Review of Bad Santa (2003) by Smurfy C — 02 Jan 2013

Veers a little towards Ricky Gervais territory in lining up one taboo after another in order to shock - but this is an enjoyably crass affair with the icing on the cake being the decidedly un-snowy location of Phoenix, Arizona.

Zwigoff pulls apart contemporary morals and Thornton plays a more scurrilous version of the weirdo character he calls his own. Despite being a wreck of a man, he still manages to seduce an extremely good looking barmaid and the one-joke nature of the material does begin to wear thin in places - but the pace is generally maintained throughout. A better Christmas movie than most.