Favorite Fictional Character --- Gus (From The Ref)

I have a whole ritual around wrapping Christmas presents.  I make sure that I'm the only one in the house or at the minimum the only one awake.  I gather up all the supplies and get them organized (sort of).  I collect all the food and drink I will need and then I pop in the first movie that I will watch while I'm wrapping.  "The Ref" with Dennis Leary is that first movie and I never stop laughing.

One of the many things about this movie that keeps me laughing for hours is the character of Gus, which is played by Dennis Leary.  Gus is cat burglar who through some unfortunate luck during his last job (cat piss in the face, falling through a trap door, and getting bit by a Rottweiler), ends up taking the wrong couple hostage on Christmas Eve.

The couple he takes hostage are bickering, fighting, and constantly putting each other down.  They are going to a marriage counselor but it's obviously not working.  They have a juvenile delinquent for a kid, one that is too smart and way too bored for his own good.  When the rest of the family shows up, the story gets really good.

When Gus first takes them hostage, they get on his nerves and he's constantly yelling and threatening them with bodily violence.  Of course both the hostages and the viewers know that Gus really isn't the kind of guy to fulfill those threats but he doesn't seem to like them all that much.  As the movies progresses Gus turns into the family counselor.  He helps them work out there issues and by the end of the movie the family is helping him escape. 

For me Gus is that antihero.  He's the guy you don't want to like because he's a criminal and doesn't think of anyone but himself.  But as you get to know him, you discover a depth of personality you werent' expecting.  He can in fact be quite gentle and caring and even unselfish at times.  With that being said though, he is still crass, obnoxious, and way too fond of yelling at people.  He's just a fun character to watch develop throughout the movie and I'm grateful to the actor for playing him as well as he did.

I found the entire movie on YouTube but it's broken up into way too many parts for me to embed.  I'm going to embed the first two videos though because it will give you a good sense of who the characters are.  I'm warning you though that it will be addictive.