Bad Santa (2003)

I think this movie was great. It has a hilarious humor. The story portrays the growth of a man who grew tired of his miserable life and found something worth fighting for. One can note the evolution of Santa's behavior throughout the entire film mainly from the moment the boy appeared. I think the director's intention was to show viewers that it's never too late to change, that everything is not what it seems and that we can all make a difference.

I expected to be really offended in this movie. I expected to hate this film. In fact, I even thought about not watching it. Luckily enough, I trusted my friends recommendation, and watched the film. I gotta say, it was really sweet, even if the lead wasn't super likable.The first half of the movie was not that great, but I forgive the film, because it gave us the introduction to the characters. The first half was basically just an offensive, crude comedy, even if some jokes were funny. But, the second half of the film I found was ten times more enjoyable.The second half was emotional, heart felt, and soft, even if the last three minutes was a bit, "What?" But, I gotta be honest, I laughed quite loudly at the first three minutes. The second half of this is really touching, funny, and quite nice. Even if you think you won't enjoy this, you will if you watch it until the end. Overall, I rate this a 8.7/10. Masterpiece.

Bad Santa (2003) Reviewed by Martin Davis, Retrospect Film on Facebook 'Bad Santa' has been described variously as 'The nastiest Christmas film ever', 'The ultimate anti-Christmas film' or 'One of the best Christmas films ever'. In truth, it's much more than any of those descriptions. It's quite simply a great film, brilliantly scripted, and with assured direction from Terry Zwigoff, following on from 2001's excellent 'Ghost World'. With some exceptional performances, it's also very, very funny. The only person Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) hates more than anyone else is himself. Consumed with self loathing and drinking himself into oblivion, Willies' life and everyone in it are one endless series of disappointments. Unscrupulous and immoral, Willie is a bad person and he knows it. One thing he is good at though is cracking safes. Every Christmas with the help of his diminutive partner in crime, Marcus (Tony Cox) he finds work as a department store Santa Claus. With Marcus as his elf assistant, their sole intention is to rob the store on Christmas Eve. With Willie permanently drunk, abusive to the kids and having sex in the changing rooms, despite his best efforts, Marcus cannot avert the suspicions of store detective Gin Slagel (Bernie Mac). Slagel quickly brings his concerns to the attention of the mall manager Bob Chipeska (John Ritter), in his last film appearance. Meanwhile Willie is enjoying a passionate affair with Sue (Lauren Graham), a barmaid with a Santa Claus fetish. Things are further complicated by the unwelcome attention of a young boy, Thurman Merman, who believes the foul mouthed Willie to be the real Santa. Willie finally finds a purpose to his life, teaching Thurman to stand up to bullying after the youngster inadvertently saves him from suicide. With the clock ticking, will the Yuletide criminals be apprehended before they can complete their audacious robbery and will Willie find redemption in a childs innocence? Rude, crude and with the blackest of humour, 'Bad Santa' with a total of 300 profanities, may not be to everyones taste but it manages to be both hilarious and moving without once slipping into sentimentality. Both Jack Nicholson and Bill Murray showed interest in the title role but were already committed to other projects. It's difficult to imagine anyone other than Billy Bob Thornton as 'Bad Santa' though and he gives a career best performance, ironically losing out on a Golden Globe award to Murray for 'Lost in Translation'. This is one Christmas film that can be enjoyed at any time of the year. Excellent. Martin Davis, Retrospect Film on Facebook

Along with Home Alone that's my favorite Christmas movie. But beware cause this an utterly politically incorrect black comedy. Billy Bob Thornton is absolutely brilliant as Bad Santa and even got a Golden Globe Nomination for his performance. Even winning an Oscar wouldn't have been a surprise. The story goes as follows: "A miserable conman and his dwarf partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid." Wtf, even the fat blond kid plays perfectly! The movie manages to successfully combine drama, comedy and crime and is hilarious without being ridiculous. At the same it's serious without being depressive. Nevertheless it isn't suggested for little kids and for those who can't stomach a sometimes rude and offensive black comedy.