruckheimer·Executive ProducerDon Simpson·Executive ProducerRichard LaGravenese·ProducerDeborah Zwicker·Production CoordinatorHoward Feuer·Casting
Other Departments· 3
Kim W. Chow·Wardrobe MasterPatti Unger·Wardrobe SupervisorTim Murton·Scenic Artist
By the Numbers
67.1
OF 100
Master Score
6.9
OF 10
IMDb
73%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
$11M
ROI 4%
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind The Ref's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#000000
#FFFFFF
#CC0000
Mood
Tense, Comedic, Confrontational
Composition
Split
Era
1990s
Visual Style
Photographic

“A man in a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants stands on the left side of the poster, holding a silver handgun pointed downwards. His right leg is bent and”

comedycrime
Key Elements
HandgunRopesChairs
Atmosphere
Bright
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Abstract
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY TED DEMME

Every catalog entry where Ted Demme is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE COMEDY

Top-ranked films inside comedy, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1990S

The best films of the 1990s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows