Billy Bob Thorntonas WillieThe story
About Bad Santa
A drunken, foul-mouthed safecracker takes a job as a department-store Santa every December so that he and his partner, dressed as an elf, can empty the shop's safe on Christmas Eve. This year a lonely, bullied boy decides he is the real thing and attaches himself to him, while the store's security chief works out what the pair are up to. Against every instinct, the crook finds himself looking out for the boy.
The CineClaus verdict
The meanest Christmas film anyone has made with a straight face, and funnier than a plot this bleak should allow.
Billy Bob Thornton commits completely to a man with no redeeming features, and the film trusts him to stay that way for most of its running time. The late turn towards decency is small and grudging, which is exactly why it works.
John Ritter, who died weeks before it opened and to whom it is dedicated, adds an unexpected tenderness. Save it for the sourest stretch of December, when forced cheer at the office party has worn you down.
The family desk
Can the kids watch?
Our take: wall-to-wall strong language, crude sex scenes and references, some violence and a permanently drunk lead make this one for older teenagers and adults only.
BBFC advice: Strong language, sex, sex references, discrimination.
Content advice & accessibility
- Where the advice comes from
- The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
- Our age guidance
- Editorial, separate from the official 15 certificate, and never looser than it.
- Subtitles · Audio description
- Check your chosen service and edition for supported tracks.
