This week, the dads open another window on the Dadvent Calendar and find 1994's The Ref, a Christmas hostage comedy that Steve has loved since college and Nic has somehow never seen despite being a massive Denis Leary standup fan back in the day. Steve brings the nostalgia and watches it every other Christmas, while Nic comes in fresh and skeptical about whether this dysfunctional family farce is going to land. They dig into Leary as Gus, a cat burglar who breaks into the wrong house on Christmas Eve and ends up trapped with the most toxic married couple in Connecticut, played by Kevin Spacey and the absolutely scene-stealing Judy Davis. The dads talk about how Davis dominates every frame she's in, the bizarre premise that somehow works, and the uncomfortable reality of having to watch Spacey in anything these days.

The conversation moves through the escalating chaos of Christmas dinner with the worst in-laws imaginable, the legitimately solid acting from a cast swimming to keep up with Davis, and whether the movie's wacky comedy beats work, or feel forced. Nic admits he generally doesn't love this style of "oh look it keeps getting wackier" comedy and wasn't invested in the characters, while Steve defends the film's darker edge and unique perspective on holiday dysfunction. They also debate Leary's performance, with Nic wishing for more of Leary's signature rants and Steve appreciating the restraint. Both agree that the movie earned its R rating and that it's a legitimate Christmas film, even if it's not for everyone.

It's messy family tension, hostage negotiation therapy, and a movie that dares to ask: what if the only way to save Christmas is to have a criminal hold everyone at gunpoint?