Any Christmas movie that includes an obscene, ill-tempered elf is off to a good start. Bad Santa adds in a drunken, reprobate Santa with a foul mouth, a woman with a Santa Claus fetish, a crooked mall detective, a squeamish mall manager, a comatose granny and what is probably the loneliest kid in the world. Add this mix of characters together and you have an obscenely funny Christmas comedy.
Willie Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is a drunk, but he is also a safe cracker. Every holiday season he partners up with Marcus (Tony Cox), a "little person"who dresses as an elf, and they get jobs as a department store Santa Claus. For thirty days they deal with sniveling, screaming kids so that on Christmas Eve they can break into the store's safe and steal enough cash to get them through till next Christmas. Marcus also steals whatever is on his wife's (Lauren Tom) Christmas list.
Going into the film you expect a standard Christmas film. One of these kids will touch Willie's heart and he'll find redemption in the true meaning of Christmas. Forget it. Bad Santa is relentless in it's cruelty, obscenity and mean spirited humor and that's what makes it so funny. A kid (Brett Kelly) does come along but he doesn't influence Willie's life the way you might think. There is also a mall detective played by Bernie Mac who is on to the duo's scam and wants 50% of their take. Bernie should know to never mess with an evil elf. John Ritter is the mall manager who is not quite sure how he ended up with an over-sexed, drunk, obscene Santa Claus and doesn't know what to do about it, and Lauren Graham is along for the ride as a women who might just be the right person for Willie.
Based on a single idea from the Coen Bros. (and with an uncredited writing assist) director Terry Zwigoff has created the most vulgar, profane, irreverent, corrupt Christmas movie ever made. It is also outrageously funny, hilarious and stays completely true to it's dark comic roots without once veering off to sugary sentimentality. Thornton is excellent as the foul mouth Santa with a heart of coal and Tony Cox is even better as the mastermind dwarf behind the criminal enterprise. Bernie Mac and John Ritter are a delight to watch in their scenes together and Lauren Tom as the consumer goods obsessed Louis steals every scene she is in.
Maybe you'll get a lump of coal in your stocking for watching it, but don't miss Bad Santa if you want to see a Grinch who truly steals Christmas.
At the Movie House rating***1/2
* warning this movie is very obscene. There are numerous sexual remarks and the characters curse every other word. Not for the easily offended.
9 comments:
I did not like this movie either. I thought the cursing was over the top. Perhaps if they made the exact same movie without cursing, it would have been much less offensive and more bearable. I did not understand the point of it all except to shock. What's next, a hooker b-tch tooth fairy...Yawn
Those two commentors are downers...I laughed my ass off at this movie...The sickest thing about society is that they actually lie to children about Santa claus. It's good to see him represented as the farce cruel jerk he is. I hate all things Christmas and all things wholesome. Hollywood should produce many more anti-social films and force kids to watch them
my original comment was removed...censorship!!!!!
I wonder who these crack pots are and why they keep reading my blog.
I am literally shocked at this review. This movie was horrendous and an absolute insult to anyone with a sense of deceny. Of all the movies you have ranked, and then to put this one up there at 3.5 stars is absolutely shocking to me and completely ludicrous. This was pure filth and not in the least bit funny, unless you get off on people cursing. Not only that, it was abusive to children...There are scenes throughout the movie where adults are using the foulest language in front of children. It makes no difference that they are actors, they are still children and consequently, they were abused during the making of this movie. I literally was outraged when I saw this movie a few years ago. And don't for one second think the producers weren't gearing this movie for children to watch. An absolutely sick piece of trash. There is not a redeeming quality about this movie and I sincerely feel that the fact Hollywood made such a degenerate piece of filth is really a sign of how totally immoral and bankrupt we have beocme as a society. Billy Jerk Thornton revealed what a true low-life he is by taking this part. The supposed joke of this movie was that Santa cursed and drank, and on and on it went, we get the picture, big deal, hardy har har. Call me a prude or whatever, this was nothing but trash and it served a notice of psychological warfare on society. I don't have a beef with a troubled Santa comedy movie, but to put Santa in this condition and with the accompanying language was the work of some sick anti-social devient who abhors the goodness of Christmas...and by the way, no matter how you slice it, Santa is associated with Christmas, which is among the greatest of Christian Holydays, and though Santa Claus is not related to the faith, this movie was an assault on Christianity by association. To think that the producers made millions on this junk is equally as sick and unsettling!
I am not sure how it was censored but I have restored it.
your comments were very reactionary and very interesting. Obviously from my review I don't agree. I'm aam also a christian and I did not feel assaulted in the slightest.
The movie itself is clearly labled R and not marketed towards kids. Any adult that takes a kid to see this or allows their kids to watch it is a fool or just lazy.
As for the actor being subjected to child abuse, well I think kids here much worse out of their own mouths every day. Also the same argument could be said for Linda Blair in The Exorcist. She was 12 and had to perform the most vile acts on camera.Was that child abuse.
The movie is obnoxious, offensive and crude. It is straight out of the South Park style of comedy and it made me laugh.
The film had a story to tell and it executed it flawlessly. It's not about the content, but how well the content is made that counts.
By the way....your a prude.
Once again Mr. Moviehouse....your reviews may be shaky but responses are always 4 stars!!!!...LOL...Your fans hope you had a great Thanksgiving and we missed you!!
By the way, just because we sometimes disagree with your reviews, doesn;t mean we don;t love your blog...OOOPPPSSS...i shouldn't say "we" since I am not speaking for all thiose other Anonymouses
By the way, the Linda Blair thing was not child abuse as she was really the Devil
I waqs hoping you would do some preview work and possibly pre-movie review of the original True Grit...I am very excited about this upcoming movie
Yes True Grit will be screened At The Movie House prior to December 22nd.
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