One of the best black comedies released in the past 20 years, Bad Santa rewrites the book on profane, psychopathic loser characters actually providing something other than sorrow on screen. The script is incredibly sharp. Even the obligatory chase-scene finale has a wonderfully warped quality. Up there with the best Christmas movies ever, although definitely not kid-safe.
The performances, by some marvelous scene-stealing actors, are wonderful, but in my book special note has to go to young Brett Kelly as The Kid (actually named Thurman Merman). The child is an ignored cipher, a fat, dumb, cherubic, perhaps mildly autistic blank slate of a personality who is also an incipient stalker. To all outward appearances he is repellent - rotund, snot nosed, dressed like a retard, blank-eyed and stupid - and he somehow develops into the emotional heart of the film. Compare him with Curly Sue and you can see just how far the filmmakers managed to diverge from the beaten path and still score emotional points. Kelly's scenes with arch scene-stealer Billy Bob Thornton, who manages to take a whiskey-sodden, self-hating loser and somehow turn him into a charismatic hero while not hiding an iota of his character's degradation, are gold. For whatever reason, the Kid is determined to bond with Thornton's thieving Santa (possibly due to the absence of anything representing adult authority in his life) and almost impossibly, Thornton's character responds. Enough cannot be said of the casting of this pair and their performances.
They have competition from the other worthy members of the cast. Tony Cox is pitch-perfect as the scheming, evil midget elf trying to keep his safe-cracking Santa from going off the rails before the big payday on Christmas Eve. Bernie Mac as the corrupt, and crafty head of security who is on to them is also good. John Ritter is underused in his bit part, and Lauren Graham, although funny, seems to simply be there to provide whatever warped love interest there could be.
The script is worth five stars and the direction, by underrated genius auteur Terry Zwigoff, is spot-on. Absolutely worth watching. Many times.
The performances, by some marvelous scene-stealing actors, are wonderful, but in my book special note has to go to young Brett Kelly as The Kid (actually named Thurman Merman). The child is an ignored cipher, a fat, dumb, cherubic, perhaps mildly autistic blank slate of a personality who is also an incipient stalker. To all outward appearances he is repellent - rotund, snot nosed, dressed like a retard, blank-eyed and stupid - and he somehow develops into the emotional heart of the film. Compare him with Curly Sue and you can see just how far the filmmakers managed to diverge from the beaten path and still score emotional points. Kelly's scenes with arch scene-stealer Billy Bob Thornton, who manages to take a whiskey-sodden, self-hating loser and somehow turn him into a charismatic hero while not hiding an iota of his character's degradation, are gold. For whatever reason, the Kid is determined to bond with Thornton's thieving Santa (possibly due to the absence of anything representing adult authority in his life) and almost impossibly, Thornton's character responds. Enough cannot be said of the casting of this pair and their performances.
They have competition from the other worthy members of the cast. Tony Cox is pitch-perfect as the scheming, evil midget elf trying to keep his safe-cracking Santa from going off the rails before the big payday on Christmas Eve. Bernie Mac as the corrupt, and crafty head of security who is on to them is also good. John Ritter is underused in his bit part, and Lauren Graham, although funny, seems to simply be there to provide whatever warped love interest there could be.
The script is worth five stars and the direction, by underrated genius auteur Terry Zwigoff, is spot-on. Absolutely worth watching. Many times.