History Film / TheRef

* DeadpanSnarker: Lloyd and Gus. Just look at [[Creator/DenisLeary who they]] [[Creator/KevinSpacey played by.]]

* TakeThat: There's a character named Siskel, and he's played by J.K. Simmons. The resemblance to film critic Creator/GeneSiskel is not a coincidence. (Gene Siskel gave ''Film/TheFisherKing'', another movie by the same screenwriter, a negative review.)

* EveryoneHasStandards: Pretty much ''every'' character in relation to Madame Chasseur, no matter how unlikeable or criminal themselves. Even the shrewish Connie [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescues herself from the scrappy heap]] when she finally snaps and turns on her mother-in-law. "[[ItMakesSenseInContext Slipper socks! Medium!]]". Gus also makes clear he hates parents who treat their children badly, wheter it's Lloyd's mother emotional dominance or Connie outright hitting her son John, which gets Lloyd to threaten to do the same to her should she do so again.

* TapedOverTurmoil: Down at the police station, a bunch of officers are watching ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' when police chief Lt. Huff comes in with a videotape contaning footage of Gus. He puts it in the VCR and is about to play it for them when he gets a phone call. The cops put the movie back on and [[PoliceAreUseless accidentally tape over the evidence.]]

* DoTheyKnowItsChristmasTime: Subverted throughout the movie, then [[spoiler: played almost straight at the end.]]
** {{Lampshaded}} and Defied in an exchange between Connie and her daughter, Mary, about the "criminal on the loose":
--->'''Mary:''' Maybe they'll catch him and let him go in the spirit of Christmas.
--->'''Connie:''' That is not the spirit of Christmas. The spirit of Christmas is either you're good or you're punished and you burn in hell.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Pretty much ''every'' character in relation to Madame Chasseur, no matter how unlikeable or criminal themselves. Even the shrewish Connie [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescues herself from the scrappy heap]] when she finally snaps and turns on her mother-in-law. "[[ItMakesSenseInContext Slipper socks! Medium!]]". Gus also makes clear he hates parents who treat their children badly, wheter it's Lloyd's mother emotional dominance or Connie outright hitting her son John, which gets Lloyd to threaten to do the same to her should she do so again.

* [[BadCopIncompetentCop Incompetent Cop, Even More Incompetent Cop]]: The entire local police force is like this, except DaChief. The most notable example of their stupidity comes when they accidentally record over the footage from the house security camera with a part of ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife''.

''The Ref'' (''Hostile Hostages'' in some countries) is a 1994 BlackComedy film directed by Ted Demme and starring Creator/DenisLeary, Judy Davis, and Creator/KevinSpacey.

* HighSchoolHustler: There are very strong hints that Jesse was a less than lighthearted version of this trope, and this along with other {{Delinquent}} tendencies are what caused Lloyd to send Jesse to military school. Jesse responded by [[UpToEleven photographing the commandant of his school in the midst of an affair and blackmailing the guy]].

* DeadpanSnarker: Lloyd and Gus.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Pretty much ''every'' character in relation to Madame Chasseur, no matter how unlikeable or criminal themselves. Even the shrewish Connie [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescues herself from the scrappy heap]] when she finally snaps and turns on her mother-in-law. "[[ItMakesSenseInContext Slipper socks! Medium!]]"

* RunningGag: See ItIsPronouncedTroPAY above. Also, ''everyone'' comments about the cat urine smell stuck to Gus.

* ItsPronouncedTroPAY: Both Lloyd and Jesse Chasseur make a RunningGag out of correcting mispronunciations of their last name. "It's pronounced chas-OOHR! It's 18th century French Huguenot!"

* VillainProtagonist: Gus is a cat burglar who is holding a family hostage to escape the police. And he's the most likable character in the entire movie.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gus tosses these around like candy, although almost everyone gets in one the act at some point. Also, when Jesse asks to become Gus' apprentice, Gus not only tells Jesse why Jesse sucks, but also explains why [[BeingEvilSucks Gus himself sucks]].

-->Let me explains something to you kid. What I do, running around stealing shit, that may sound great when you're 15 years old, but it sucks just a little bit when you're 35, you got no family, no house, I've got a partner who's a 56 year old alcoholic who can't figure out why they took ''Series/HappyDays'' off the air, and then I got to turn on the TV everyday and see kids like you, one after another on these talk shows, you got everything, opportunities up the ass, you got a family to come home to, and what do you do? You sit around, and you bitch and you moan, because things don't go your way. Well, you know what kid, welcome to the real world where most times, things don't go your fucking way.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gus tosses these around like candy, although almost everyone gets in one the act at some point. Also, when Jesse asks to become Gus' apprentice, Gus not only tells Jesse why Jesse sucks, but also explains why Gus himself sucks.

->''"I kidnapped my fucking parents..."''

** Caroline hits Lloyd with a devastating one, regarding ''his mother:'' "[[MamasBoy Why don't you just sleep with her and get it over with]]?" Even ''Gus'' is stunned and has nothing to say in response to ''that'' one.

* RecklessGunUsage: In the scene where Gus holds a gun to Rose's head and threatens to fire ([[CrowningMomentOfFunny "Go ahead, shoot her." ]]). Due to their positioning, if Gus fired he would either end up shooting himself or giving his eyes and face a serious powder burn.

* {{Jerkass}}: Lloyd's mother. There really are no words to describe how rude, arrogant, and self-centered this bitch is.