As the last happy Christmas shoppers are leaving the departmentstore, full of Christmas cheer, the department store Santa isgulping down the last of a fifth of cheap gin and is waiting to belet in by his elf to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In Bad Santa, Billy Bob Thornton plays Willy T. Soke, adegenerate forty-something who runs a scheme every year with hismidget co-worker Marcus (Tony Cox) -- the two get a Christmas gigas Santa and elf, only to rob the store on Christmas Eve.
On this particular job, Willy is getting too drunk. As littlesuburban children come to visit Santa, they are likely to be yelledat, see Santa urinating on himself or beating up the fakereindeer.
One lonely, bizarre and obese kid in particular keeps visitingthis troubled, pathetic Santa, asking him the traditionallyobnoxious questions children ask.
When the kid asks Santa where Mrs. Clause was, Willy repliesthat he was caught sleeping with her sister and now they're splitup.
In a rare act of humanity, Willy gives the kid a ride home andrealizes he is cared for only by his half-senile grandmother in anice suburban home. He begins staying there when the police snooparound his hotel room.
Back at the mall, Santa gets caught with women in the plus-sizefitting room and falls asleep behind Santa's house and has to beawoken by the increasingly annoyed Marcus.
The store's security chief (Bernie Mac) becomes wise to theirplans and wants a cut, therefore allowing the two to stay despitethe large number of suburban moms Santa disgusts.
Willy, the kid, coma-grandma and the bartender with a Santafetish (who becomes Willy's girlfriend) get ready for the mosteventful Christmas of all.
When it all goes down, it is part good and part sheerstubbornness that bring Willy to realize what is reallyimportant.
While this sounds like twenty other made-for TV Christmas moviesabout wayward Santas reformed by the friendship of innocentchildren, think again.
No Christmas movie I have ever seen has had this level ofraunchiness or avoided a sticky-sweet ending the way this filmdoes.
Director Terry Zwigoff brings the same quirky worldview that hebrought to Ghost World to this film.
The flirting with the line between repulsion and humor givesthis film a razor sharp edge.
Not a feel-good film, but it will make you laugh despiteyourself. If you are easily offended it is not for you, but if youare one of those that feel that it is the content of the film --not the predictability -- that makes it good, this might be yourfavorite Christmas movie yet.
