Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Bernie
Mac, John Ritter, and Lauren Graham
Willie Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) and
his friend Marcus (Tony Cox) get the best Christmas present they can for themselves. Each year, the pair works as a Santa and elf
at a mall and robs it on Christmas Eve after hours. At a new mall one year, their activities
arouse the suspicions of Bob Chipeska (John Ritter), the mall’s manager. Chipeska turns to security chief Gin Slagel
(Bernie Mac) to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile, Willie gets involved with a bartender named Sue (Lauren
Graham) and picks up a troubled boy nicknamed the Kid (Brett Kelly) during
their robbery. As Slagel’s investigation
unfolds, the web of crime expands in this raucous comedy.
Bad
Santa is undoubtedly
the blueprint for raunchy holiday films.
I never thought that a man dressed as the jolly old saint could be so
crude and crass, and I loved every moment with Thornton’s Willie Stokes. If you’re tired of sappy, saccharine holiday
films that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, grab some liquor and watch Bad Santa. This is John Ritter’s final appearance on the
big screen, so don’t miss this one.
