A miserable thief poses as Santa so he can rob department stores during the holidays, but his latest job is complicated when he befriends a troubled kid.
COMEDY/CRIME
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Bad Santa (2003)Directed by Terry Zwigoff
Written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac, John Ritter, Cloris Leachman |
Bad Santa is Billy Bob Thornton's greatest performance. Sling Blade and A Simple Plan can suck it. Willie Soke is cinema's ultimate asshole. He hates himself, his friends, and everyone who dares open their mouths and speak to him. Thornton's timeless performance as the anti-Claus helps make this film a must-see, grown-up holiday classic that just gets funnier every time you watch it. Also, when you factor in the sudden loss of comedic actors John Ritter and Bernie Mac, this film also acts as a bit of a memoriam. God, they were funny, and they aid in making this one even funnier.
Willie Soke makes a living robbing department stores around the holidays. He takes gigs as Santa, along with his little person partner Marcus (Cox) as an elf, puts as little effort in as Santa as he possibly can, then robs the place blind. It's a formula and it works. On this latest gig in Phoenix, a weird but hopeful kid (Kelly) starts following Willie around, believing him to be the real Santa. Willie sees an opportunity and cons his way into living at the kid's house with his senile grandma while his dad is in prison. Willie's interactions with the kid are funny as hell, especially once you learn the kid's name is Thurman Merman. My favorite thing about Bad Santa isn't the constant dick jokes or Willie yelling at children. It's the fact that Willie's heart grows three sizes by the end of this thing. His time with Thurman makes him realize that having a friend who actually cares about him is a good thing. Then, of course, he gets shot by the cops in front of children, because this is still a cynical Christmas comedy, in all the best ways. |