Willies Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton, in a role even Jack Nicholson reportedly declined) is a department store Santa Claus who actually could fit down your chimney. But you do not want him to: he's an obscene, lecherous, kid-hating drunk who's only taken the job so he and his equally unrefined "elf" Marcus (Tony Cox) can rob the store on Christmas Eve so they can spend all year in Florida giving themselves cirrhosis and fucking anything that moves. But this year they encounter roadblocks in the form of the prissy mall manager (John Ritter in his last live-action film role) and his wise-cracking security chief (Bernie Mac), a bartender with a Santa fetish (Lauren Graham) and primarily Thurman (Brett Kelly) a chubby, bullied kid to whom Willie's appearance isn't deceiving.
Obviously, Bad Santa is no Miracle on 34th Street, and naturally it pushed many buttons with right-wing US commentators. But if, like me, you like your comedies provocative, Bad Santa will jingle your bells. Director Terry Zwigoff and writers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are merciless in turning holiday wholesomeness into something so proudly subversive, and besides the huge laughs they also pack it with energy. The cast are all a riot also, most of all Tony Cox as dwarf Marcus, who's weary of Willie even when he's not getting hotter than the colour of Rudolph's nose.
For better or worse, this Bad Santa has a permanent place on my "Nice" list. But 2016's sequel is a buzzkill.
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