The Ref
1994 · Directed by Ted Demme
A forgotten-for-no-good-reason campus comedy that predicted everything about the 2020s in 1994. Jeremy Piven before he was Ari Gold. The causeheads. The Pit.
Why It's Cult
PCU flopped on release and has been slowly acquiring cult status ever since. Its critique of campus politics was treated as a dumb joke in 1994 and reads as eerily prescient now. Also: "You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see. Don't be that guy." Every single day someone is That Guy.
The Plot, Officially
Denis Leary plays an unfortunate cat burglar, who is abandoned by his partner in the middle of a heist, and is forced to take an irritating Connecticut couple (Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis) hostage. He soon finds that he took on more than he bargained for when the couple's blackmailing son and despicable in-laws step into the picture. Before long they're driving him nuts with their petty bickering and family problems. The only way for him to survive is to be their referee and resolve their differences, before he can be nabbed by the police.
Gateway Scenes
Act 1, the Pit
"You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see. Don't be that guy."
The single most-cited line in cult canon. Still true.
Starring
Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey
Where to Watch
via JustWatch →
