Review of Bad Santa 2 (2016) by Kaptenvideo — 25 Dec 2016

The year 2003 gave me two of my favorite christmas comedies of all time, "Bad Santa" and "Elf". Still love them dearly but this year it's time to experience "Bad Santa 2" where the binge-drinking self-hating good-for-nothing lowlife played by Billy Bob Thornton is ready to don Santa's costume again because there still money to be stolen and the world to be hated upon. Also back: his only friend, the fat kid (Brett Kelly, adult now) and midget sidekick (Tony Cox, probably the only person you will have some sympathy for in this feel bad comedy). The new face is Kathy Bates as his mother who looks pretty cool with cheap tattoos and all the trailerpark charm you can eat with your eyes. But her role is pretty boring and one-note relying heavily on swearing all the time, which also sums up the whole movie pretty accurately.

The problem with "Bad Santa 2" is that it lacks all the atmosphere, heart, flow and sense of style the first part has. I mean, the first one isn't perfect but is so much more there, more alive.

The sequel is still watchable thanks to all the talented actors ready to play it nasty (including "Mad Men's" Christina Hendricks). And it has a clear structure and story whereas recent unnecessary hit comedy tend to just lurch around aimlessly in search of some inspiration or reason to exist. Take "Zoolander 2", "Anchorman 2", or "Horrible Bosses 2" for example.

But "Bad Santa 2" will grow old quickly. It just tries too damn hard to make up for all its weaknesses by aiming for the throne of the lewdest, foulest, nastiest comedy of its class. Luckily, it's achieved mostly by talking and not showing ugly genitals and body partys. Although I gotta admit, the last sketch in hospital – the scrotum pics – gave me some of my best heart-felt laughs from the whole movie.

But the language of the characters... yuck. I have got nothing against swearing or sex-related jokes all in the name of comedy, but there's clearly a limit of how much one can take. It just grows old and at some point, the viewer will just endure. Which also makes enjoying the whole experience more difficult. For me, this point came somewhere between the first 20-30 minutes. The characters are just so foul-mouthed! It’s just non-stop filth, if one can quote the main character from the comedy series "Hello Ladies", complaining about his wheelchaired buddy.

All in all, "Bad Santa 2" is purely fan service, aiming to repeat what made its predecessor great but failing along the way. It's not a lost cause completely but honestly, you are better off by just watching the first movie again.

For the plus side, the actors are taking it seriously, not just calling it in, as they say. Brett Kelly even gained weight to reprise the role as a fat kid. I don't quite understand the level of his commitment, it could have been done by make-up and effects, but OK.