Bad Santa is one of those "love it or hate it" comedies. It's raunchy. Much of it is in bad taste and is full of profanity. It's not your grandma's Christmas movie (unless, of course, you have a Bad Grandma). The film, about a drunken burglar who plays Santa at malls in order to have access to rob them later, is played by Hollywood non-conformist Billy Bob Thornton. While it's easy to envision Thornton imbibing a drink or two to get himself in character, that wasn't the case. Actually, day in and day out, Thornton was completely tanked. He told Film4,
“I’ve traditionally played really extreme characters and even in a comedy, if you’re going to play a guy like this, you can’t be sort of drunk, you know? And I wasn’t sort of drunk. You have to go completely into it.”
Read more facts about Bad Santa here. I'm going to see about making some sandwiches.
Image: Columbia Pictures
Long Kiss Goodnight
Die Hard 1 & 2
Gremlins
Christmas Vacation
Scrooged
Lethal Weapon
Batman Returns
Nightmare Before Christmas
Edward Scissorhands
Jack Frost (1996)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Black Christmas (1974)
Christmas Evil (1980)
The Ref (1994)
While I certainly don't think it's some cinematic masterpiece nor is it even a favorite of mine, I think it definitely has redeeming factors: John Ritter's last performance, for one. Bernie Mac would be another, and I like the kid too. I think the film provides comic relief for some people who are unable to relate to your average, saccharine Christmas movie (although that's just my guess). AND, I think the facts about the Coen brothers were interesting and not "obvious."
So cheers to us disagreeing all down the line! :)