BAD SANTA Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Terry Zwigoff Producers: Sarah Aubrey, John Cameron, Bob Weinstein Writers: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Arnie Marx, Terry Zwigoff Director of Photography: Jamie Anderson Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Bernie Mac, John Ritter, Lauren Graham Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew.

Click on the photo to buy merchandise from Bad Santa.

Comment on the message boards.

Review by: Dan Tester
11/30/03

Bad Santa is a Christmas movie that follows in the grand Hollywood tradition of…absolutely, positively nothing. I can't recall a major studio release that was anything like Bad Santa, Christmas themed or not. It is like a bizarre underground independent film that somehow trickles to the mainstream. There are moments that are truly, magnificently hilarious, and other moments that are literally cringe inducing, particularly coming from a subsidiary of Mickey Mouse. Bad Santa is a true original, and for that I am thankful, but unfortunately it is also a one-joke premise that sort of wears out its welcome long before Christmas Eve finally arrives.

Billy Bob Thornton plays Willie, an angry, alcoholic, foul-mouthed deviant who poses as a department store Santa Claus every Christmas time to establish himself as a presence, kind of blend in among the whirlwind of kids, and ultimately break into the safe and steal the money on Christmas Eve. His partner is a dwarf named Marcus, who spends more time wrangling the out-of-control Willie than actually serving his dutiful rouse as Santa's Little Helper. Their relationship is funny at first, and elicits many early laughs. (The shot of "Santa" and "his elf" approaching their "mark" in a wide shot as steam rises off the pavement was inspired.) But as with the rest of the film, the repeated jokes begin to wear thin. There is only so much humor that can be drained from watching an enraged midget slapping a drunken, passed out Santa and kicking him up to the stage to chat with the kiddies. It is funny the first three times or so.

Bad Santa is as offensive and hardcore as advance word has suggested, probably even more so -- Walt Disney must be turning over in his refrigerator. There is one scene in particular that takes place in a changing room in the "Big and Tall" women's department, as Santa is heard having rough sex with a presumably chubby lady, and it is clear from the arrangement of feet under the door that Santa is in a sexual position that is not, shall we say, standard. That is funny enough, particularly as John Ritter's nervous mall manager leans in and listens in horror. But this is a movie about excess, and to top the moment off, "Santa" delivers a line of dialogue that is so hilariously gross, so magnificently offensive, I must report there were screams of shock amid the roar of laughter that followed. But at some point in Bad Santa I came to the realization that I was numbed to the shock. Maybe that was the point. But either way, once the shock value was wearing off, there wasn't a whole heck of a lot else to interest me. It is kind of standard stuff at its formulaic core.

A main problem I had with the film, at least in terms of truly enjoying its dark excesses, comes in the chubby shape of a troubled young boy named Therman Merman, played wonderfully by newcomer Brett Kelly. "The Kid," as he is referred, is a really tragic little guy -- mother has passed away, father in prison, and legal guardian grandma (Cloris Leachman) is literally catatonic when not shuffling around offering guests sandwiches. He personifies that kid we all remember from grade school -- overweight, unpopular, lonely and mercilessly teased. The film seems to revel in degrading the kid, but Kelly brings such a soulful innocence to this character that I found myself unable to laugh at his misfortunes. I know I was supposed to laugh, and the audience around me didn't seem to have a problem with it, but I just didn't think it was funny. And I was supposed to. It was just mean- spirited for mean-spiritedness sake, which is an ironic critique of an aspect of a movie like Bad Santa, I admit. Kelly's performance is just too good I think, too sweet. Sure, he is the catalyst for the "happy ending" (a bit of a dysfunctional one at that), but it was just a little too much for me. I think the character needed to be a little more annoying or unlikable or precocious to make it work perfectly in the context of the film. As is, it just made me distracted and sad.

On the other end of the repugnant rainbow, Billy Bob Thornton is nothing short of genius as Willie. I can't imagine anyone else pulling this performance off with such unadulterated precision. I remember about a year ago, Bad Santa was announced as a Bill Murray vehicle, and I got really excited. Then Murray dropped out, Thornton was announced, and I was no longer excited. Boy, was I wrong. With Murray it clearly would have been a different movie, I would imagine quite a bit tamer, but Thornton is fearless here; a crazed maniac who lets it all hang out, and it works masterfully. A movie like this could not work with conceits -- no "winks" to the camera to let the audience know it's a joke. Thornton admirably never winks at the camera -- he spits at it. And it is truly a thing to behold. If Oscars were really handed out to performances that rose to the occasion within their own 2-hour world, Thornton would be one of the five nominees next year.

The late John Ritter is peppered throughout the movie as the aforementioned hyper-tense, effeminate mall manager, and I wish there had been more of him. He is really, really funny in his brief appearances, particularly his uncomfortable discussions with mall security chief Bernie Mac and "Santa's conduct." The hilarious Mac doesn't really have much to do here, and just as his character seems to be finally coming up to speed, he is gone. Lauren Graham inexplicably shows up as a bartender with a kinky fascination with the man from the North Pole, and I would love to see the faces of her innocent "Gilmore Girls" fans who wander into Bad Santa to check out their favorite TV Mom.

The film is directed by Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World) and in a way, Bad Santa ultimately feels like a hilarious 10-minute comedy sketch stretched into 90 minutes. There are hearty laughs to be sure, more than a few moments that make you turn your head, but ultimately it begins to run on fumes. (Late in the film, as Willie and Marcus attempt to train "the kid" to be a fighter, and it devolves into a 2 minute "kicking each other in the nuts" montage, I just couldn't muster any more laughs.) I was numb.

If you go to see Bad Santa, you presumably know what you are getting into. Ultimately, my major disappointment is that Thornton and company are balls to the wall here, taking no prisoners, and greatness was within reach. But somehow it curiously misses the mark.

But as always, it is only one man's opinion.

(A Dimension Films release. Opened in wide release on November 26, 2003.)