Bad Santa (2003)Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Bernie Mac
Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
And now on to something that couldn't be further from a wholesome Christmas movie for the family to enjoy. I remember being really young and my dad really wanted to see Bad Santa when it came out in 2003. Don't worry, this story doesn't end with a traumatized 10-year-old me going to see that movie. In all honesty, I can't remember why we didn't see that movie. Maybe my father had a moment of conscience in the name of the holiday season, I don't know. Point is, I have a nostalgia with ALMOST seeing this movie. Then, this Christmastime, I finally decided to sit down and watch it. Bad Santa is not going to be a film for everybody, with it being a very raunchy, adult comedy. But even fans of raunchy adult comedy may not be the target audience for this film. With a great comedic ensemble and a festive atmosphere, the film plays out like a modern version of The Grinch. It's a film that tells the story of the ultimate curmudgeon around the holidays finding something worth caring about and ultimately embracing a bit of humanity he didn't know existed. This is of course masked with an epic amount of crass humor and cuss words, so let's see what stands out about Bad Santa and whether or not it's worth talking about all these years later.
Billy Bob Thornton is the star of the film, playing a drunken mall Santa named Willie Stokes. His performance is what really makes the film work. The interactions with the other characters and a lot of the humor is fed through how despicable and how pathetic Willie comes off. Yet, there's a likability factor that comes through in Thornton's performance as well. If you're a solid human being with a good string of conscience or morals, you normally wouldn't like a character like this at all. But Thornton does such a great job at selling how miserable, perverted, and mean-spirited Willie is, that we can't help but find him lovable to watch.The supporting cast here is pretty good, but again, a lot of that comes down to how they interact with Willie. His partner in crime, played by Tony Cox, gets a lot of good one-liners against Willie, but a lot of that humor boils down to him being a little person. Willie has a one-dimensional relationship with a bartender, played by Lauren Graham, who has a fetish for guys dressed as Santa. That's a one-note joke that doesn't really go anywhere. There's also great characters played by comedic legends like Bernie Mac and John Ritter (the movie is dedicated in Ritter's memory, as he passed away shortly before the film was released), who have pretty good comedic moments on their own and with each other, being two of the only characters to get some comedic material outside of having to work with Thornton. But the best relationship Willie has is with the kid, played by Brett Kelly. This is really where the film gets its biggest comedic payoff, as well as a lot of its heart and soul. It's really hilarious to see how much he gets under Willie's skin, but we grow to love the bond they share as the film goes on.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
What will make or break your opinion on Bad Santa is how you feel about Billy Bob Thornton. He is the obvious star of this film, and this is one of the performances he'll be remembered most for. If you like his vulgar humor, then I'd suggest checking it out for that, as the other stuff in the film isn't all that memorable without Thornton. Just don't watch it with the kids around.
Bad Santa and movie images are copyrighted by Dimension Films
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