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

12/05/2022

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.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

12/14/2014

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.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

12/14/2014

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

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

02/15/2021

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

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

09/25/2020

8/10

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.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/02/2020

3.0/4.0

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

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Storm M

@stormagnet 1h

M*******d. I'm guessing Eric Trump likes this movie.

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Elad K

@Elad73 6d

This is absolutely the best Christmas movie of all times (unless you still believe in Santa)

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guglielmo d

6d

Great movie! It really is! It is very raw and original. And it keeps you locked in the whole time.

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Raymond D.

@raydiaz Dec 8

A raucous and raunchy holiday movie about a man and his friend who play a mall Santa and an elf who reunite every Christmas to pull a con of ripping off shopping outlets. The Billy Bob Thornton character befriends a boy who affects his heart and brings out his soft side. Also stars Tony Cox, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham and in his last appearance, John Ritter.

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Michael W

@mawilps Dec 7

This Christmas comedy was great. Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, Brett Kelly, John Ritter, and the rest of the cast did a great job in this movie. The plot of the movie was humorous and dramatic. It's about a criminal who dresses up as Santa to rob malls tries to change his ways and become a good role model to a kid he meets. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's worth a watch.

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TheMovieSearch R

@TheMovieSearch Dec 4

Bad Santa is one of those rare films that’s so bad, it’s genuinely entertaining. Billy Bob Thornton delivers a career-defining performance as the worst Santa Claus imaginable, effortlessly balancing crude humor and unexpected charm. The screenplay is chaotic, bouncing between funny, shocking, and occasionally pointless moments, yet the film remains captivating simply because of Thornton’s magnetic presence. While the direction wavers at times, failing to maintain consistent pacing or tone, the movie’s irreverence and audacious comedy more than make up for its flaws. Bad Santa proves that movies don’t need to be perfect—or even particularly good—to be enjoyable. It’s a hilarious, twisted holiday film that thrives on its sheer audacity, and Thornton’s performance alone makes it worth watching.

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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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