Fun Trivia : Ref, The

Structure Sub-topic of: Movies Q-T Quizzes Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 20 general entries.

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Ref, The

What's the name of Lloyd and Caroline's marriage counselor?

The Ref


Dr. Wong. The actor who played Dr. Wong (B.D. Wong) also played the role of Howard Weinstein, Franck's (Martin Short) assistant in "Father of the Bride".



What type of vehicle does Lloyd drive?

The Ref


Grand Cherokee. Gus (Denis Leary) kidnaps Caroline by putting a gun in her back at the grocery store. He then proceeds to enter Lloyd's Grand Cherokee with Caroline and orders her shocked husband to drive to their house.



What group did the the Restaurant Guide Book of New York recommend to Lloyd's fine-dining venue?

The Ref


Hindus. "Hindus looking for a fun night out of fasting", to be exact.



How much does Jesse pay the chauffeur to drive around the block?

The Ref


$50. The thought of going home to his unhappy, bickering parents, pains Jesse so much that he gives the chauffeur a fifty to delay the inevitable.



When Gus breaks into the mansion and opens the safe, what sprays him in the face?

The Ref


Cat urine. Gus is asked repeatedly "What's that smell?" throughout the movie whenever someone comes into close proximity to him.



The videotape of Gus' burglary is inadvertently taped over by bumbling police officers. What film classic is found taped over the evidence?

The Ref


It's A Wonderful Life. While Lt. Huff is in another room, the officers decide it wouldn't hurt to watch some TV before they view the evidence on tape. While switching from VCR to TV, one of the officers hits record, destroying the evidence.



What does Mother Chasseur give as a Christmas gift to Connie, her daughter-in-law?

The Ref


Slipper socks. Not only does she give Connie this crappy gift, but she gets it in the wrong size!



Besides Caroline, what other character in the movie admits to having had an illicit love affair?

The Ref


Lt. Huff. For Burley's edification, Huff boasts of paying a visit to his wife while the former was on a business trip.



From the outset, you can tell that the movie must be taking place around Christmas time. The hustle and bustle of shopping is softened by the peacefully-falling snow, and overlaid on this beautiful scene we have the sounds of a choir. What is the name of the choir that sings the lovely Christmas carol during the opening credits?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


The Grace Church on the Hill Boys' Choir. The Grace Church on the Hill Boys' Choir perofms the opening song, "The Holly and the Ivy". This choir performs programs made up of classic British Christmas music; it is open to boys with unchanged and recently-changed voices ages 7-14. Jesse Chasseur definitely would not have fit into this group.



The storyline in the movie begins with our two "heroes", Caroline and Lloyd Chasseur (played by Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey, respectively), in the office of a Dr. Wong. They are having a heated, witty argument in front of the good doctor. What branch of medicine is Dr. Wong a "good doctor" of?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


Marriage counseling. The actor who plays Dr. Wong, B.D. Wong, had his breakthrough as an actor playing the lead role in M. Butterfly. He chose to go by his initials (B.D. stands for Bradley Darryl) in order to make the androgynous lead role of M. Butterfly even more mysterious. While Dr. Wong may be a good marriage counselor, B.D. Wong is surely a better actor; he won five awards, including a Tony award, for his role in M. Butterfly.



Our good friend Denis Leary appears shortly into the movie, playing a cat burglar named Gus. Gus runs into some bad luck robbing the mansion of a wealthy amusement park owner, and runs into the homeowner's large guard dog. What is the dog's name? (This is revealed later in the movie).

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


Cannibal. Two things I found interesting in this scene: Firstly, a cannibal is defined as someone who consumes the flesh of their own race - so a dog named Cannibal really wouldn't be that scary to anyone except other dogs. Secondly, the dog in this scene crushes a billiard ball; the material these balls are made from, Thermoset resin, is highly dense and strong, so that dog has some powerful jaws! Again - I think I'm over thinking my movies.



Back to Caroline and Lloyd: Caroline goes into a small grocery store to pick up some last-minute items for Christmas dinner, where she runs into a rather upset Gus, who promptly takes her hostage. In the background, other shoppers are having their own tribulations; what common Christmas goodie is being discussed in the background conversation during this scene?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


Egg nog. As the annoyed store-goer states, she really doesn't have time to make eggnog. Eggnog (a mixture of cream, vanilla, milk, separated eggs, and sometimes alcohol) requires at least a four hour rest for the initial liquid mixture in order for the holiday beverage to set properly and have the correct consistency and flavor.



