In short: Ammoral, disgusting, foul-mouthed, sexist, crude, vulgar, vile, gratuitous; AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT! The funniest R rated Christmas movie EVER (sorry The Ref).

This movie was AWFUL. The first hour alone was intolerable. None of it made any sense. Why doesn't that kid have someone to look after him. If his father's that loaded, why doesn't he have a better guardian? Why does that kid act so retarded? Why does he act like he thinks Willie is the real Santa, and then "reveal" that he knew he wasn't? Well if he knew that, why did he act otherwise throughout the rest of the film? Why, every time he shows up at school, does he not have a schoolbag or books with him? It's like he's just wandering around or something. Why do they mention child services at the end of the movie for him, when no one up until now has every seemed to notice him and his situation in the first place? Why did the mall manager fall for that moronic argument by Willie that they would sue him for discrimination if he fired him? Just because he fired Willie wouldn't mean he would have to fire Marcus as well. Why did that idiotic mother bring her son to ask Santa for presents when it was clear he was eating lunch in the food court? Why is such a beautiful woman hanging out with such an absolute loser, just because he wears a Santa suit? When he urinated on himself in the beginning of the film, I thought he was going to tell Marcus that he could do that and just blame it on the kids, but the movie doesn't even go that far; it never explains why he does it at all.

It begins to pick up a little bit in the second half when Willie tries to teach the kid to defend himself, but by then it's just following the cliches of an entirely different genre of movie anyway.

This movie was unfunny, unbearable to sit through, and I'm at a loss to understand why the other people in the screening room I saw it in were laughing at it.

Because it was hilarious.

PWASOH: Absolutely. I mean how can you not love the whole "•••• me Santa! •••• me Santa!" thing in the hot tub?

Because I didn't find it funny, Brian. That doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor, it just means I laugh when something is actually funny. The three commercials I saw tonight in front of The Missing (The Mafia Theater short film, the car ad in the men's bathroom with the two guys talking at the urinals, and the ad for Red Stripe Beer) were all way funnier than anything in Bad Santa. I actually laughed at those.

Ahhh the Dodge Durango Commercial. I love it.

The Red Stripe Beer ads? I've seen those. They were funny the first time around. Second time, not so much.

Anyway, I think the problem you have Luigi is, despite the warnings, you weres till kinda expecting something in the film to have a good message for families. Just like those parents who took their little ones to see the South Park movie, or the dimbulbs who went to Final Fantasy The Spirits Within expecting a Matrix-style action romp. Bad Santa is a movie for adults with a sick sense of humor. You go in wanting something like the lead character redeeming himself at the end, you're going to be disapointed. You want that, go rent National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation of The Muppet Christmas Carol. For the rest of us, let us have our Bad Santa, and all the grossness that comes with it.

Hey Brian, if you or anyone else are interested, I've found one extremely positive review of Bad Santa. You can read it here: http://dallasobserver.com/issues/2003-11-27/film4.html/1/index.html

"I like to watch." - Chance the Gardener

Check out Roger Ebert's review. *** out of 4 stars.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/cst-ftr-santa26f.html

Also from his movie answer man section.

Is it true that Disney execs were upset when they got their first look at the Dimenson production of "Bad Santa"? I read in both Chicago papers that they were staring at the screen in disbelief and said "nothing appears sacred anywhere. This is just not in the spirit of Disney."

Charles Smith, Chicago


This appears to be an instant urban legend. Matt Drudge's report of the alleged Disney reaction appeared on the Drudge Report and was picked up everywhere, often without attribution, but Disney officials deny the story. And Sean P. Means, film critic of the Salt Lake Tribune, deconstructs the mini-controversy as an attempt by Republican polemicists to "drive a wedge between Disney and its Miramax [which includes Dimension Films] subsidiary," because Miramax honcho Harvey Weinstein is a "prime fund-raiser for the Democratic Party." He cites other examples where Disney was bashed because of films from its Miramax subsidiary.

