Am not a fan of Billy Bob Thorton's acting. He has a one-dimensional faux cranky persona that is supposed to be dripping with sarcasm and hilarious and it just comes off as pretentious more often than not to me. At the same time I'm conflicted because I've seen him in some films that had compelling stories to tell.

To child sitting on Bad Santa's lap: "You want to see some magic? Here, let's see you disappear."

This is one of those rare films where I liked the story and character more than the lead actor playing Santa. The supporting acting was good like Bernie Mac and John Ritter, which I wish we got more of them.

Some of the scenes and dialogue were genuinely funny, just delivered in Thorton's abrasive deadpan (yeah, I know, he's Grinch-like, but The Grinch was somehow rotten and a bit likeable) weakened the comedy for me. That said, the story kept me coming back to power through this movie probably four or five times before I got all the way through. Recommended for the story and if you like Billy Bob Thorton's one trick acting, you'll likely rate this higher than me.