Bad Santa
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Updated: May 15
I love a good Christmas movie! I’ve spent a lifetime watching and rewatching all the classics, old and new—from A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life to White Christmas, A Christmas Story and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The list is endless. And as many times as I’ve seen my favorite holiday movies, I don’t care that the stories—whether drama, comedy or musical—often rely on the same themes to hook my emotions: the healing power of family, the celebration of holiday rituals, the nostalgic wonder of being a child during that special time of year, and, of course, a syrupy happy ending. Predictable? Yes. Comforting? Absolutely!
Bad Santa stays true to its spirit of Christmas anarchy.
But for my taste, too much storytelling sentiment can be boring and will harden the arteries, which is why I’m also a big fan of Christmas movies that surprise us and go off-the-road in startling ways. And for me, no Christmas film has more fun breaking the mold than the 2003 comedy, Bad Santa. Be advised: this is not a film for the kids, nor is it a film for those who might be offended by a vulgar, foul-mouthed, lecherous, alcoholic Santa; a Santa who hates kids and uses his disguise to help him steal from the department stores where he works. A Santa who has an equally debauched elf working with him as his partner in crime, and who has a bartender girlfriend who falls for him because she can’t resist a man in a Santa hat. And as for the sad, lonely little boy who attaches himself to Santa, let’s just say that where other movies would use this relationship to set Santa on the road to moral redemption, Bad Santa never blinks and stays true to its spirit of Christmas anarchy.
To say that Bad Santa delights in overturning every holiday movie convention is an understatement. It’s ribald, offensive—and most important, it’s incredibly funny. How this movie ever got made by a mainstream Hollywood studio is a Christmas miracle in its own right…and I’m grateful for it.
The film stars Billy Bob Thornton as Santa, Tony Cox as his elf partner, and a supporting cast that includes Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac, and John Ritter, who is hilarious as the department store manager. This was Ritter’s last film and it’s dedicated to him.
I give Bad Santa three-and-one-half out of four stars.
I just don’t recommend watching it with the whole family. Unless, that is, you go in for a little Christmas anarchy now and then.
