HE DOESN’T CARE IF YOU’RE NAUGHTY OR NICE.
It begins with a Santa throwing up in the alley behind a bar. He then goes on swearing, being mean to children and sodomizing fat women. The bad Santa is actually a boozy safecracker who’s robbing department stores; one day he grudgingly befriends a strange boy.
Many other films have had similar premises, but there’s no sentimentality here. That’s good, it’s very crude and funny; the script is the least impressive part of the film, but certainly has more to offer than just four-letter words.
Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious as the titular character, and he’s richly supported by Brett Kelly as the kid and John Ritter as an embarrassed store manager.
2003-U.S. 91 min. Color. Directed by Terry Zwigoff. Screenplay: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa. Cast: Billy Bob Thornton (Willie T. Soke), Tony Cox (Marcus), Brett Kelly (The Kid), Lauren Graham, Lauren Tom, Bernie Mac, John Ritter, Octavia Spencer. Cameo: Cloris Leachman.
Trivia: James Gandolfini, Bill Murray and Jack Nicholson were considered for the part of the Santa. This was Ritter’s final film. Co-executive produced by the Coen brothers, who developed the original story. Followed by Bad Santa 2 (2016).
Quote: “Let me tell you something, motherfucker. My brother lost a goddamn arm fighting you fuckers in Vietnam.” (Thornton to a Hindu man)
Last word: “I did it because I was sick of making personal films – desperately fussing with every frame and every note of music. But before I was hired as director I was asked to take a rewrite at the script, which was more of a polish actually. And then after that polish, the film started to become, without me even being conscious of it, a lot more personal.” (Zwigoff, Combustible Celluloid)
