Search - Badder Santa (Unrated Widescreen Edition) on DVD

Callie K. (ballofglitter) from GRAND ISLAND, NE
Reviewed on 5/20/2014...

Great, Hilarious movie with a heartwarming ending. I love this movie! Keeps you laughing and swaying "aw" at the same time :)

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Jason C. (JJC) from NEWARK, NJ
Reviewed on 4/30/2013...

“It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Miracle on 34th Street”, “A Christmas Story”, just to name a few, great as these films are, they are pretty much aimed for the entire family to enjoy at Christmas time, especially the kiddies. What we have here, is the ultimate R rated Christmas film, and it’s about time. Now, before you spitting out “Hey, what about “Die Hard 1 & 2”, remember just because a film takes place during Christmas, doesn’t mean that it is a Christmas film (and don’t even try to bring up any of those “Silent Night, Deadly Night” films). “Bad Santa” is an official adult Christmas film, and it is brilliant.

Willie (Billy Bob Thorton) is a foul-mouthed, alcoholic loser, who basically travels to different locations around the U.S. every year during Christmas time for department store Santa gigs. But you see once the gig is over, he and his “elf” partner Marcus (Tony Cox) rip off the joint they’re working for and move on, kicking back the rest of year. Willie knows he’s a waste of life, and he usually drinks his earnings away. Willie really doesn’t give a damn about anything, except sex and booze.

So now Willie and Marcus find a gig in a mall in Arizona, where their lives will change forever. Enter Thurman (Brett Kelly), an obese, innocent youngster who has no friends and gets picked on by all the other kids. Thurman finds his way to the mall and visits Santa (Willie), and takes liberty in asking ridiculous Santa questions to Willie. Willie tires of the kid very quickly and runs to the nearest bar where he finds Sue (Lauren Graham), a sexy bartender with a Santa Claus fetish. Meanwhile, mall manager Bob Chipeska (John Ritter, in his final role), is growing very wary of Willie, when he overhears Willie’s use of language around the children and overhears him fornicating in the plus size’s fitting room. Bob informs Gin (Bernie Mac), the mall detective, and asks to investigate Willie and Marcus.

Thurman basically follows Willie around, and helps Willie in an incident that involves a sexually confused bar patron (I know, it gets even more hilarious). Willie then notices that someone has been lurking in his hotel room and on his trail, so he shacks up with Thurman and his senile grandmother guardian (Cloris Leachman), in their very rich home. Things get a little twisted when Gin discovers what Willie and Marcus have been doing and what they’re up to. Gin decides to blackmail them for half of their take, no negotiations!

“Bad Santa” is down right hilarious and director Terry Zwigoff (“Ghost World”) knows exactly what to do with the in-your-face material. The film mostly surrounds Willie’s life and the elements in it. Willie and Thurman are too completely different people, and it is interesting how they bond, Thorton and Kelly are great together and it’s a joy to see them work onscreen. Tony Cox, basically takes his “Me, Myself & Irene” cameo and expands it in this film, giving us some rolling laughter. Bernie Mac and the late John Ritter are just bonuses, who add a few more laughs to your already aching body from laughter.

So leave the kids home and this with your friends and have a howl. Not only is “Bad Santa” great outcast X-Mas classic, but it’s also one of the best films of 2003.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Etionee D. (etionee) from MCDONOUGH, GA
Reviewed on 3/9/2013...

This movie is so wrong it's right!

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 3/2/2012...

This is one of my fav holiday films. Billy Bob Thorton gives a tour de force performance that must be seen in order too fully comprehend. It's hard to describe this film and how it goes beyond all expectations. When I saw it when it first came out in theatres I remember a woman and her 2 grandchildren rushing out about the time Lauren Graham began showing just how much she liked santa. Why would anyone bring small children to a film like this one? Seriously people nothing about this film would lead anyone to think that it was suitable entertainment for 6 to 9 year olds.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Bad Santa - Good Film - for lovers of Black Comedy

