Review of Bad Santa (2003) by Bonney J — 08 Dec 2009

Bad Santa is simultaneously as black as a lump of coal and as sweet as a candy cane. It's also about as good as it gets for dark comedies.

I haven't seen this film since it came out. I liked it before, but I appreciated it on a whole new level upon this second viewing. Billy Bob Thornton plays Willie Stokes, one of the most abhorrent protagonists to grace the screen. He's a foul-mouthed, disgusting, piece of shit alcoholic with a knack for safe-cracking. He is completely and utterly horrifying as a human being. Easily one of the most disgusting characters I've ever seen in a film.

If he wasn't bad enough as it is, his job is playing Santa Claus every holiday season. He swears at kids, pisses his pants, comes to work drunk, and destroys holiday decor like a dickhead. He's everything Santa isn't. And that's what makes it so god damn funny,.

What makes this movie brilliant, and a wildly successful dark comedy, is that under all the humor is a truly horrifying story about an asshole in a Santa costume. He digs himself into newer and lower depths. As Marcus the midget says - More booze, more bullshit, and more butt-fuckin'. He is just so fucking appalling. My god.

I can't say enough bad things about the character, but he's portrayed admirably by Thornton, who adds a lot of depth to what could easily have been a 1-dimensional asshole in the wrong hands. Instead, he's brought to life impeccably, and you actually find a way to sympathize and even root for him even as he beats the shit out of a bunch of kids.

This is just a fucking great movie. I can't really say for sure if it will ever become a holiday classic. Probably not. It's way, WAY too dark for that. There's probably too much booze and butt-fucking for it to achieve that sort of echelon. But one thing it's free and clear of is bullshit. Bad Santa is a remarkable holiday film.