Bad Santa is a comedy film released in 2003. It starred Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac and Lauren Graham. The movie was widely criticized for its excessive use of profanity, sexual content, and overall sleaze, while others praised it as an antidote to standard feel-good Christmas movies & TV specials. It is dedicated to the memory of John Ritter, who played as Bob Chipheska in the film, with special thanks to actor Leonardo DiCaprio and The Miller-Fritch Family
Synopsis
Willie T. Stokes & Marcus are professional heistmen, that take on the Santa Claus routine for the children at a different shopping mall every year as a front for the opportunity to disable the mall security system, clean out the safe, and then flee on Christmas Eve. Willie is an alcoholic, a sex addict and is getting gradually unable to perform the Santa routine much to Marcus' dismay. This year, Willie and Marcus are hired at a mall in Phoenix, Arizona and Willie's vulgar remarks shock the prudish mall manager Bob Chipeska who brings Willie to the attention of security chief Gin Slagel. At a bar, Willie initiates a passionate love affair by charming bartender Sue, who has a Santa fetish.
During his shift as Santa, Willie is visited by Thurman, an exceedingly naive, overweight boy, who believes Willie is actually Santa and is the target of taunts from a skateboarding gang. When Willie is in the parking lot, he is attacked by a man who watched him in the bar insisting he is not gay; Thurman believing Santa needs his assistance intervenes, and the man not wanting to expose the kid to adult matters, leaves.
Willie gives Thurman a ride home, answering Thurman's endless questions, and walks into the boy's affluent house living with just his very senile grandmother. Thurman reveals that his mother passed away, and his father is away "exploring mountains" (when he is actually in jail for embezzlement). As Thurman has no suspicion that Willie is not Santa, makes no resistance when Willie breaks into the house safe and takes his father's BMW.
When Bob overhears Willie having anal sex with a woman in a mall dressing room, informing Gin sets him investigating. When Willie goes to his motel room and sees someone ransacking his room, he inquires a bystanding prostitute as to who is in his room and she suggests a cop. Willie then takes advantage of Thurman's naivety and takes residence in his house enduring Thurman's relentless barrage of questions and breaking down in verbal abuse to a never offended Thurman.
Marcus berates Willie for taking advantage of a kid, and states his disapproval of Willie's "serial fornicating" and endless drinking. Thurman visits Willie during his shift as Santa after receiving a wedgie from his bullies and changes his request of a pink stuffed elephant, not a purple one. After seeing Thurman hurt himself by accidentally cutting his hand, Willie grows fonder towards him, showing him how to defend himself against bullies. Later, while Willie gives Thurman a letter, telling him to give it to the police to explain what will really happen on Christmas Eve at the mall, he notices Thurman has a black eye from the kids who bully him. As a result, Willie attacks the bullies to get them to leave Thurman alone.
Whilst Willie and Sue are fooling around, Thurman interrupts in order to give Willie his present a wooden pickle he made himself.
Gin's investigation of Willie includes visiting Thurman's imprisoned father. Gin reveals his figuring out of the con scheme to the two with blackmailing them for a half cut to keep silence. The day after this, Willie goes to the mall drunk and destroys a nativity display, in a manner reminiscent of The Twilight Zone epsiode Night of the Meek. Marcus and Gin try to cover it up, but get into an argument over how to do so. When Willie is home with Thurman, Marcus and his wife Lois murder Gin as a way of keeping all the money for themselves.
After hearing Thurman sadly insult himself, Willie sternly tells him that he's not really Santa Claus, and that Santa does not exist. Thurman reveals that he's always known there is no Santa but thought that Willie would like to give him a present anyway because they were friends. On Christmas Eve, Willie, Marcus and Lois break into the mall as planned. It takes Willie longer than usual to crack open the safe; Marcus notices this and after successfully opening it, Marcus reveals to Willie that he has become too unreliable and was planning on killing him.
Before Marcus can take his shot, a police squad appears and starts shooting at all three of them. Willie makes an escape with a pink stuffed elephant as Thurman's Christmas present. He escapes and frantically drives back to Thurman's house with a convoy of police in hot pursuit. However, before he can make it to the front door, the police shoot him.
