If you remember the controversy over "Silent Night, Deadly Night," the 1984 splatter flick that was pulled from release when Siskel & Ebert along with most of the mothers of America complained about the insane killer dressing up as Santa Clause, then you might be surprised that anybody would try to tempt fate by making a movie about a "Bad Santa," let along this unrated "Badder Santa" version. But the idea behind the film apparently came from the Cohen Brothers and you know full well that a movie starring Billy Bob Thornton is not going to be boring. So if a cursing Santa Clause offends you be prepared to be offended pretty much from start until almost the finish in this 2003 comedy..



The tagline for this film was that "He doesn't care if you're naughty or nice," but this Santa has a definite predilection for the naughty side of life. "Bad Santa" is actually Willie T. Stoke (Thornton), who would have to clean up to be merely decrepit. The only reason he is not the most foul-mouthed person you have ever heard in a movie is because he is usually too drunk to offer more than a single cursed filled comment on any particular subject. Willie is working at Santa for only two reasons. First, he is cheaper than the regular Santa. Second, he has his own elf, named Marcus (Tony Cox), a "little person" as it is finally decided would be the safe way to describe him. The two are actually a couple of thieves. Each Christmas season they get a gig in a department store and then, when the vault is full of cash, they break into it and steal it (Marcus offers some natural advantages to the art of having already entered when you break in).



Unfortunately, after several years of pulling this off Marcus has just about had enough of Willie. For that matter, Willie has just about had enough of himself as well. But then, in the great tradition of Scrooge, Willie has a trio of encounters. First there is Sue (Lauren Graham, making a concerted and successful effort to shock fans into realizing she can play more than a good Gilmore girl), a bartender who has a thing for guys in Santa suits, even if the guy in the suit is Willie. Even in what passes for the afterglow of a romp with Willie, she is able to make something of a connection with him. After a while even Willie notices this as well.



Second, there is Gin Slagel (Bernie Mac), the head of security at this particular mall. When the store manager, played by the late John Ritter, informs Gin of some suspicious behavior by Willie and Marcus, it becomes clear that this store will not be easy pickings. Ritter's performance is worthy of note because it reminds you how talented he was. There is a scene where he keeps trying to steal the scene from Mac, who fires back by eating an orange (believe me, this is funny orange eating). A life of crime is no future if you are going to get caught.



Third, and most importantly, there is this kid (Brett Kelly). He is a round little kid who is oblivious to both the skateboarders who torment him when he walks down the street and to the torrent of obscenity that Santa directs towards him (Yes, he has a name, but that would be telling). The kid lives with a grandmother (Cloris Leachman) who brings a twist to being senile while his parents are "away," and the situation is just too good for Willie to pass up despite the fact that the kid (a) never shuts up and (b) never reacts to anything that this bad Santa does.



Ultimately the movie comes down to Bad(der) Santa and the Kid. Think of this as water dripping on a stone. Eventually it leaves a mark and the question here is whether Wilie's small moments of conscience will evolve into anything close to a grand gesture. This is not to suggest that there is a great character arc to Willie, because he is hurtling towards ground zero from the start of this movie and has clearly achieved terminal velocity. Screenwriters John Requa and Glenn Ficarra know that they have a bad Santa here and they milk that for what it is worth.



Actually I was quite surprised that "Badder Santa" was not funnier, simply because given how well it did in the theaters I thought this must be a really laugh riot, especially once you stop worrying about the rating. It is not quite that funny and it is more the antics of the bad Santa that get you going than it is a series of memorable one liners (i.e., you do not go around quoting lines from this film afterwards and kicking or punching people in the groin is not something I can support as first choice for problem solving). But the film is anchored by the performance of Thornton and the rest of the cast, and director Terry Zwigoff keeps the proceedings on track. Besides, whether you see "Bad Santa" or "Badder Santa" you have to know going in whether or not you are going to be so offended that you are not going to be able to watch the whole thing. But I am suspicious that the "cleaner" version might actually be funnier because after a while Willie goes so far that even the vengeance of the little people could not save him.