Bad Santa (2003)

A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.

Director:

Terry Zwigoff

Writers:

Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Willie
Tony Cox	...	Marcus
Brett Kelly	...	The Kid
Lauren Graham	...	Sue
Lauren Tom	...	Lois
Bernie Mac	...	Gin
John Ritter	...	Bob Chipeska
Ajay Naidu	...	Hindustani Troublemaker
Lorna Scott	...	Milwaukee Mother
Harrison Bieker	...	Milwaukee Boy
Alex Borstein	...	Milwaukee Mom with Photo
Alexandra Korhan	...	Girl on Santa's Lap
Dylan Charles	...	Milwaukee Bratty Boy
Billy Gardell	...	Milwaukee Security Guard
Lisa Ross	...	Milwaukee Bartender

Storyline

"Bad Santa" is the story of two conmen who go on a road trip to malls dressed as Santa and his elf. Rather than spreading good cheer, the duo's motive is to rob each establishment, a strategy that becomes complicated when they encounter an 8-year-old who teaches them the true meaning of Christmas.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | elf | department store | boy | bartender | 

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Taglines:

He doesn't care if you're naughty or nice.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Badder Santa

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,983 (Hong Kong) (31 December 2004)

Gross:

$2,983 (Hong Kong) (31 December 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Dimension Films, Triptych Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 88 min (Director's cut) 98 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The unrated version of the film furthers the record for the most profanities in a Christmas film, including 170 uses of "fuck", 74 uses of "shit", 31 uses of "ass", 10 uses of "bitch", and 1 use of "bastard", in variable forms.

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Goofs

While Marcus takes a candy cane from Bob Chipeska's desk, you can clearly see that there are three. In the next shot, there are four (after he took one). Also, the number of candy canes is inconsistent between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Willie: Hey, can I get another drink down here?

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Crazy Credits

The producers of Stolichnaya Vodka caution viewers to consume alcoholic beverages responsibly and lawfully and not to consume such beverages in an abusive or irresponsible manner.

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Connections

Features Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Jingle Bell Rock"
(1957)
Written by Joseph Beal and James Boothe
Performed by Bobby Sherman
Courtesy of Bobby Sherman Enterprises, Inc.

User Reviews

Crude,Rude and Surprisingly Touching

I avoided this flic when it first came out due to the reviews which concentrated on the 'cynicism'and 'edgyness' of the effort. It is crude.It is rude.And is is filled with enough 4-letter words to be its own zone of bad taste. Know what else? Billy Bob Thorton is masterful as is the rest of the cast.There are no 'heroes',but Billy Bob is not exactly an anti-hero either.He portrays a broken,dysfunctional loser who holds nothing in contempt so much as himself.Desiring nothing so much as extinction,he rambles through life hating EVERYTHING. But it's Christmas,and even for losers third,fourth,fifth,or 50th chances sometimes show up.Watching Billy Bob's character 'grow-up'during the film is surprisingly heartwarming.For a broken man,he does the best he can once he allows himself to 'give-a-damm'. See this for his performance(and the rest of the cast),and be surprised.