Denis Leary's line "Lady, your husband ain't dead. He's hiding!" is a direct quote of a line from the classic Abbott and Costello routine "Susquehanna Hat Company" that was immortalized in the film In Society (1944).
Appeared on Entertainment Weekly's list of The 50 Best Movies You've Never Seen in the Jul 16, 2012 issue.
Early in the film, Lloyd (Kevin Spacey) asks Gus (Denis Leary) what his name is, and Gus answers: "Fuck you, that's my name!" This line was more famously spoken in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), in which Kevin Spacey also starred.
Despite taking place during Christmas, The Ref (1994) was first released into theaters in March of 1994.