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The Ref

314 statements
60 feature instances
26 referencing feature instances

The Ref	type	TVTItem
The Ref	label	The Ref
The Ref	page	TheRef
The Ref	comment	The Ref (Hostile Hostages in some countries) is a 1994 Black Comedy film directed by Ted Demme and starring Denis Leary, Judy Davis, and Kevin Spacey.Leary plays Gus, a cat burglar who breaks into the house of a millionaire in the hopes of pulling off a job that will let him retire, but he gets tripped up by an... eccentric trap and suddenly has to hide out from the bungling local cops until his partner Murray can secure a way to escape after the entire area is put on alert. To avoid the police patrolling the streets, Gus takes Lloyd and Caroline Chasseur (a highly dysfunctional middle class suburban couple) hostage so he can hide out in their home until the escape is ready. There are just two problems; 1) Lloyd and Caroline are so dysfunctional and angry with each other that they would rather fight than pay any attention to Gus, and 2) it's Christmas Eve and everyone from Lloyd and Caroline's bright delinquent son Jesse (Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.) to their whole extended family is coming over for dinner. (And since this is 1994 and cell phones are very far from common, there's no way to call the Christmas dinner off.)Hilarity Ensues.When Murray can't arrange an escape prior to the extended family arriving, Gus gets Lloyd and Caroline to pass him off as their therapist so he can continue hiding from the cops and make sure they won't blow his cover. However, with all the nasty, petty resentments rising to the surface within the family, it's quite likely that Gus' rapidly dwindling sanity will run out before he can get out of town.
The Ref	fetched	2023-09-29T23:30:06Z
The Ref	parsed	2023-09-29T23:30:06Z
The Ref	processingComment	Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
The Ref	processingComment	Dropped link to AwwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
The Ref	processingComment	Dropped link to Blackmail: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Ref	processingComment	Dropped link to GentleTouchVSFirmHand: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
The Ref	processingUnknown	AwwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther
The Ref	processingUnknown	GentleTouchVSFirmHand
The Ref	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Ref / int_154aa477	type	Big, Screwed-Up Family
The Ref / int_154aa477	comment	Big, Screwed-Up Family: Lloyd's family embodies this trope and then some. Lloyd is a spineless mama's boy who goes crying back to her when things don't go his way, his son is a juvenile delinquent, and his brother is just as bad and married to an annoying shrew of a woman who walks all over him. The brother and shrew do have some well-adjusted kids, though.
The Ref / int_154aa477	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_154aa477	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_154aa477
The Ref / int_20b2cb65	type	Taped-Over Turmoil
The Ref / int_20b2cb65	comment	Taped-Over Turmoil: Down at the police station, a bunch of officers are watching It's a Wonderful Life when police chief Lt. Huff comes in with a videotape containing 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 accidentally tape over the evidence.
The Ref / int_20b2cb65	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_20b2cb65	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_20b2cb65
The Ref / int_214c0753	type	Angry Guard Dog
The Ref / int_214c0753	comment	Angry Guard Dog: A rottweiler. Named Cannibal.
The Ref / int_214c0753	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_214c0753	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_214c0753
The Ref / int_23ff95fb	type	Brutal Honesty
The Ref / int_23ff95fb	comment	Brutal Honesty: Gus is completely unwilling to put up with the Chasseur's bullshit, and bluntly calls all of them out at various points throughout the film. Ironically, his willingness to cut to the heart of a problem means he does a better job of helping Lloyd and Caroline air their grievances with each other than their actual therapist.
The Ref / int_23ff95fb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_23ff95fb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_23ff95fb
The Ref / int_24321e44	type	Only Sane Man
The Ref / int_24321e44	comment	Only Sane Man: Gus and the local police chief. One could also argue that Jesse, (Lloyd and Caroline's son) mostly falls under this category, although it's somewhat undermined by his need to act out via petty acts of delinquency and rebellion, regardless of how dumb and needless said acts of delinquency might be.
