Tel est pris qui croyait prendre

Christmas is a holiday of peace and contentment...but try saying that in the Chasseur household and you will incur wrath. Rather like someone yelling at you to shut your mouth or die, and someone else tapes your mouth shut. Sometimes it just doesn't work out, nerves fray, the concentration of tension in the holiday atmosphere builds up beyond the long ignored limit and the prospect of polite chatter in the family circle goes out the window. Occasionally, on the other hand, it’s fine when pressure from external forces compels the reorganisation of the long established order and dad, for the sake of variety, smashes the Christmas tree and grandma looks for arguments to defend her plastic surgery. Anything can come out of an uninvited guest sitting down at the table; in this case, that’s a successful comedy of Christmas discontent that will help many to steel their nerves in advance. You never know if a subject will come up that may elicit a strong allergic reaction from your uncle. The subject matter could have been made into an even more interesting theatrical tragicomedy with three characters. 75% (17/09/2011)

A mediocre comedy in almost every conceivable way, with one big advantage: the actors. The Ref, fortunately, is saved by its perfect cast, who put it in the category of quickly forgettable but pleasantly relaxing generic comedies. (10/08/2007)