A fiendish counterpoint to saccharine Hallmark Christmas Specials, the wonderfully obscene "Bad Santa" delivers unto us an intoxicated misanthrope mall Santa - one that ignores kids and pees his red velvet pants. Then ever so shrewdly, the film digs our gutter-minded Claus (partially) out of his hole, placing him on the road to (partial) redemption.
A mall Santa only as a front for a career in larceny, Willie (a disheveled Billy Bob Thornton) is aided by elfin helper Marcus (Tony Cox) and getaway driver Lois (Lauren Tom) as he cases robbery target The Saguaro Square. But it's no sure heist, as committed security guard Gin (a cartoonish Bernie Mac) stands in the way.
Filth-forward gags rain down throughout this darkly comedic treat. But Just as Willie appears well past salvation, director Terry Zwigoff accents his horrifying behavior with brushstrokes of poignancy, building to a third act that showcases the redemptive possibilities in recapturing self-worth. Rough-riding and triumphantly insensitive, "Bad Santa" is now also a holiday classic of its own perverse and perverted design. - WATCHED IT? THEN WATCHLIST: "Stadium Anthems (2018)" "Sausage Party (2016)" "Superbad (2007)"
A mall Santa only as a front for a career in larceny, Willie (a disheveled Billy Bob Thornton) is aided by elfin helper Marcus (Tony Cox) and getaway driver Lois (Lauren Tom) as he cases robbery target The Saguaro Square. But it's no sure heist, as committed security guard Gin (a cartoonish Bernie Mac) stands in the way.
Filth-forward gags rain down throughout this darkly comedic treat. But Just as Willie appears well past salvation, director Terry Zwigoff accents his horrifying behavior with brushstrokes of poignancy, building to a third act that showcases the redemptive possibilities in recapturing self-worth. Rough-riding and triumphantly insensitive, "Bad Santa" is now also a holiday classic of its own perverse and perverted design. - WATCHED IT? THEN WATCHLIST: "Stadium Anthems (2018)" "Sausage Party (2016)" "Superbad (2007)"