The Ref / int_24321e44	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_24321e44	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_24321e44
The Ref / int_2b851bd4	type	The Scrooge
The Ref / int_2b851bd4	comment	The Scrooge: Lloyd's mother. With all the money she has, the best things that she can buy her family for Christmas are slipper socks, a hideous sweatshirt, and husky-sized underwear.
The Ref / int_2b851bd4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_2b851bd4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_2b851bd4
The Ref / int_2da1421	type	Booby Trap
The Ref / int_2da1421	comment	Booby Trap: The sort that sprays you with cat urine, opens a trap door under your feet, and sends you down a chute where you crash right in front of a very large guard dog. Interesting security there...
The Ref / int_2da1421	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_2da1421	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_2da1421
The Ref / int_355007c3	type	Brilliant, but Lazy
The Ref / int_355007c3	comment	Brilliant, but Lazy: Jesse is highly intelligent but has little interest in doing well in school.
The Ref / int_355007c3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_355007c3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_355007c3
The Ref / int_35a858b3	type	Cluster F-Bomb
The Ref / int_35a858b3	comment	Cluster F-Bomb: Gus' tirade at the end of the film. This trope could apply to the whole film as well.
The Ref / int_35a858b3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_35a858b3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_35a858b3
The Ref / int_35ae6a23	type	Lethal Chef
The Ref / int_35ae6a23	comment	Lethal Chef: Apparently Caroline. The rest of the family stops to eat dinner before getting to her house so they won't have to eat any more of her cooking than they have to. Part of the problem is that she appears to specialize in Scandinavian Foreign Queasine.
The Ref / int_35ae6a23	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_35ae6a23	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_35ae6a23
The Ref / int_3929e0db	type	You Need to Get Laid
The Ref / int_3929e0db	comment	You Need to Get Laid: At the very beginning of the movie Caroline voices this opinion of Lloyd's mother. In a therapy session of theirs when Lloyd mentions that their son Jesse started an escort service in 9th grade by passing around Lloyd's mother's phone number, Caroline snaps back "And I still say getting laid by an 18 year old linebacker is just what she needs!" Also, Caroline and Lloyd apparently haven't had sex in years, at least according to Caroline.
The Ref / int_3929e0db	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_3929e0db	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_3dcc914f	type	Took a Level in Kindness
The Ref / int_3dcc914f	comment	Took a Level in Kindness: The Chasseurs became less of a bickering Jerkass Dysfunctional Family and more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold family once Gus enters their lives.
The Ref / int_3dcc914f	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_3dcc914f
The Ref / int_4127eb1	type	Shut Up, Hannibal!
The Ref / int_4127eb1	comment	Shut Up, Hannibal!: "Mother...is it possible for you to shut the fuck up for ten seconds?"
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The Ref / int_4127eb1	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_4781adbb	type	Jerk with a Heart of Gold
The Ref / int_4781adbb	comment	Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gus shows sign of this at times.
The Ref / int_4781adbb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_4781adbb	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_4ae690ca	type	Laughing Mad
The Ref / int_4ae690ca	comment	Laughing Mad: When Gus finally gets Murray on the phone, Murray explains that he's hooked up with a woman on a boat that they can use to get out of town. Except the boat has some mechanical problems. Gus abruptly drops the phone to his side and just starts laughing while holding his other hand over his face. Considering that Gus is a very short-tempered Deadpan Snarker, it's quite clear his stay with the family has started to wear on his sanity.
The Ref / int_4ae690ca	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_4ae690ca	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_4f84cdef	type	Smug Snake
The Ref / int_4f84cdef	comment	Smug Snake: Lloyd's mother. And how.
