"Bad(der) Santa"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Billy Bob Thornton as WILLIE Tony Cox as MARCUS Brett Kelly as THE KID Lauren Graham as SUE Bernie Mac as GIN John Ritter as BOB CHIPESKA Rated UNRATED Studio: Dimension Films Directed by: Terry Zwigoff Back to DVD Review Home |
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Sometimes anticipation has a lot to do with how much I like (or dislike) a movie. Such was the case with “Bad Santa.” Last Christmas before it was released, I was really excited to see it. I thought the trailers were hilarious. I like a cynical Christmas movie as much as the next Scrooge. And it didn’t hurt having the Coen Brothers’ name on there as producers with “Crumb” alum Terry Zwigoff at the helm.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with “Bad Santa” in its initial release. While it was funny to watch this naughty little movie give the finger to all the warm, fuzzy Christmas movies ever made, I didn’t think it had the punch that it could have had. Billy Bob Thornton’s lines too often deteriorated into uncreative swearing when there was so much potential to become an R-rated version of John Hughes. [sigh] Maybe they should have had Kevin Smith do a rewrite for them.
The story doesn’t change much in this new version. Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) and Marcus (Tony Cox) are a Santa-and-Elf team who make a good living ripping off shopping malls as the Christmas season comes to a head. Marcus, a dwarf who plays the elf, is the brains behind the operation. Willie is just a stinking drunk, but he can crack a safe, so that’s why Marcus keeps him around.
Willie and Marcus take a new job in Arizona, but Willie starts to have a bizarre change of heart. After his motel room is raided by the police, he ends staying with a fat Kid (Brett Kelly) who is abused at school and lives at home with his senile grandmother. The Kid isn’t that smart and really believes Willie is Santa, which is why he allows him to stay at his house.
And then there’s Sue (Lauren Graham), a beautiful bartender who is a raging alcoholic with a sexual Santa fetish. (Why is it that it’s so easy to land the hottie in the film, even if you look like a drunk Billy Bob? I’m still looking for that super sexy bartender who’s a chubby chaser with a “Star Wars” fetish.) She hooks up with Willie for the Santa suit and the drinking potential, and she also becomes a bit of a surrogate mother to the Kid.
Now here it is in the heat of the summer. Christmas is so far behind us that we’re getting ready to look over the horizon to see the next one coming. And after eight months, I cracked open “Badder Santa,” the un-rated, naughtier version of the film.
This go-round, I didn’t think it was the greatest anti-Christmas movie ever made. (That moniker goes to “The Black Adder Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Bundyful Life,” in which Black Adder and Al Bundy, respectively learn that it’s better to be a scrooge than a good person.) However, I found myself liking the movie more than I did before.
Maybe it was the additional seven minutes that were added at the beginning to show what a loser Willie was. And while these were funny enough, I have to think it was because I wasn’t expecting that much. So, this DVD release gains a star on my rating.
Other features you’ll find on the DVD are some deleted and alternate scenes. There’s also a decent behind-the-scenes special, which reminds us that this wasn’t the first time the Billy Bob Thornton and John Ritter worked together. (If you’ll remember, Ritter delivered a stand-out chameleon performance in Thornton’s break-through “Sling Blade.”)
The best part of the special features are the outtakes and the “Badder Santa” gag reel. There’s no doubt the cast and crew loved making this movie. If only there had been some form of commentary track, this DVD would be complete.
Of course, for the prudes out there, the studio has also released the R-rated theatrical release.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.85:1) - Enhanced for 16x9 televisions. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
