Bad Santa
I was never really sold on Bad Santa upon first release. It was something that never interested me. For one, seeing accomplished actor Billy Bob Thorton stumble his way through a strained plot seemed like the last thing I wanted to see at Christmas. But with the rise of Christmas Commercialism and too much emphasis on holiday loveliness, there has been a steady bout of cynical Christmas movies. Bad Santa falls flat first into that category whilst also managing to encompass something unique and special about a holiday that has been tirelessly done before.
As mentioned before Bad Santa stars Billy Bob Thornton as Willie. Willie is the most unfortunate of souls; alcoholic and sex addicted, he masquerades as a mall Santa in order to sneak into the mall and steal thousands of items with his friend and mastermind, Marcus. However, Willie is getting worse. He is insulting the children, pissing himself and not being all that pleasant to keep the charade for another heist. Everything that really encompasses Christmas, really. Joking, Willie meets a bullied yet naïve child named Thurman and when he needs a place to hide-out, he goes into Thurman’s expensive home. Will Willie finally feel that human bond his life has been devoid off?
From the bat, you can tell that Bad Santa is going to be squeamish. After all, we are dealing with the rough end of alcohol abuse. Willie is basically dragged through the gutter, feeling the heavy hand of drinking 24/7. There’s a darker underline to Bad Santa that pulls it away from the usual garb. Balancing the jokes with vomit, violence and a lead character who is utterly appalling. Similar to recent connotation of Bruce Robertson, there is enough detest here to put you off; if shitting and fucking isn’t your cup of tea.
What saves Bad Santa from being too juvenile is that Willie has a turning point. He gets his comeuppance and learns a lot. He has a difficult and upsetting background that he took it to a bad place. The moment of realisation comes when Thurman who is possibly the most annoyingly sweet kid in the whole thing, opens Willie to the arsehole he is being and he is dangerously close to inflicting on Thurman what his father did to him. Willie actually starts to care about the people in his life and he shows it in his own messed up way. The turnaround climatic scene with Willie determined to deliver Thurman his Christmas present, granted stolen.
Researching this movie that has become a cult classic, a lot think it is against consumerism. While the anarchic crimes that face the malls and the managers of them played brilliantly by John Ritter and Bernie Mac, you can get the sense that it is one great big middle finger to what Christmas has become. But sometimes, this doesn’t come across. Rather it feels more like no matter how far into the abyss you may feel, there is a chance you can come back.