We are soon introduced to Jesse, Caroline and Lloyd's highly-intelligent, but somewhat-immoral, son. Jesse is attending a military school due to his repeated bouts of juvenile delinquency. After a confrontation with the school's militant commandant, wherein we discover that Jesse is blackmailing him, Jesse corrects Commandant Siskal as to the pronunciation of his family's last name, Chasseur (pronounced shaw-sair). Where does Jesse state this name comes from?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


The name comes from the line of the French Huguenots of the 18th century. While the correct answer is (quoted from the movie), "It's 18th-century French Huguenot!", the name Chasseur is derived from a French word meaning "Any of certain light cavalry or infantry troops trained for rapid maneuvers".



Soon after arriving at Caroline and Lloyd's expensive abode, Gus realizes that he has possibly made a fatal error in kidnapping such a querulous couple. Even at gunpoint, the two will not stop fighting! He increases the tension between the two battling lovebirds when he asks them for a cigarette, at which point Lloyd discovers that Caroline has lied about quitting smoking. Where does Caroline reveal that she has hidden her cache of cigarettes?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


Behind the chessboard on the mantlepiece. Again, I could be over-thinking my movies, but I found it ironic where Caroline chose to hide her cigarettes. Considering how adversarial Caroline and Lloyd's relationship is, hiding her addiction behind the game board for an intricate strategy game seemed highly appropriate.



Eventually, Lloyd's brother and sister-in-law arrive with their two children. The family sits down to dinner, only to find themselves part of a rather strange holiday ceremony: Caroline, who has studied a country's certain method of cooking, adorns each person at the table with a wreath-like hat topped with burning white candles. Caroline explains that this ceremony was derived from the death of a certain saint; which saint was it?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


Lucia, patron saint of hemorrhages. The writers/directors of "The Ref" decided to leave out the fact that Saint Lucia, the female saint described in the movie, is the patron saint of hemmorages. Canonization requires (among other things) that the saint perform a miracle; in this case, Saint Lucia supposedly prayed to God to cure her mother's hemorrhagic fever. Her mother was supposedly cured after this prayer, and dedicated her life to the ways of Christianity.



Having already informed their family members that they are seeing a therapist for their problems, Caroline and Lloyd decide to have Gus play the role of Dr. Wong. At dinner, Lloyd's vicious mother Rose asks "Dr. Wong" to explain his style of therapy. Connie, Caroline's sister-in-law, states that "Dr. Wong's" methods sound suspiciously like something she recently heard on what talk show?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


Oprah. Oprah is considered to the be the first self-made African American female billionaire (as of 2004, her net worth is approximately $1.1 billion). Her television talk show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show", has been on the air since 1986. Between Murray's (his partner in crime) bumbling and robbing mansions, I wonder how Gus found time to watch Oprah?



After retiring to the living room for dessert, Gary, Lloyd's brother, suggests that they put on some Christmas music to help inspire their holiday mood as they open their gifts. Connie, Gary's wife, suggests that they put on music by which holiday artist, since the artist is Gary's favorite?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


Nat King Cole. Despite his fame as a musician, Nat King Cole (born Nathaniel Adams Cole) was nominated only once for a Grammy, in 1958; he lost. However, in 1989 (approximately 24 years after his death), Cole was awarded a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy. And, of course, he was immortalized by reference and song ("The Christmas Song", in this scene) in "The Ref".



As the police close in, the Chasseurs panic; Gus has helped them resolve so many of their family problems, they don't want to see him go to jail! Caroline and Jesse begin arguing over places to hide Gus; as our last question, where are the three main locations they suggest hiding Gus before finally sending him off through the path in the woods?

Refer to "The Ref" and You'll Get It


The trunk of the car, the trap door in the mud room, and inside the hope chest. Gus provides us with closing commentary after he escapes on a rickety boat with his partner, Murray, and Murray's new parole-skipping girlfriend. As the movie fades out, we're provided with an extremely funny ranting monologue, which is very much a trademark of Denis Leary's comedy style. And that ends one of my favorite comedies, and perhaps my favorite Christmas movie of all time.