Bad Santa (2003)

Director:

Terry Zwigoff

Writers (WGA):

Glenn Ficarra (written by) &
John Requa (written by)

Release Date:

26 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

He's very naughty . . . and not very nice. [DVD]

Plot:

A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Elf | Bartender | Department Store | Santa Claus

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Dec. 25	9:00 AM	SPIKETV
Fri. Dec. 25	11:00 AM	SPIKETV

Cast

Billy Bob Thornton	...	Willie
Tony Cox	...	Marcus
Brett Kelly	...	The Kid
Lauren Graham	...	Sue
Lauren Tom	...	Lois
Bernie Mac	...	Gin
John Ritter	...	Bob Chipeska
Ajay Naidu	...	Hindustani Troublemaker
Lorna Scott	...	Milwaukee Mother
Harrison Bieker	...	Milwaukee Boy
Alex Borstein	...	Milwaukee Mom with Photo
Alexandra Korhan	...	Girl on Santa's Lap
Dylan Charles	...	Milwaukee Bratty Boy
Billy Gardell	...	Milwaukee Security Guard
Lisa Ross	...	Milwaukee Bartender

Also Known As:

Badder Santa (USA) (longer version)
Un santa no tan santo (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
Babbo bastardo (Italy) [it]
Bad Santa (Spain) [es]
Méchant Père Noël (Canada: French title) [fr]
Mosul cel rau (Romania) [ro]
O ai Vasilis einai sketi lera (Greece) (TV title) [el]
O ai Vasilis einai... lera (Greece) [el]
Paha pukki (Finland) [fi]
Papai Noel às Avessas (Brazil) [pt]
Vastik Vana (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content and some violence. (also director's cut)

Runtime:

91 min | 88 min (Director's cut) | 98 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Spain:18 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Malaysia:(Banned) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Ireland:18 (extended version) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 (original rating) | Germany:16 (extended version) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15PG | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (also director's cut) (certificate #40305) | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Chile:14

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

First movie in Ireland to be rated the new 16 certificate.

Goofs:

Continuity: The child thief's cap is alternately on his head and in his hands when store-dick throws him out.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Willie: Hey, can I get another drink down here?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Seasons Freaklings

Crude,Rude and Surprisingly Touching

I avoided this flic when it first came out due to the reviews which concentrated on the 'cynicism'and 'edgyness' of the effort. It is crude.It is rude.And is is filled with enough 4-letter words to be its own zone of bad taste. Know what else? Billy Bob Thorton is masterful as is the rest of the cast.There are no 'heroes',but Billy Bob is not exactly an anti-hero either.He portrays a broken,dysfunctional loser who holds nothing in contempt so much as himself.Desiring nothing so much as extinction,he rambles through life hating EVERYTHING. But it's Christmas,and even for losers third,fourth,fifth,or 50th chances sometimes show up.Watching Billy Bob's character 'grow-up'during the film is surprisingly heartwarming.For a broken man,he does the best he can once he allows himself to 'give-a-damm'. See this for his performance(and the rest of the cast),and be surprised.