The Ref / int_4f84cdef	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_4f84cdef	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_565106b3	type	Women Are Wiser
The Ref / int_565106b3	comment	Women Are Wiser: Generally subverted. Caroline tends to come off as more sympathetic, nurturing and understanding than Lloyd, but she's also caused just as many screw ups in the marriage as Lloyd has, complete with refusing to take any responsibility in major life decisions for the Chasseurs and later having a Self-Serving Memory about the past. And the other major female characters are an Evil Matriarch and Connie the shrew, so...
The Ref / int_565106b3	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Ref / int_565106b3	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_583ec33e	type	Snark-to-Snark Combat
The Ref / int_583ec33e	comment	Snark-to-Snark Combat: If the Chasseur family's bickering were any more caustic, it could dissolve silverware. This movie has some of the most magnificently vicious snarking ever committed to film.
The Ref / int_583ec33e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_583ec33e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_583ec33e
The Ref / int_5ad80bf8	type	It's All My Fault
The Ref / int_5ad80bf8	comment	It's All My Fault: Lloyd says this sarcastically during his climactic speech at the Christmas tree, when he calls Caroline out for being just as much to blame for the state of their marriage as he is due to her indecisiveness, her desire to live beyond her means, and forcing him to make all the tough decisions in their lives:
The Ref / int_5ad80bf8	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ref / int_644eca71	type	Rich Bitch
The Ref / int_644eca71	comment	Rich Bitch: Lloyd's mother. And how.
The Ref / int_644eca71	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_644eca71	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_644eca71
The Ref / int_680bb6b1	type	Hot-Blooded
The Ref / int_680bb6b1	comment	Hot-Blooded: When he can keep his head, Gus is a fairly intelligent Deadpan Snarker. Unfortunately for Gus, most of the time his temper is getting the better of him, and he responds by lashing out at anything nearby and only causes more chaos in doing so.
The Ref / int_680bb6b1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_680bb6b1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_680bb6b1
The Ref / int_6a0b03a6	type	One Last Job
The Ref / int_6a0b03a6	comment	One Last Job: The job at the start of the movie is supposed to be Gus' last big job to let him retire. So much for that...
The Ref / int_6a0b03a6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_6a0b03a6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_6a0b03a6
The Ref / int_6b05b601	type	Jerkass Has a Point
The Ref / int_6b05b601	comment	Jerkass Has a Point: Lloyd's mother is irredeemably awful, but she's not wrong about Gus being a "scared little boy" unable to deal with the real world underneath his aggressive exterior. Gus knows it, too; it's why he gets so mad.
The Ref / int_6b05b601	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_6b05b601	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_6b05b601
The Ref / int_75f626a5	type	Nostalgia Filter
The Ref / int_75f626a5	comment	Nostalgia Filter: Caroline definitely has one for her and Lloyd's days as a young couple in New York City. As seen in the quote under It's All My Fault, Lloyd finally calls her on it.
The Ref / int_75f626a5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_75f626a5	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_76c42cce	type	Pronouncing My Name for You
The Ref / int_76c42cce	comment	Pronouncing My Name for You: The Chasseur family's last name is often pronounced by others as "CHESS-er".
The Ref / int_76c42cce	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_76c42cce	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_76c42cce
The Ref / int_7d34f23a	type	Reckless Gun Usage
The Ref / int_7d34f23a	comment	Reckless Gun Usage: In the scene where Gus holds a gun to Rose's head and threatens to fire ("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.
The Ref / int_7d34f23a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_7d34f23a	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_7d89315b	type	"The Reason You Suck" Speech
The Ref / int_7d89315b	comment	"The Reason You Suck" Speech: 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.
The Ref / int_7d89315b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_7d89315b	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_81ae2774	type	Evil Matriarch
The Ref / int_81ae2774	comment	Evil Matriarch: Lloyd's mother is the head of the Chasseur family, and seems to almost take pleasure in being awful to the rest of her family.
The Ref / int_81ae2774	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_81ae2774	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_81ae2774
The Ref / int_820ac3c5	type	Dysfunction Junction
The Ref / int_820ac3c5	comment	Dysfunction Junction: ... oooooh boy. There is a lot of this going on with the Chasseur family.
