2003 Directed by Terry Zwigoff
A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.
Bad Santa is probably the funniest Christmas movie I've seen. It completely subverts the traditional holiday themes in favor of total irreverent anarchy perfectly coupled with an elegant classical soundtrack. Billy Bob's character arc is pleasantly palpable for a comedy of this caliber as well, especially for having such a condensed runtime. I've never felt so invested in such a short fused comedy. Hopefully, I'll be making this one a new annual Christmas tradition.
Bad Santa may be vile, crass, and misanthropic, but thanks to Glenn Ficarra & John Requa's sharp script, Terry Zwigoff's noirish direction, and fantastic performances from a superb cast, it has a genuine wit and real edge to it as well as a surprising amount of heart that's twisted yet very much organic, and for that, it's one of my favorite Christmas films of all time.
i didn't actually watch this i just want to say that i'm in my Comedy in Media class and the professor just pulled out the script, claimed it was written by the coen brothers (??! no??), and is now reading it out loud to the class ,, please ,,., save me , i beg
Review In A Nutshell:
It was Ghost World that introduced me to the works of Terry Zwigoff, and sadly that experience was not a particularly joyous one, as I found it to be difficult to identify deeply with its themes and did find the appeal in the way they were executed through the story. Bad Santa feels like the film Zwigoff wanted to create in order to catch those that were not satisfied with his previous film, and wouldn't you know it, I was satisfied with what he has brought here.
Bad Santa is not your traditional Christmas story, instead of focusing on the values and ideas behind the holiday, the film places its focus on its protagonist, and highlights…
A dark comedy that is neither dark enough nor funny enough to make things really work, Terry Zwigoff's "Bad Santa" is a stocking full of cinematic coal. Following a mall Santa who drinks, steals, and womanizes, the film offers a healthy dose of holiday cynicism but is not satisfyingly committed to its own bleak wrinkles. It is all very colorful, but it is never very engaging.
Starring Billy Bob Thornton as the bad Santa, Zwigoff's cast is the film's strongest element. Thornton drinks and curses his way through the film and provides the occasional belly laugh. The late John Ritter and the late Bernie Mac offer crackling foils to the yuletide scoundrel, and Lauren Graham, Tony Cox, and Brett Kelly…
Film #98 of The December Project
I don't know why this film knocks me on my ass from laughing so hard every time I watch it, but there you have it. Bad Santa is unapologetically crass and somehow manages to keep your attention with a bewilderingly bizarre and underdeveloped plot. Billy Bob Thornton was born to play this character, so that helps. I feel a little ashamed of myself for watching this in place of some other Christmas classics, but sometimes I just want to turn my brain off and enjoy some stupid comedy.
A black comedy rotten to the core. It has many funny moments and a good performance from Billy Bob Thornton as an alcoholic santa.
A strange departure from the artful storytelling of Terry Zwigoff’s other works, Bad Santa still contains some interesting visual ideas that allows the audience to think of it more critically than its contemporaries, both in the Christmas Movie and Vulgar Comedy genres. This certainly works to its advantage; despite its efforts I can’t say it began being funny until about halfway through. After that, however, there was an immense amount of fun to be had. Billy Bob Thornton and Bernie Mac gave energetic and very entertaining turns, and the former’s character arc was extremely satisfying, especially due to the restraint that the filmmakers showed showed in the feel-good department. Definitely rewatching this come Christmas season.
Fuck this unlikeable ass movie. How do you fuck up a heist movie set during the holidays about a mall Santa? Yuck I hated watching this.
But a guy getting drunk in a bar covered in Christmas decorations is a very pleasing aesthetic
First saw this a couple days ago after hearing about it for year. I actually found it really good for an adult comedy. The adult humor and action was amazing. Billy Bob Thorton was born to play a Bad Santa.
Bleak. I recognize here what should play as comedy, but it wouldn't be difficult to sit through the whole movie with a straight face and a minor headache. Save for its photographic competency, there's little that is redeeming about this.
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