Movies Like The Ref

Ranked by shared directors, cast, themes, genre, and era — not just generic recommendations.

Who's the Man?

1993·1h 25m·★ 5.4·Ted Demme

2 shared crewBoth star Denis Leary & Richard BrightDir. Ted Demme

Monument Ave.

1998·1h 33m·★ 6.6·Ted Demme

2 shared crewDir. Ted DemmeDP: Adam Kimmel

Beautiful Girls

1996·1h 52m·★ 7.1·Ted Demme

2 shared crewDir. Ted DemmeDP: Adam Kimmel

Bad Santa

2003·1h 32m·★ 7.0·Terry Zwigoff

Themes: christmas party, holiday, christmasFans also likedDrama & Comedy & Crime

Friday After Next

2002·1h 25m·★ 5.8·Marcus Raboy

Themes: thief, robbery, christmasFans also likedComedy & Drama

Violent Night

2022·1h 51m·★ 6.7·Tommy Wirkola

Themes: santa claus, holiday, christmasFans also liked

Bottle Rocket

1996·1h 31m·★ 6.9·Wes Anderson

Themes: burglar, robberyFans also likedComedy & Crime & Drama

A Clockwork Orange

1971·2h 17m·★ 8.2·Stanley Kubrick

Themes: robbery, parent child relationship, dark comedyTMDB recommends

Suicide Kings

1997·1h 46m·★ 6.9·Peter O'Fallon

Themes: alcoholic, hostageComedy & Crime & DramaStarring Denis Leary

The Simpsons Movie

2007·1h 27m·★ 7.3·David Silverman

Themes: dysfunctional family, parent child relationshipTMDB recommends

Millions

2005·1h 38m·★ 6.8·Danny Boyle

Themes: robbery, christmasFans also likedComedy & Crime & Drama

Home for the Holidays

1995·1h 43m·★ 6.6·Jodie Foster

Themes: holiday, christmasFans also likedComedy & Drama

Jingle Bell Heist

2025·1h 36m·★ 5.8·Michael Fimognari

Themes: holiday, christmasFans also likedCrime & Comedy

Love the Coopers

2015·1h 47m·★ 5.8·Jessie Nelson

Themes: holiday, christmasFans also likedComedy & Drama

Black Christmas

1974·1h 38m·★ 7.1·Bob Clark

Themes: alcoholic, christmasFans also liked

The Nightmare Before Christmas

1993·1h 16m·★ 7.9·Henry Selick

Themes: santa claus, holiday, christmas

Heat

1995·2h 50m·★ 8.3·Michael Mann

Themes: thief, robberyCrime & Drama

The Dark Knight Rises

2012·2h 45m·★ 8.4·Christopher Nolan

Themes: burglar, hostageCrime & Drama

Silent Night

2023·1h 44m·★ 5.3·John Woo

Themes: holiday, christmasFans also liked

Oh. What. Fun.

2025·1h 48m·★ 5.3·Michael Showalter

Themes: holiday, christmasStarring Denis Leary

How Good Is The Ref?

Ratings across IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and TMDB, plus our verdict.