The Ref / int_820ac3c5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_820ac3c5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_820ac3c5
The Ref / int_82518cf7	type	Motor Mouth
The Ref / int_82518cf7	comment	Motor Mouth: Gus as is standard for anyone played by Denis Leary.
The Ref / int_82518cf7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_82518cf7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_82518cf7
The Ref / int_898ff050	type	Villain Protagonist
The Ref / int_898ff050	comment	Villain Protagonist: 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.
The Ref / int_898ff050	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_898ff050	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_898ff050
The Ref / int_8ed5c6e4	type	Asshole Victim
The Ref / int_8ed5c6e4	comment	Asshole Victim: Lloyd and Caroline at first, and Lloyd's mother at the end.
The Ref / int_8ed5c6e4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_8ed5c6e4	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_90fbce80	type	Everyone Hates Fruit Cakes
The Ref / int_90fbce80	comment	Everyone Hates Fruit Cakes: The town Santa goes door to door giving away home-made fruitcakes. The Chasseurs throw it away the moment he leaves.
The Ref / int_90fbce80	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_90fbce80	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_90fbce80
The Ref / int_91672d3e	type	Children Are Innocent
The Ref / int_91672d3e	comment	Children Are Innocent: Subverted, as Gary and Connie's two kids are hugely entertained by the spectacle of their adult family members descending into profanity-laced tirades against each other, and even gleefully help Gus gag their (admittedly evil) grandmother.
The Ref / int_91672d3e	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Ref / int_91672d3e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_91672d3e
The Ref / int_94a6783b	type	Ignored Enemy
The Ref / int_94a6783b	comment	Ignored Enemy: Gus often winds up being the ignored one so other people can argue and fight, usually over rather petty issues. This generally only ends when he pulls out his gun.
The Ref / int_94a6783b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_94a6783b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_94a6783b
The Ref / int_97ee273	type	Momma's Boy
The Ref / int_97ee273	comment	Momma's Boy: Lloyd, big time. It's implied that he has spent his whole life being abused and broken down by his mother, but he continues to be a dutiful son and try to stay in her good graces/win her affection... until the end of the film when he finally snaps at her.
The Ref / int_97ee273	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_97ee273	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_984763bb	type	555
The Ref / int_984763bb	comment	555: The number to Lloyd's house, as reported by Gus. Also, Winslow Harbors.
The Ref / int_984763bb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_984763bb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_984763bb
The Ref / int_99f7cf50	type	High-School Hustler
The Ref / int_99f7cf50	comment	High-School Hustler: 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 photographing the commandant of his school in the midst of an affair and blackmailing the guy.
The Ref / int_99f7cf50	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_99f7cf50	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_99f7cf50
The Ref / int_9e0c3153	type	Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
The Ref / int_9e0c3153	comment	Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: When Gus forces Caroline and Lloyd to admit that they lie to each other.
The Ref / int_9e0c3153	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_9e0c3153	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_9e0c3153
The Ref / int_a11f8240	type	Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop
The Ref / int_a11f8240	comment	Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop: The entire local police force is like this, except Da Chief. The most notable example of their stupidity comes when they accidentally record over the footage from the house security camera with a part of It's a Wonderful Life.
The Ref / int_a11f8240	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_a11f8240	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_ae3d6438	type	Deadpan Snarker
The Ref / int_ae3d6438	comment	Deadpan Snarker: Lloyd and Gus. Just look at who they're played by.
The Ref / int_ae3d6438	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_ae3d6438	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_ae3d6438
The Ref / int_b4a6ae4c	type	Everyone Has Standards
The Ref / int_b4a6ae4c	comment	Everyone Has Standards: Pretty much every character in relation to Madame Chasseur, no matter how unlikeable or criminal themselves. Even the shrewish Connie rescues herself from the scrappy heap when she finally snaps and turns on her mother-in-law. "Slipper socks! Medium!". Gus also makes clear he hates parents who treat their children badly, whether 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.
