12 Days of Christmas; Movie Blog Style.
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Badder Santa (2003)
Another one of my new favorite Christmas movies is Bad Santa. Staring Billy Bob Thornton as Willie, a dirty, mean, safe cracking S.O.B who along with his little friend Marcus (played by Tony Cox) pose as a mall Santa and his elf in order to steal all of the Holiday shopping money. Strictly an adult film, so I wouldn’t gather everyone into the TV room for family movie night. For you adults who enjoy dirty humor, vulgarity (number 37 on the Fuckometer) and of course a little Christmas cheer, then Bad Santa is for you.
Set in Arizona, Willie and Marcus are planning another years Holiday heist. Willie, who is normally drunk, is Santa at a suburban Phoenix shopping mall and Marcus is his elf. Their plan is to stick it out in the mall, dealing with kids, parents, bosses, fat women working in the big and tall section and Willies alcohol problem -well Marcus has to deal with that-. All culminating to roughly $150,000 apiece take home. Not bad for a months work.
This year Willie is worse than most. His bitterness towards the world and hatred for his own life has escalated his drinking to scary levels. Marcus being small in stature truly stands tall in order to keep his partner going and watching them bitch at each other never gets old. You laugh at each tiff from beginning to end.
Along with the regular business partner B.S, the thieves also have to keep their cool around the mall’s general manager Bob Chipeska, who is played by John Ritter. A small side note, if you haven’t seen Bad Santa due to the language factor, you really should watch it on the principle that it was John Ritter’s last film. Although Chipeska is a push over, he just doesn’t feel right about his newly hired Santa and helper, so he consults with the head of mall security Bernie Mac. Mac is not such a push over and when the boys are confronted by Mac they have some serious negotiating to do to keep them off thin ice.
While all this is going on Willie moves into a kids house who is watched over by is deranged grandmother (Cloris Leachman), shacks up with a hot bartender chick who has a thing for Santa (Lauren Graham) and teaches the kid how to defend himself from bullies.
True that the movie is blanketed in raw humor and depressing situations but there is light. Our hero learns a few things throughout the film and later becomes a little better because of it. So there is a Christmas message.
The angry Billy Bob kills me, and his scenes with the kid will have you laughing out loud, even if you’re by yourself. From start to credits Badder Santa is at the top of my list for adult targeted Christmas fun. You’ll shoot eggnog out your nose.
Plus it’s in memory of the late great John Ritter.
this is one of my least favorite movies ever, actually. I loved Zwigoffs documentary “Crumb” as well as “Ghost World”, but this was the drizzling shits. I don’t get offended by swearing, in fact in some cases gratuitous swearing can enhance a movie (see the Big Lebowski), but Bad Santa completely relies on swearing for all its humor. nothing funny happens. just swearing. the christmas message there is tacked on, and cliche. I dont even have a problem with cliches, especially in christmas mvoies, but people act like it justifies everything else, like “See, it does have a story!”… no. no it doesnt.
maybe the second worst holiday movie of all time, right behind ‘eight crazy nights’
Yep that’s Billy Bob, all fat and hairy. This was before he became a manerestic (spelling?). But thats gossip and not a possitive. But hey I watch ET.
Total off-topic, but did you ever notice Billy Bob was in Tombstone? I kep thinking to myself, “whose voice is that” watching the part in the Oriental toward the beginning. Finally occurred to me it was Thornton. Seen it a million times and never realized it until last week.