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Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly (II), Lauren Graham, Lauren Tom ... see more see more... , Bernie Mac , John Ritter , Ajay Naidu , Alex Borstein , Cloris Leachman , Natsuko Ohama , Ethan Phillips , Curtis Taylor , Tom McGowan , Lorna Scott , Dave Adams , Bryan Callen , Octavia L. Spencer , Tonya Renee Banks , Joe Bucaro III , Billy Gardell , Matt Walsh , Peter Quartaroli , Ryan Pinkston , Dylan Charles , Harrison Bieker , Lisa Ross , Grace Calderon , Christine Pichardo , Max Van Ville , Bucky Dominick , Georgia Eskew , Hayden Bromberg , Briana Norton , Hallie Singleton , Joey Saravia , Cody Strauch , Sheriff John Bunnell , Chloe Colville , Alexandra Korhan , Michael Dansk , Brett Kelly (I)

The Christmas season just got a lot less joyous in this very dark comedy. Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is a con man and a thief who teams up with his friend Marcus (Tony Cox), a midget, for a... read more read more... very special scam each year during the holiday season. Willie gets a job as Santa Claus at a shopping mall, his pal tags along as an elf, and they use their employee status to crack mall security and rob stores blind just before Christmas. However, there's one flaw to this plan -- Willie is a bitter, foul-mouthed and perpetually grouchy alcoholic who doesn't care for kids, and it's all he can do to keep himself from getting fired while on the job. The mall's manager (John Ritter, in his last film appearance) is certain something's wrong with the Santa he's hired, so he asks the mall's chief of security (Bernie Mac) to do some research on Willie. Meanwhile, one of the kids Willie is forced to talk to becomes a regular customer; overweight, awkward, and the frequent target of bullies, the boy manages to arouse something like sympathy from Willie, who tries to give him some advice and develops something vaguely resembling Christmas sprit along the way. Bad Santa was directed by Terry Zwigoff, who enjoyed previous success with Crumb and Ghost World. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

73% liked it

178,397 ratings

Critics

77% liked it

188 critics

R, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Terry Zwigoff

Release Date: November 26, 2003

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DVD Release Date: June 22, 2004

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Stats: 8,205 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,205)

  • fb100001048934982
    April 14, 2012
    fb100001048934982
    Billy Bob Thornton makes sure this dark comedy isn't a completely useless movie, but the film is so utterly devoid of any charm that it is hard to love. The comedy mainly relies on Thornton's niche for foul mouthing and really nothing more. It is not awful, but it only squeezed a... read more few laughs out of me.
  • Callahan441
    December 29, 2011
    Callahan441
    This narratively clichéd yet entertaining alternative Christmas film is one definitely worth seeing if you're sick of 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Willie, a safe-cracking crook who masquerades as Father Christmas every December in shopping malls across the... read more United States. His token elf accomplice Marcus, who is a 'little person', exploits his miniature frame to hide in malls after opening hours, hastily cancelling the security system so Bad Santa can waltz in and get to work on the safe.

    I found myself laughing on many occasions, thanks to contributions from almost all the cast, especially Bernie Mac. The humour was tainted however by the language, which soon became gratuitous and puerile. Those two adjectives also describe Willie, his bad boy persona is exaggerated in many parts of the film; Willie will often needlessly erupt with a foul-mouthed tirades that soon become tiresome. I'm a fan of 'Goodfellas' and 'Scarface'; yet, oddly enough, I didn't find them gratuitous like 'Bad Santa'.

