Movie Reviews
BAD SANTA
Bad Santa - Sunday 16th December @ Paignton Parish Church Hall, Paignton, 8pm, doors from 7ish.
'Few other films have been as funny about greed, lust, incontinence, midgets or kicks to the balls.
Hilarious in its foul-mouthed malice and disenchantment with all things wholesome and familial'. Time Out
'Offbeat, hilarious and gleefully misanthropic, this is the perfect antidote to Hollywood’s annual glut of sugary Christmas movies'. Rotten Tomatoes
Billy Bob Thornton plays Willie T. Stokes, an alcoholic,
foul-mouthed
safecracker who takes a job as a department store Santa Claus every
year, just so he can rob the store on Christmas Eve and drink himself
stupid for the rest of the year. His partner in crime is Marcus (Tony
Cox), a three foot tall african-american, who dons his Elf costume and
has the unenviable job of keeping Willie in line until it’s time for the
crime – not easy when all "Santa" wants to do is drink, take drugs and
swear at the kids. This year, however, things are a little different.
For one thing, Willie finds a girlfriend. In addition, Willie is
"adopted" by a fat, lonely, picked-on kid (Brett Kelly), who’s in need
of some parental support, a situation that Willie is only too keen to
exploit. However, Willie and Marcus have another, more pressing problem,
because the store’s security manager (Bernie Mac) figures out what
they’re up to and demands a piece of the action…
Billy Bob Thornton is superb – his deadpan, world-weary delivery
makes a comic gem out of every line. Willie is a fantastically
misanthropic individual – he’s like a Viz character come to life.
The film also features some of the most creative, imaginative swearing
you’re ever likely to hear. As the kid, Brett Kelly gets his fair share
of the laughs, particularly in the utterly bonkers – but oddly touching
- scene with the wooden pickle. The rest of the supporting cast are
equally good, particularly Tony Cox and Lauren Graham, but also Bernie
Mac and, in his final screen role, the late John Ritter. Bad Santa
is stuffed full of great lines and hilarious scenes, as well as several
dementedly off-the-wall moments. In short, Bad Santa is a
thoroughly enjoyable jet black comedy that’s a must-see for anyone whose
normal response to Christmas movies (or indeed, Christmas) is "Bah,
humbug". . Rotten Tomatoes
Bad Santa is directed by Terry Zwigoff, who also directed Crumb and Ghost World and was executive produced by the Coen Brothers, of Fargo and O Brother Where Art Thou? fame.