The Ref / int_b4a6ae4c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_b4a6ae4c	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_b53077b3	type	Take That!
The Ref / int_b53077b3	comment	Take That!: There's a character named Siskel, and he's played by J. K. Simmons. The resemblance to film critic Gene Siskel is not a coincidence. (Gene Siskel gave The Fisher King, another movie by the same screenwriter, a negative review.)
The Ref / int_b53077b3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_b53077b3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_b53077b3
The Ref / int_b58c51d8	type	My Beloved Smother
The Ref / int_b58c51d8	comment	My Beloved Smother: Lloyd and his brother are living, breathing examples of this trope... at first.
The Ref / int_b58c51d8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_b58c51d8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_b58c51d8
The Ref / int_bc00493f	type	Precision F-Strike
The Ref / int_bc00493f	comment	Precision F-Strike: Mostly carpet bombing, but there is one nicely-timed unison strike by the Chasseurs against their marriage counselor.
The Ref / int_bc00493f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_bc00493f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_bc00493f
The Ref / int_c02f148d	type	Both Sides Have a Point
The Ref / int_c02f148d	comment	Both Sides Have a Point: Lloyd and Caroline are demonstrated to each play a part in their unhappy marriage: Caroline points out that Lloyd is a spineless mama's boy who gives up too easily in the face of adversity and is too scared to actually make any meaningful changes that would make him happier, but Lloyd fires back that Caroline is stubborn, flighty, and over-romanticizes the past to keep from accepting any responsibility for how their lives turned out. Gus and Lloyd get into a debate over how each led their lives: Gus is disgusted that Lloyd is unhappy despite living an idyllic life of wealth, but Lloyd in his own turn expresses disgust at Gus leading a carefree (to his view) criminal lifestyle and points out his own life has its own trials.
The Ref / int_c02f148d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_c02f148d	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Ref / int_d171a8c1	type	Evil Debt Collector
The Ref / int_d171a8c1	comment	Evil Debt Collector: Caroline regards Lloyd's mother as this due to the fact that they're living in her house and paying her rent. When Lloyd gives her the next payment, she even remarks "we'll have to see what happens with interest rates in the new year." Even Gus calls her out on this, saying that he knows Loan Sharks more forgiving and generous than her. It's worth noting that she is apparently charging Lloyd 18% interest on the loan she made him.
The Ref / int_d171a8c1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_d171a8c1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_d171a8c1
The Ref / int_d1cedb73	type	Slap-Slap-Kiss
The Ref / int_d1cedb73	comment	Slap-Slap-Kiss: The parents. Although it's more like slap slap slap slap slap slap slap slap slap almost-kiss, with the slaps being verbal rather than physical...
The Ref / int_d1cedb73	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_d1cedb73	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_d1cedb73
The Ref / int_e13156e1	type	Mama Bear
The Ref / int_e13156e1	comment	Mama Bear: Connie. Her first hint of open defiance towards "Mother Rose" (whom she's been sucking up to the entire movie) occurs in response to a jab at her son's weight. Not that it stops her kids from gagging her with duct tape later.
The Ref / int_e13156e1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_e13156e1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_e13156e1
The Ref / int_e135b3de	type	Pass the Popcorn
The Ref / int_e135b3de	comment	Pass the Popcorn: John and Mary are clearly anticipating their aunt and uncle fighting again during Christmas dinner, and they aren't disappointed.
The Ref / int_e135b3de	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_e135b3de	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_e135b3de
The Ref / int_e6c88e42	type	Old Shame
The Ref / int_e6c88e42	comment	Old Shame: In-universe, Lloyd's ill-fated restaurant is this to him.
