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.
başrolünde billy bob thornton içeren coenlerin yapımcısı olduğu ghost world'ün yönetmeninin yönettiği bir kara komedi için daha az bayağı bi afiş hazırlanamaz mıydı?
Not a whole lot happening below the surface, but it's pretty consistently funny so we'll chalk that up as a win. Really bad ending, though. It all kinda goes to hell once the guns come out.
[Review originally written in 2012]
Billy Bob Thornton is Willie, an alcoholic who works as a mall Santa every year. His partner in crime is a little person named Marcus (Tony Cox) who works an elf and has Willie assist him to help him rob malls every year. They decide that their next job is going to be in a mall in Phoenix, Arizona. While working at the mall, the mall manager Bob Chipeska (John Ritter) becomes very suspicious about Willie’s behavior and asks for help from the mall security guard (Bernie Mac) to get more info on Willie. Willie then meets this weird overweight kid named Therman Merman and stays at his house to hide from the authorities. I’ll…
Seen (partly) on a normal television via normal broadcast sometime in the mid-2000s.
What I expected: Paul Blart, Mall Santa. // What I got: Paul Blart, Depressed Alcoholic Mall Santa
This might simultaneously be my favorite comedy and holiday movie, which is really saying something because those are two genres I hate. Is "holiday" considered a genre? Whatever.
This movie is absolutely hilarious. I don't know of other comedies Billy Bob Thornton's been in but it turns out he's really damn good at it. Maybe it's because he's playing a slimeball but it just works so well.
I don't watch this every year but I really should.
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