Bad Santa

He doesn't care if you're naughty or nice.

MPAA Rating: R

IMDB Rating: 7.2 / 10

Release Date: 11/26/2003

Length: 98 min

Tags: comedy, crime

Director: Terry Zwigoff

Writers:

Glenn Ficarra

John Requa

Cast:

Willie

(Billy Bob Thornton)

Marcus

(Tony Cox)

The Kid

(Brett Kelly)

Sue

(Lauren Graham)

Lois

(Lauren Tom)

Gin

(Bernie Mac)

Bob Chipeska

(John Ritter)

Hindustani Troublemaker

(Ajay Naidu)

Milwaukee Mother

(Lorna Scott)

Milwaukee Boy

(Harrison Bieker)

Milwaukee Mom with Photo

(Alex Borstein)

Girl on Santa's Lap

(Alexandra Korhan)

Milwaukee Bratty Boy

(Dylan Charles)

Milwaukee Security Guard

(Billy Gardell)

Milwaukee Bartender

(Lisa Ross)

Editor Review

It's rare that you find a complete opposite to the norm of a genre, but we've found it in 2003's screwball black comedy Bad Santa. There's no realisation of worth or appreciation for the holiday season, just an off-the-wall festive film about a con man robbing department stores dressed as Santa Claus.

For a hint on what to expect, take a look at these facts ; the unrated version holds the record for the most profanities in a Christmas film, with 170 uses of the F word, 74 uses of the S word, and many more variations on profanity. The rated version contains approximately 300 profanities. So perhaps it's more of an adult movie than most Christmas films.

Billy Bob Thornton plays this con man, Willie, who along with his dwarfed friend Marcus, who plays Santa's elf, have a Christmas routine. Every Christmas Eve the pair meet, in costume, disable a Mall alarm and help themselves to the loot. Marcus returns to his wife while Willie spends his cash on a condo, alcohol and other shallow pursuits in Miami.
However, this Christmas, not everything goes to plan. There are alcoholic rants, stolen BMWs, a pudgy kid boxing with a dwarf and a whole host of wildly inappropriate scenes that will tickle you this Christmas. If you've got the stomach for it, that is.

The role of the Coen Brothers in the film makes a whole lot of sense once you get a taste for the dark humour. The brothers have been known for never pulling any punches and for their drole wit through the years and here is no different.
The film was dedicated to John Ritter, who performed his last live-action role in the film.

A sequel to the film has been confirmed and is in the pipeline, although when to expect it is still in question. But expect it to be just as raucous and criminal as the first.


Fun Fact:

Several actors were interested in playing the part of Willie, including Jack Nicholson and Bill Murray, who couldn't take the role due to scheduling conflicts with As Good As It Gets and Lost In Translation respectively. Coincidentally, Nicholson, Murray and Thornton all received Golden Glob nominations for their roles, with the award being won by Murray.