The Ref / int_e6c88e42	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_e6c88e42	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_e6c88e42
The Ref / int_eb28ab57	type	Bound and Gagged
The Ref / int_eb28ab57	comment	Bound and Gagged: Aside from Gus and Lloyd's niece and nephew, just about every single character spends part of the movie in this state.
The Ref / int_eb28ab57	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_eb28ab57	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_eb28ab57
The Ref / int_eb8ec7c8	type	Jerkass
The Ref / int_eb8ec7c8	comment	Jerkass: Lloyd's mother. While everyone else is varying degrees of flawed, she's the one one who's a complete, unapologetic bitch. Jerkass Has a Point: Lloyd's mother is irredeemably awful, but she's not wrong about Gus being a "scared little boy" unable to deal with the real world underneath his aggressive exterior. Gus knows it, too; it's why he gets so mad.
The Ref / int_eb8ec7c8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ref / int_eb8ec7c8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ref	hasFeature	The Ref / int_eb8ec7c8
The Ref / int_f3909f81	type	True Meaning of Christmas
The Ref / int_f3909f81	comment	True Meaning of Christmas: Lampshaded and Defied in an exchange between Connie and her daughter, Mary, about the "criminal on the loose":
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The Ref / int_f4faa8f8	type	Pity the Kidnapper
The Ref / int_f4faa8f8	comment	Pity the Kidnapper: The entire plot of the movie. Gus ends up taking a couple hostage, only for said couple (and the rest of their family) to start wearing down on his sanity.
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The Ref / int_f9f2c33	type	Running Gag
The Ref / int_f9f2c33	comment	Running Gag: Everyone comments about the cat urine smell stuck to Gus.
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The Ref / int_fb3576b2	type	The Dog Bites Back
The Ref / int_fb3576b2	comment	The Dog Bites Back: Lloyd and Caroline are anything but meek hostages towards Gus. This can also apply to when Lloyd's family turns on his mother at the end, Lloyd's sister-in-law even going so far as to give Gus permission to shoot her. Also the town Santa, who turns out to be a mean drunk. Being fired wouldn't be so bad, if most of us had a comeback available like the one Lt. Huff does.
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The Ref / int_fb7bc4a8	type	Never Trust a Title
The Ref / int_fb7bc4a8	comment	Never Trust a Title: The title implies something sports-related, and the holiday setting suggests something happy, but the movie is about as black a comedy as one will find from mainstream Hollywood. The eponymous character is a cat burglar who kidnaps a dysfunctional married couple in an attempt to evade a manhunt and winds up having to "referee" their bickering while he plots his escape. In retrospect, the title fits, but a first-time viewer would have no idea what to expect. Averted in some countries, where the film went by the more straightforward title "Hostile Hostages" instead.
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The Ref / int_fe0330fb	type	Brick Joke
The Ref / int_fe0330fb	comment	Brick Joke: The baby Jesus from the nativity scene. The very first words of the movie are the children looking at the display, and noting that someone stole the baby Jesus. Later on George mentions to Carolyn to ask Jesse if he knows what happened to it (followed by her complaining to Gus that people blame Jesse for everything), and finally Gus finds it in a trunk in Jesse's room.
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Ref	hasFeature	Angry Guard Dog / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Cigarette of Anxiety / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Defensive Failure / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Definite Article Title / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Evil Matriarch / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Films of 1990â€“1994 / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	555 / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Fleeting Passionate Hobbies / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Ignored Enemy / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Military School / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Never Trust a Title / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Nostalgia Filter / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	One Last Job / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Out of Holiday Episode / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Pity the Kidnapper / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Pronouncing My Name for You / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Self-Serving Memory / int_9aabb65c
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The Ref	hasFeature	The Defroster / int_9aabb65c
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The Ref	hasFeature	Token Good Cop / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Urine Trouble / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	World of Ham / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	You Need to Get Laid / int_9aabb65c
The Ref	hasFeature	Everyone Hates Fruit Cakes / int_9aabb65c

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