Review of Bad Santa (2003) by Spencer S — 20 Jul 2014
While there are many quotable lines, and an edgy dark humor that usually gets waylaid with Christmas comedies, a classic this film is not. For all its strangeness and obtuse darkness it's not always all that funny.
Our lead character, played by a drunk Billy Bob Thornton, is mean-spirited, heartless, and inappropriate, but the only times this is played for comedic effect is when he is paired with the kid (Kelly).
The kid is odd, not all that forthcoming, and true to himself, which is a great balance with Thornton's unappealing sadsack Santa Claus. When they're onscreen the laughs roll in, but otherwise this film is very depressing and meager with its side characters.
Marcus (Cox) plays well off Thornton but as his own character he is very one dimensional. Mac makes an interesting villain, but he doesn't get enough screen time. If the story was a little more fleshed out and the characters were a little more interesting this would have been an easy comedy to love.
This review of Bad Santa (2003) was written by Spencer S on 20 Jul 2014.
Bad Santa has generally received positive reviews.
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