Bad Santa

Review by Clint Morris

Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is about the furthest person you’d think would inhabit a Department Store Santa Suit.

Dejected, disrespectful and abhorrent, he’d rather be anywhere but on a comfy chair having children tell him their Christmas wishes.

Naturally, the discomposure is all for a reason. With the help of his sidekick, Marcus, a ‘little person’, Willie takes a job as the store Santa so that after hours he and his friend can crack the store safe and walk out with bulky pockets.

But surely the plan’s going to be messed up somewhere, isn’t it?

Throw a chunky, but lonely little orphan kid who takes an atypical liking to the Santa-for-hire into the mix, as well as a cluey store security guard (Bernie Mac) – and plans do start coming unglued.

Having established himself as one of today’s best and most interesting actors, Bad Santa might come as a bit of surprise to Billy Bob Thornton’s widening legion of fans. He’s great in it, no surprise there, but unfortunately the material he’s got to work with is thinner than the cheese slice on a gym instructor’s roll.

The film starts out entertaining enough, and for the most part, it grabs you early on, but by mid-way proceedings become bogged down in a subplot better suited to an Adam Sandler comedy, and a finale about as fresh as Hot Cross Buns come Christmas.

But having said that, it’s a film about Thornton, and he’s just great. One of the most versatile actors of his generation, he’s just disgustingly ideal in this - foul-mouthed, over-sexed and eternally cynical.

If you go looking for a potential Oscar winning performance, a lot of substance or even something highly memorable in Terry 'Ghost World' Zwigoff’s new film, you won’t find it - but you will stumble upon a reasonably good time.

A mixture of Disney’s The Santa Clause, A Christmas Carol, and an abundance of acid, Bad Santa is unlike any Christmas comedy we’ve seen before. And it starts and ends with the fat guy in the suit.

Bad Santa won’t have wide appeal. It’s very crass, and even quite distressing in terms of what’s been said and done here to tarnish old Saint Nick. It does have its moments though, and Thornton’s at his best, just don’t go expecting Santa’s sack to be anything but a little light.

3 out of 5

Bad Santa
Australian release: Thursday November 25th
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, John Ritter.
Director: Terry Zwigoff.
Website: Click here.

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