A delightfully obscene alternative to the usual Christmas tosh.
Bad Santa (2003)
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Synopsis: This holiday season the traditional Christmas tale will never be the same with the cleverly twisted, merrily irreverent story of a Santa so bad he's wickedly funny. Terry Zwigoff's BAD SANTA stars Billy Bob Thornton as one of the most crooked, corrupted and downright hysterical Kris... This holiday season the traditional Christmas tale will never be the same with the cleverly twisted, merrily irreverent story of a Santa so bad he's wickedly funny. Terry Zwigoff's BAD SANTA stars Billy Bob Thornton as one of the most crooked, corrupted and downright hysterical Kris Kringles ever to grace the screen. Inspired by a mix of movie classics including the outrageous one-liners and outcasts of "The Bad News Bears" and the riotous impertinence of "South Park," with a dash of the holiday spirit of "A Christmas Carol," albeit one that would make Dickens wince, BAD SANTA is a Christmas comedy unlike any other. On the heels of two films that brought him a hip, cult following and critical acclaim – "Crumb" and "Ghost World" – director Terry Zwigoff emerges with his most accessible comedy to date, all the while pulling no punches on a wild ride through Christmas' outlandish, funnier side. Laughing riotously all the way, the film skewers such classic holiday traditions as rampant commercialism, smart-mouthed mall rugrats and Santa's saintly image. Billy Bob Thornton is Willie T. Stokes, a washed-up, wise-cracking Department Store Santa who can't help but be more naughty than nice. Underneath his ill-fitting red suit, Willie is actually a safecracker who makes one big score every year – on Christmas Eve. As shoppers head home from the mall, this Santa and his ingenious Elf – Willie's midget partner-incrime Marcus (TONY COX) – crack the store safe and make off with their own holiday stash. But then comes Phoenix. Here Santa and his Elf find their annual heist endangered by a pesky store manager (JOHN RITTER), a savvy mall detective (BERNIE MAC), a sexy Santa fan (LAUREN GRAHAM) and an innocent but beleaguered 8 year-old misfit (BRETT KELLY) who decides to believe that Willie – as intoxicated, acid-tongued and felonious as he seems to be -- is the real Santa he's been seeking. BAD SANTA stars a comic ensemble that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, John Ritter (reuniting with Billy Bob Thornton for the first time since "Sling Blade"), Lauren Graham, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Cloris Leachman and Lauren Tom. The film is directed by Terry Zwigoff from a script by the team of John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. The executive producers are Joel and Ethan Coen and the producers are Sarah Aubrey, John Cameron and Bob Weinstein. -- © Dimension Films [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, John Ritter, Cloris Leachman
DVD Info
Release:
Aug 11, 2008
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
Reviews
Wonderfully tasteless, gloriously non-PC, admirably bilious; humourless souls should steer clear.
Offbeat, hilarious and gleefully misanthropic, this is the perfect antidote to Hollywood’s annual glut of sugary Christmas movies.
This film is a breath of fresh air at a time when movies try far too hard to keep everyone unruffled.
Zwigoff and company wring some laughs out of it, though the tone is uniformly mean and vulgar.
The movie is less about gaining the Christmas spirit than about defying the corporate ethos that hijacks and then abandons that spirit every year.
A movie that grows on you...Underneath layers of anger, sarcasm, profanity and booze, Bad Santa ultimately reveals a soft heart.
...deserves a place among treasured Christmas pictures - as it certainly provides a welcome respite from the relentless holiday cheer that generally accompanies such films.
Bad Santa forme au final une comédie dépravée et grinçante dont on ne peut que savourer chaque excès avec un plaisir coupable
BAD SANTA is one of those few Hollywood films that live to their names.
For those who loathe the holidays or have a blacker-than-normal sense of humor, this is best gift you could possibly get this holiday season.
Each scene is expertly laid out and when the film wraps at its unlikely conclusion, the audience will be glad it sat down to such a vile but hilarious picture.
The script may not be too smart, but its well paced with the gags flying thick and fast.
While Bad Santa is consistently funny, it sometimes feels more like a long comedy sketch rather than an actual film.
It is smart satire, a rare thing these days, caustic but useful in a way most seasonal timewasters are not.
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