Bad Santa (2003)
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A crude and unapologetic take on the holiday season follows a dysfunctional Santa Claus and his accomplice as they navigate a heist and a burgeoning friendship.
The story
Willie T. Soke and his dwarf assistant Marcus Skidmore are professional thieves who operate under the guise of a department store Santa Claus and an elf to rob shopping malls on Christmas Eve. While Marcus takes his role seriously, Willie is a struggling alcoholic and drug addict who struggles to maintain his composure around children. When they are hired at the Saguaro Square Mall in Phoenix, Willie's crude behavior draws unwanted attention from mall management. Amidst the chaos of the holiday season, Willie encounters a gullible young boy named Thurman, whose innocence begins to contrast with the gritty reality of Willie's lifestyle and their criminal operations.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Willie T. Soke and his assistant Marcus Skidmore are thieves who rob malls on Christmas Eve disguised as Santa and an elf. While working at the Saguaro Square Mall, Willie's crude behavior is noticed by management, and he begins a relationship with a local bartender. He also meets Thurman, a gullible boy who believes he is Santa. Willie tricks Thurman into letting him rob a safe and steals his father's car. After being blackmailed by a security chief, Willie moves into Thurman's home. The partnership between Willie and Marcus begins to fray due to Willie's erratic behavior. Before a planned suicide, Willie confronts a gang of bullies harassing Thurman. Marcus and his wife eventually kill the blackmailing security chief. On Christmas Eve, they successfully rob the mall, and Willie gets a gift for Thurman. However, Marcus attempts to kill Willie, only to be interrupted by the police. Willie is shot while fleeing to ensure Thurman gets his gift. In the aftermath, Willie survives and becomes a counselor, while Marcus and his wife are imprisoned. Thurman is left in the care of the bartender, Sue.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Terry Zwigoff
- Writers
- Glenn Ficarra · writer; John Requa · writer
- Cast and characters
- Billy Bob Thornton · Willie T. Soke; Tony Cox · Marcus Skidmore; Lauren Graham; Brett Kelly · Thurman; Lauren Tom; John Ritter; Bernie Mac
- Genres
- comedy; crime
- Themes
- redemption; addiction; innocence
- Tone and mood
- dark comedy; crass
- Setting
- Phoenix, Arizona during the Christmas season.
- Premise and plot tags
- Christmas; heist; buddy film
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, with story by Ethan and Joel Coen.
- Franchise connections
- Bad Santa
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success and received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its bold, offensive humor.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Production trivia
- It was John Ritter's last live-action film appearance.; The Coen brothers served as executive producers.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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