J. Fryer | Nicholasville, KY | 11/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a bah-humbug individual, a Billy Bob Thornton fan, and/or have an appreciation for dark comedy....THIS is the Christmas film for you! Oh, yes, it requires an open mind and the ability to appreciate the unique, but finally here is a holiday film for those who like their seasonal entertainment with a little less 'sugar and spice'.First, do not take your 11 year old to see this film, as did the gentleman sitting behind me in the theater. He elected to remain even though I advised him this was an adult film (seems the R-Rating didn't seem to do the trick). I stressed that was probably not suitable for his son - even if my answer to his inquiry: "Well, it's about Santa Claus isn't it?" was "YES". Because the entire answer was: "YES, but a very, very baaad Santa". After the movie, the viewer told me that I was correct, that he should have left, and that he had in fact started to leave several times during the film, but didn't. He added that he himself did not like the film. This made be all the more curious as to exactly why he elected to watch until the credits were rolling. All the other movie patrons must have checked the ratings (as they were all adults), read the reviews, watched the promos, and perhaps caught Billy Bob on every talk show on TV the previous week (where he spent an inordinate amount of time telling the public - 'This is NOT a family film'). They also must have enjoyed the film, because they all laughed, actually, they all laughed a lot.Being an avid, devoted fan of Thornton, I understand and would be first to admit that I am more than a little biased when it comes to Billy Bob. I think he is incapable of making a film that is not entertaining. That being said, I would have enjoyed 'Bad Santa' if Santa had been portrayed by some other actor (except perhaps Jim Carey, but I digress). However, I don't know any other actor who bring the pathos, the heart, the lewdness, the earthiness, the seediness, and the overall great performance to this film that Billy Bob did.Billy Bob Thornton continues to explore the depths of his talent and take fans along for the ride by always finding new and unique characters to portray. Generally he does this via the 'independent' film method, because indie films provide the greater opportunities for his enormous creativity.This time his choice was not a 'new' character, rather actually a very, very recognizable character - recognizable at least by name - Santa, and this time in a film by commercial film makers. That is where our acquaintance with the character of Santa ends. Willie Stokes' Santa may resemble a lot of characters that we know really exist, as opposed to old Kris Kringle. We know this because many of us have met just such confused people in our real lives, though usually not wearing red velvet suits. The individuals we knew were known to us in the guise of losers, con men, hard-drinkers, and otherwise less-than-perfect people who are just a little bit mixed up about who they are, where they are going, and exactly how to get there.The only disagreement I would have with many of the reviewing film critics about this film is their insistence that "Bad Santa' does not have a 'good hearted' ending. I would beg to differ. While I won't give it away, I would tell you it has what might be considered an ending that is totally 'appropriate' for a holiday film such as 'Bad Santa'. It isn't an 'It's A Wonderful Life' ending, but then again the film isn't 'Miracle on 34th Street'. But we already know that because the title reveals it from the git-go. I may be a bit of a softie when it comes to kids, but I must tell you some of the tears in my eyes at various moments in 'Bad Santa' were not tears of laughter.Speaking of kids, Brett Kelly, the young actor who plays 'the kid' in "Bad Santa" is priceless in this film and perfectly cast. Brett is the Coronji Calhoun (Tyrell Musgrove - Monsters Ball) of this film. Thornton is excellent in acting in films with children, this film being no exception.John Ritter, like Billy Bob, has played a variety of characters in a myriad of films during his career and is always 'absolutely on the mark' for the personality of each character. Rather than being 'sorry' for Ritter that his last film was 'Bad Santa'; I believe that making this film with his old friend (from 'Hearts Afire', the 80's TV series) Billy Bob Thornton, in their first film together since 'Sling Blade', was probably a tremendous source of fun and pleasure for Ritter. I am personally very glad that he and Billy Bob had the opportunity to co-star one last time before John's untimely death. While his on-screen time seemed short on this film, John Ritter, as usual, did an excellent job and was very funny, as was always his way.Open your mind, prepare for laughter, and give yourself the gift of a different kind of holiday cheer this year - go see 'Bad Santa'. If what you want for Christmas is a little break from the often false cheerfulness of the traditional and instead a swig of dark humor for the delight of your soul, 'Bad Santa' can definitely make all your wishes come true - whether you have been bad or good."

STAY AWAY FROM DIRECTORS CUT

lefthandof power | Memphis, TN | 12/18/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a fan of Bad Santa, DO NOT BUY THIS DVD. I bought it expecting extended and restored scenes, instead I got a totally different ending and hilarious scenes cut out.

This version ends with the little boy outside trying to clean up the blood on his front steps rather than giving the bully a swift kick in the nards.

One of the scenes cut out is the scene in the gym where Willie and Marcus are trying to teach the little boy how to defend himself. That was one of the funniest scenes in the movie.

The packaging is deceptive. If they had said, "new ending" on the notes, I would have left it alone. It didn't and I wasted my money. I thought I would come on here and post a warning.

"

The feel-bad hit of the winter

Wheelchair Assassin | The Great Concavity | 06/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For those of us who can't quite get into the Christmas spirit, "Bad Santa" is a massive preemptive strike against all of the insufferable sentimentality we're going to be subjected to a few months from now. This movie is every bit as entertaining and funny as "School Of Rock," but where "School Of Rock" succeeded through the overwhelming weight of its good intentions, "Bad Santa" (its moderately heartwarming ending notwithstanding) is all about bad intentions. This movie, especially in its powerhouse first half, displays such a commitment to mean-spiritedness that you can't help but love it. Billy Bob Thornton's safe-cracking department-store Santa Willie is the epitome of ugliness, all the more so because he commits much of his mayhem in his work outfit. Early on we see him getting drunk and throwing up in an alley, and from there he remains in the gutter for much of the movie. He chain smokes, he wets himself in his chair, he fornicates in a dressing room, and above all, he swears. I don't find profanity inherently funny, but Thornton's acid tongue manages to turn four-letter words into weapons of unimaginable destructive power. More than anything I've seen since the "South Park" movie, "Bad Santa" manages to elevate nasty language into an art form.
Even in its moments of humanity, the movie doesn't aim too high. Willie does have a love interest, but not quite in the conventional sense: intead, it's a young bar waitress with a Santa fetish who demands that Willie wear his stocking cap during coupling. Willie also finds some meaning in his life by striking up an offbeat friendship with a fat, bullied kid named Thurman, a bond that manifests itself in one unforgettable scene when Willie beats the living hell out of the teen skateboarder who gave Thurman a black eye. Even though it's Thornton's show, "Bad Santa" also benefits from a top-notch supporting cast. In his last film role, the late John Ritter is the picture of ineffectualism as the mall manager; Bernie Mac is admirably slimy as the self-interested security chief; and the three-foot-tall Tony Cox belies his small size with a scene-stealing performance as Willie's "elf" and partner in crime. "Bad Santa" doesn't have an enormous level of plot development, but then it doesn't really need much. What's really important is the way the movie's cynicism slices and dices the sugary "cheer" (which is often cynical itself) that typically accompanies the holiday season. Christmas isn't all about irritating songs and people rioting in department stores over cheap presents, and we all owe a debt to "Bad Santa" for dumping a little snow on the parade."