Bad Santa (2003)
Genre: Comedy / Crime
Duration: 91 minuten / 98 minuten (unrated versie)
Alternative title: Badder Santa
Country:
United States / Germany
Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Lauren Graham and Bernie Mac
IMDb score:
7,0 (168.118)
Releasedate: 26 November 2003
Bad Santa plot
"He doesn't care if you're naughty or nice."
Willie is a con artist and thief at heart. Every year, he and the lilliputian Marcus form a dubious duo with bad intentions. They make a road trip to various department stores where they make an appearance dressed as Santa Claus and one of his elves. But instead of spreading Christmas cheer, they use their disguise to rob the department stores. This strategy is complicated when an 8-year-old teaches them the real meaning of Christmas.
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Actors and actresses
Willie Soke
Marcus Skidmore
Thurman Merman 'The Kid'
Gin
Bob Chipeska
Sue
Lois
Opal
Grandma (uncredited)
Milwaukee Mother (uncredited)
Reviews & comments
Lord Flashheart
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- 6454 messages
- 2376 votes
Very entertaining.
Bad Santa is a well-known title that I had always ignored until now. It now appears to be wrong. It is arguably the best black comedy Christmas movie ever produced. Most "anti" Christmas movies are in the horror genre, where characters, script and plot usually lead a rather subordinate existence. Zwigoff's choice of the crime genre (with criminals in the lead role), his sharp dialogues, mature humor (little slapstick) and an entertaining story are a rare combination. With success that is.
Billy Bob Thornton excels in his role of drinking, grimacing and fucking Santa Claus. Thornton sometimes acts on the edge, but never goes over it, keeping the character believable until the very end. We still know his dwarf sidekick from Me, Myself and Irene and plays more or less the same role here (one joke even seems so copied). Finally, the fat kid. In the beginning this caused me especially annoyance (I think fat children are disgusting to see anyway), but still manages to arouse more and more sympathy.
The film isn't all humorous either; on the contrary. Bad Santa is also a real Christmas movie in the sense that it does contain a moral. As a viewer, you really feel sorry for Thornton's character, who is haunted by his self-destructive nature. As with the fat kid, who also turns out to be terribly lonely. Bad Santa doesn't like the boy at first, but gradually a kind of father/son relationship develops. It also helps that Bad Santa also gets a nice girlfriend. Friendship as a medicine against nihilism.
Bad Santa is arguably a purer Christmas movie than many of the other movies that pass. 3.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Mescaline
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- 7119 messages
- 3408 votes
Not really a movie that gets better for me with a revision, the character of Billy Bob Thornton comes out well, but the story itself never really captivates.
On the one hand it is quite daring with some scenes, but on the other hand it falls into too many boring clichés. The ending also takes a completely different direction, which doesn't do the whole thing very well either.
Billy Bob Thornton saves the film a bit for me, he reminds me a lot of Hank Moody but the story could have been a little less standard. 
I gave 3.5 stars here 6 years ago, but unfortunately I don't get further than 2.5 *
Translated from Dutch · View original
Duke Nukem
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- 1837 messages
- 2023 votes
Watched this movie again and had a good laugh again with the foul-mouthed Santa and that fat boy who adores him so naively. And sometimes quite catchy moments.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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