The epilogue is told through a letter from Willie, recovering in the hospital. He expresses his gratitude to Thurman, and reveals that he was cleared of the robbery while Lois and Marcus are sentenced to prison—the shooting of an unarmed Santa embarrassed the police—and that he will be working for the police as a sensitivity counselor. Sue is granted guardianship over Thurman and his house until his father's release. Willie ends the letter by hoping that Roger will avoid them and telling Thurman that he should be discharged from the hospital soon and to be ready for his return. When the lead skateboard bully harasses Thurman again, Thurman finally stands up to him by kicking him hard in the crotch and riding away on his bike giving the finger to the downed bully.
Music
Soundtrack
| Song title | Performed by |
|---|---|
| Chopin's "Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No.2" |
Idil Biret (piano) |
| "Up on the House Top" |
|
| "Jingle Bell Rock" | Bobby Sherman |
| "Please Come Home for Christmas" | Sawyer Brown |
| "Papa Loves Mambo" | Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra |
| "Holly Jolly Christmas" | Burl Ives |
| "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" | Dean Martin |
| "Deck the Halls" | Boots Randolph |
| "Jingle Bells" | Ricky Nelson |
| "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" | The Symphonette Society |
| "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" | Andy Williams |
| Tchaikovsky's "The Sleeping Beauty, Ballet Suite, Op. 66a (Valse)" |
Berlin Radio Synphony Orchestra |
| Shostakovoch's "Jazz Suite #2" | Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra |
| "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Bing Crosby |
| "Winter Wonderland" | Symphonette Society |
| Rossini's "Overture" from "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" |
Zagreb Festival Orchestra Michael Halász (conductor) |
| Verdi's "Anvil Chorus" from "Il Travatore" | Tabernacle Choir |
| "Seasons Freaklings" | Bunnygrunt |
| "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" | Swag Music Group featuring Tom Chappell |
| Uncredited | |
| Bizet's "Habanera" from "Carmen" | |
| "Silent Night, Holy Night" | |
Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker:
| |
| "Por una Cabeza" | |
Cast
| Actor(s)/Actress | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Billy Bob Thornton | Willie T. Stokes |
| 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 | Mother (Milwaukee) |
| Harrison Bieker | Boy (Milwaukee) |
| Alex Borstein | Mom (Milwaukee; w/ photo) |
| Alexandra Korhan | Girl (on Santa's Lap) |
| Dylan Charles | Boy (Milwaukee; Bratty) |
| Billy Gardell | Security Guard (Milwaukee) |
| Lisa Ross | Bartender (Milwaukee) |
| Bryan Callen | Bartender (Miami) |
| Tom McGowan | Harrison |
| Grace Calderon | Woman (Big booty) |
| Christine Pichardo | Photo Elf |
| Bucky Dominick | Boy (Nintendo Deer Hunter 3) |
| Georgia Eskew | Girl (Barbie) |
| Hayden Bromberg | Boy (Fraggle-stick) |
| Max Van Ville | Bully (Skateboard) |
| Briana Norton | Girl (Pinball) |
| Octavia L. Spencer | Opal |
| Hallie Singleton | Woman (in food court) |
| Ryan Pinkston | Shoplifter |
| Natsuko Ohama | Pedicurist |
| Dave Adams | Prison guard |
| Ethan Phillips | Roger Merman |
| Joey Saravia | Child (Pokémon) |
| Cody Strauch Marshall Dvorin |
Boys (Watching) |
| Curtis Taylor | Security guard (Phoenix) |
| Sheriff John Bunnell | Police chief |
| Uncredited | |
| Joe Bucaro III | Sergeant |
| Dylan Cash | Kid (on bike) |
| Cloris Leachman | Grandma |
| Matt Walsh | Herb |
Unrated version
The unrated cut of this film (entitled as Badder Santa) includes these changes:
- An alternate take of Willie leaving the mall at the start with a more vulgar exchange with the security guard.
- A whole new subplot at the beginning with Willie stealing a car and robbing someone's house, and then going to a strip club and bringing a stripper home before hearing the phone message telling him it's that time of year again.
- More footage of Willie having sex in the dressing room.
- The pinball scene with the underage girl is extended with more thrusting.
- More swearing & berating in the food court scene.
- Some more footage of Willie yelling at The Kid after losing a game of checkers.
- The jacuzzi sex scene is slightly longer.
- The scene with Willie confronting a security guard outside the mall is extended.
- A small extension of the Granny Death scene.
- An extended car death scene.
- A longer shoot out at the mall
External links
- Bad Santa at the Internet Movie Database