Bad Santa, Good Movie

Terry Zwigoff’s Bad Santa is hilarious. I don’t think I have laughed so hard at a film since the third time I watched Raising Arizona, and it’s no coincidence that the Coen brothers produced this movie.

I want to stop right there, but I can’t. Let me tell you two things: first, I used to teach at Prairie View A&M University, and my students there loved this movie and couldn’t believe that I had never heard of it. Second, my wife tells me that I make inappropriate jokes and laugh at inappropriate things.

Those two facts probably tell you why I found Bad Santa so funny. First, I didn’t know anything about the film, and second, I share the inappropriate humor of eighteen-year-old freshmen.

Billy Bob Thornton is the bad Santa, and he is such an amazing actor that his comedy appears completely believable. Whereas another actor may have hammed this film up, Thornton plays it like he is a character from Monster’s Ball. So I watch him curse at eight-year-olds and stumble around drunk staring at women's behinds, and I crack up. It’s so preposterous, yet so believable coming from Thornton. I must have laughed a million times just hearing Thornton say “What the f*** do you want?” or some variation to a five-year-old. It’s just hilarious. I laugh just thinking about it.

But that’s where this movie’s goodness ends and its badness begins. The other actors are terrible: Bernie Mac, who I generally like, has a bit part, and he serves no purpose in the film. I think he's only there becuase he's cool. John Ritter’s role is more important and funnier, but he only appears in half of the film (I think he died during the filming, God rest his soul). The actor who played the elf is actually pretty good, but his character’s actions are completely unbelievable, which brings me to the plot of Bad Santa.

The plot is, well, stupid. Every part of it makes no sense: a drunk bum who can crack uncrackable safes? A Santa and elf who have robbed stores for seven years in a row? Has no one caught on to their scheme? The ending is completely preposterous, as well. Such things wouldn’t happen.

The bottom line, I guess, is that Bad Santa is not a good movie. It’s funny, sure. Man, is it funny. (“What the f*** happened to you?” Hah!) But it’s only funny if you like inappropriate humor incorporating vulgarity, sex, and little kids, not particularly in that order, thank goodness. And I guess I enjoy those things…

Grade for Bad Santa: 6