Bad Santa

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Bad Santa

R

2003

1h 33m

Holiday

Comedy

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

217 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

In this dark comedy, the crotchety Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) and his partner (Tony Cox) reunite once a year for a holiday con. Posing as a mall Santa and his elf, they rip off shopping outlets on Christmas Eve. This year, however, Willie is falling apart. He's depressed and alcoholic, and his erratic behavior draws the suspicion of mall security (Bernie Mac). But when befriending a small boy brings out his kinder side, Willie begins to wonder if there is still some hope for him.

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Critics Consensus

A gloriously rude and gleefully offensive black comedy, Bad Santa isn't for everyone, but grinches will find it uproariously funny.

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Nick Schager

The Daily Beast

Climactic uplift is far less important than the bawdy, nasty, inappropriate hilarity peddled by Terry Zwigoff’s 2003 gem, which also benefits from the participation of the late Bernie Mac and John Ritter.

Dec 5, 2022

Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

In the annals of movie profanity, this movie would rate an Oscar, but it's actually pretty sweet at heart, although never sentimental. And if you don't believe me, you know what you can do.

Dec 14, 2014

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David Ansen

Newsweek

An antidote to forced holiday cheer, this scabrously funny misanthropic comedy is not for the whole family.

Dec 14, 2014

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

The film contains perhaps 90 seconds of genuine amusement. The rest is forced, juvenile, "off."

Feb 15, 2021

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

His journey of humanization (or the softening of a terribly hardened heart) is sometimes genuinely poignant, even when it's surrounded by preposterously reprehensible conduct.

Rated: 8/10

Sep 25, 2020

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Lauren Graham was wonderful as the sweet, at times horny, bartender with a thing for Santa.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 2, 2020

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Yash B

"Bad Santa" is truly a fascinating movie because it is really about a main character who has basically no redeemable qualities. I found it difficult to get invested in this movie because even when it tries to be heartfelt, it feels like the negative qualities of the character outweigh everything. I do enjoy it because it is crass and profane and owns it, and sometimes I find it pretty funny too. I feel like it is a unique Christmas movie with its vibe, and I appreciate that, but I also don't think it ranks among my favorite comedies, either, as I wasn't laughing as much as I was hoping. Overall, it is an okay movie for fans of R-rated comedies, but it felt a bit underwhelming for me personally.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/30/25

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Island E

i love this movie. its hilarious. but its a very subjective opinion as i see myself in this. i too am deeply rotten and in generall i dont like kids... yet i get to work with children and i like "them"... they restore parts of my humanity and its wholesome like this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/27/25

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Faze M.

Only watched 20 minutes and it's to good to the point where Billy Bob Thortan is reminding me of Steven Oggs Trevor Phillips From Rockstars GTA5

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/18/25

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Isaiah

This movie is my least favorite movie

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/01/25

Full Review

Matheus F

Funniest christmas movie ever! Billy Bob Thornton knows how to surprise and deliver a good fun.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/01/25

Full Review

Aleksandar D

Can't get more ridiculous than this. It kinda reminds me of what I would be like if I was Santa.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/26/24

Full Review

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Terry Zwigoff

Director

Billy Bob Thornton

Willie

Tony Cox

Marcus

Brett Kelly

The Kid

Lauren Graham

Sue

Lauren Tom

Lois

Bad Santa: Official Clip - I'm a Dwarf!

2:10

Bad Santa: Official Clip - Santa's Staying Over

2:09

Bad Santa: Official Clip - Santa's Fatherly Advice

1:48

Bad Santa: Official Clip - He's Freakin' Me Out

2:05

Bad Santa: Official Clip - Nutcracker

1:58

Bad Santa: Official Clip - Bob Chipeska

1:42

Bad Santa: Official Clip - The Three B's

2:03

Bad Santa: Official Clip - Wooden Pickle

2:13

Bad Santa: Official Clip - You People

1:54

Bad Santa: Official Clip - I Always Had a Thing For Santa Claus

2:05

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Synopsis

In this dark comedy, the crotchety Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) and his partner (Tony Cox) reunite once a year for a holiday con. Posing as a mall Santa and his elf, they rip off shopping outlets on Christmas Eve. This year, however, Willie is falling apart. He's depressed and alcoholic, and his erratic behavior draws the suspicion of mall security (Bernie Mac). But when befriending a small boy brings out his kinder side, Willie begins to wonder if there is still some hope for him.

Director: Terry Zwigoff
Producer: John Cameron, Sarah Aubrey, Bob Weinstein
Screenwriter: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Production Co: Triptych Pictures, The KL Line, Columbia Pictures, Dimension Films
Rating: R (Some Violence|Pervasive Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Holiday, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.1M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround

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