"Bad Santa" has now been piled on by the usual assortment of amateur op-ed film critics, whose no-brainer attacks reveal they do not understand the film or may not have even seen it. It's an R-rated adult comedy -- not an attack on Santa, but a portrayal of an alcoholic safe-cracker (Billy Bob Thornton) who masquerades as Santa Claus.

Brian Webber: Anyway, I think the problem you have Luigi is, despite the warnings, you weres till kinda expecting something in the film to have a good message for families.
Luigi Novi: Uh………no, I was not. I don’t know why you would presume to know what my expectations were, or in general what my state of mind was when I saw this film, rather than simply ask me beforehand. I knew what this film was about before most people in the country, including, in all likelihood, you, Brian. I saw it on October 9th, before any ads appeared for it on TV, and the first two screenings we held for it for which I recruited respondents were on December 5th, 2002, a year before it was released. Recruiting for a film requires me to familiarize myself with it (the plot, the writer, director, stars, producers, production company, target age demographic), and this was long before there even were any “warnings” on TV or anywhere else that you had to rely on.

I was quite familiar with the dark genre of comedy in which the Coen brothers tend to work, the dark aspects of this movie’s plot, and the fact that the studio wanted only people age 18-49 to attend its research screenings and press screenings for it, and probably long before you did, thank you very much. I do not recall mentioning anything about whether it was appropriate for families in my reasons for why I didn’t like it in my first post above, and in point of fact, that had nothing to do with it. I quite clearly explained that I didn’t think the film was funny, that certain plot points didn’t seem to make any sense or serve any purpose, and that in general, it was poorly written. Pointing out to me that it’s not for families is simply a Straw Man argument.

Brian Webber: Just like those parents who took their little ones to see the South Park movie, or the dimbulbs who went to Final Fantasy The Spirits Within expecting a Matrix-style action romp.
Luigi Novi: Gee, thanks for presuming to read my mind and comparing me to irresponsible idiot parents. Merry Christmas to you too, Brian.

Brian Webber: Bad Santa is a movie for adults with a sick sense of humor. You go in wanting something like the lead character redeeming himself at the end, you're going to be disapointed. You want that, go rent National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation of The Muppet Christmas Carol. For the rest of us, let us have our Bad Santa, and all the grossness that comes with it.
Luigi Novi: Again, I didn’t say anything about not liking the film because he isn’t redeemed in the end. Did you read some other post than the one I actually wrote? You’re challenging points of critique that I never made.

Arguing with Luigi- Brian should know better than that ;)

The DVD will be out 6/22. It will be available both in "R" and unrated versions. The unrated version is tagged Badder Santa.

Adam: I'm exploding with anticipation! I'm gonna get both!

>The DVD will be out 6/22.>

Just in time for Chrismas.

When Willie is making it with "Mrs. Santa's Sister" on the floor, her arms switch positions between cuts.
The classical music cut used in the scene when the store detective is offed is the same piece used over the end credits of Eyes Wide Shut. Does anyone know what its title is?

Hey Brian (if you're still around) - A sequel, titled (guess what?) Bad Santa 2 opens on November 23. Billy Bob Thornton, Brett Kelly and Tony Cox will appear. More here.

The 2016 sequel "Bad Santa 2" was pretty awful

Miramax honcho Harvey Weinstein is a "prime fund-raiser for the Democratic Party."

Not any more. Weinstein is in prison, convicted of rape and other sex crimes. His earliest release date is 2039.

Bad Santa 2 had a brief run on Showtime recently. It's just as vulgar,crude, vile and foul mouthed as the first. Maybe more so. Watch it at your own risk.

Fantastic movie. That Billy Bob Thornton did not get an Oscar for his performance is one of history's greatest cinematic crimes.

I hope for a Bad Santa 3 provided it is done right with a good plot, storyline
Bad Santa 2 was corny
The first Bad Santa was Great