    Apart from this, I'd recommend Bad Santa. It's an entertaining, politically incorrect and ultimately 'feel-good' film that puts a twist on the Christmas movie genre conventions. I think its dark humour will especially go down a treat with mid-teens who aren't getting that always nauseating 'Christmas feeling'.
  • aquateen2
    December 26, 2011
    aquateen2
    Not as grinchy and evil as I had hoped. The plot of Bad Santa is all over the place and sometimes the edginess is lost by dramatic changes to it's story. It didn't score an outrageous number of laughs but Thornton and Mac really shine.
  • ironclad1609
    December 11, 2011
    ironclad1609
    Certainly one of the most ruthless and least politically correct films ever made about Santa. It's a joy how BB Thornton stabs every stereotype of the kind and lovable Santa impersonator imaginable way beyond the point where other films already take a turn towards the "redemption... read more of the stone-hearted" direction. Of course we get that here too, but only with gritted teeth and tongue in cheek. And the meaner a film and its protagonist is, the more meaning his little gestures of kindness get in the end. But before that, you're just having a lot of good laughs with the farting, cursing and fucking bad Santa. Disgusting, mean, yet heart-warming and fun. A combination you just don't get often enough.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    November 18, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Though not as memorable as Christmas Vacation, Bad Santa is still a very funny comedy with plenty of laughs. Billy Bob Thornton gives one of his best comedic performances here. Bad Santa is a well made comedy that is one of the essential must see viewings for the Christmas season... read more. Bad Santa is funny, but at times uneven. Bad Santa is a totally different Christmas film. The film is good and is definitely one of Thornton's best comedic performances. There are plenty of memorable moments in this film, and some are downright hilarious. One thing is for sure, this film is not your average Christmas film, and it's quite wonderful. Those expecting a fun, family oriented Holiday film; you aren't not going to find it here. The film is not your standard holiday film. Still, Bad Santa despite the fact it's not a perfect film, is a good, entertaining and funny film for the holiday season. This is one of the few holiday films that do something new and refreshing. The jokes are good and Bad Santa is simply an entertaining film that is memorable, funny and guarantees a good time. Billy Bob Thornton is good here, and this one of last actually good comedic performances. After this film, he basically replayed the same character, and he became dull. A good comedy for the holiday season, one that belongs in a category of its own because it's quite different. A very enjoyable film and is one of the best Christmas holiday films. But it's no Christmas Vacation.
  • scottgreen96
    October 29, 2011
    scottgreen96
    very very slacky, yet it accomplishes the objective to entertain, Billy's character gives him the opportunity to shine brighter than a christmas tree.
  • 3niR
    September 1, 2011
    3niR
    Nasty Santa. Damn I hate it.
  • theunknownhobo
    August 29, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    On the surface of it this film looks like just another superficial holiday comedy but under the first few layers and within the first half an hour or so, you begin to realise that although it is side splittingly funny at times it is also a dark and sad tale of a man with literall... read morey nothing left to lose. Great one lines, Thorton is on fire as Santa gone wrong and with a depressing depth, Bad Santa really is one of the greats.
  • DreamExtractor
    July 29, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Funniest christmas movie since Elf. Billy Bob Thorton and the rest were perfect in their roles. The plot was surprisingly interesting, even if cliche and gross sometimes. This movie is sick and twisted, and I loved it.
  • fb733768972
    December 14, 2010
    fb733768972
    Bad Santa, even without it's dialogue scenes is pure hilarity. It is a pretty basic story of a drunken man acting as Santa with many problems, but overall, it is an extremely hilarious film. With comedy, heart, and a hint of raunchiness, it is one of the most satisfying christmas... read more films in the last decade, seeing as there are very few to choose from. The only thing that sucks, is the fact that the movie had to have a hard R rating. It is certainly not a movie for kids, but adults and teenagers who like to have a vulgar laugh at films like this, they will love it. It's not really what I expected, it's actually better!

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Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones
November 27, 2007
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Zwigoff and company wring some laughs out of it, though the tone is uniformly mean and vulgar. Full Review

Peter Rainer
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

Bad Santa is my kind of Christmas movie -- profane, subversive, and swarming with scuzzballs. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
December 11, 2003
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

The funniest send-up of bad Christmas karma I have ever seen. Full Review

David Edelstein
December 5, 2003
David Edelstein, Slate

Thornton's performance is -- there's no other word -- beautiful. Full Review

Richard Roeper
December 1, 2003
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

I laughed at loud at a lot of the stuff. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
November 29, 2003
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

I found the escalating disreputability of Bad Santa completely cathartic. Full Review

Peter Howell
November 28, 2003
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

It rides a one-trick reindeer that tires well before the second reel, and it mistakes crudity and cruelty for humour. Full Review

Rick Groen
November 28, 2003
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

What's meant to be a live-action South Park just winds up in a scatological dead end. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
November 26, 2003
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

The movie is -- how can I say this? -- funny as hell. Full Review

Desson Thomson
November 26, 2003
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Thornton, with his one-of-a-kind drawl, his lazy gaze, restless shaggy eyebrows and misanthropic attitude, seems to be the movie's essential X-factor. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Willie T. Stokes: Boy did someone drop you on your head?
    • Thurman Merman: Did someone drop me on my own head?
    • Willie T. Stokes: No not on your own head .....BOY ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME!
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Bad Santa Trivia

  • In the movie Bad Santa, one kid asked for a made-up toy from Billy Bob Thornton. What was it?  Answer »
  • A miserable conman and his 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, and the security boss discovers the plot.  Answer »
  • Which word completes the films? _________ Boys _________ Santa Very _________ Things   Answer »
  • What movie features a mall santa named Willie and Thurman Murman (The Kid)?  Answer »
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