The Worst Film Ever

Sorry, this movie sucks

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Sometimes genuinely obnoxious movies can prove entertaining. "Ghost World" director Terry Zwigoff doesn't pull any punches in his sarcastic, sacrilegious, but sizzling saga about a pair of thieves that dress up like Santa Claus and his Elf accomplice and rob a departmental store of everything at Christmas time. The first thing that is going to rile prospective spectators is the abundant profanity. According to the Kids-in-the-Mind website, the F-word or its derivative is uttered 130 times. This should slash a third of the audience for this interesting, artsy, crime thriller/ character study. Oscar winning actor Billy Bob Thornton is thoroughly persuasive as a down-on-his-luck individual who has dedicated himself to a life of debauchery and wound up masquerading as Santa Claus once a year as part of an elaborate crime. Willy (Billy Bob Thorton) is not the brains behind this skulduggery. Instead, Marcus Skidmore (Tony Cox) organizes everything. Marcus is as ruthless as he is short. He is a small person. Nevertheless, nobody should let Marcus' lack of height lull them into a false sense of security. He uses Willy to break into the safe so they can loot it for an eleven-month holiday until time comes for them to look for a new target. This time, they run into a challenging adversary, a Department Store Security Chief (Bernie Mac") who is as smart as he is cunning. In one of his final theatrical appearances, John Ritter plays a sensitive story supervisor who discovers Willy having anal sex with a customer in a ladies' dressing room. The second reason you won't like "Bad Santa" is the amoral behavior of the hero. He drinks himself into a stupor and often winds up bedding down a single girl. His only dictum is that she must cry "Santa" during their sexual follies. "Bad Santa" is a crude, rude, lewd character study with a surprise ending for what is basically a matter-of-fact crime comedy.

If there were ever a movie that is not the usual holiday movie, this is the one. Tony Cox elf is a classic example of that as he is not one who you want to be near children. Billy Bob Thorton is not a Santa for children either as he appears to dislike them more than anyone. Yet he has a boy adopt him here in a strange sort of way.With Bernie Mac and the deceased John Ritter here, this movie has grown enough in stature that it has finally be sequel ed. While Thorton carries this, and the release was not long after the shock of Ritter's on TV set sudden death, it is still the standard among "R" Rated holiday films.That is not to say it is the best holiday film to watch. It is not perfect. It is an evil sinful delight of a film that plays against the traditional holiday film in many many ways. The folks around Thorton are just as far off as you can possibly imagine. Yet this movie works, and you have to see it to understand why.Bleep, Bleep, Bleep

Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, John Ritter and Bernie Mac star in this 2003 comedy. Thornton (Armageddon) plays Willie, a depressed, sarcastic, alcoholic thief who works as Santa Claus for department stores he robs every Christmas Eve. Cox (Me, Myself & Irene) plays his partner, Marcus who works as his Elf. Soon, an odd kid (Kelly) comes into Willie's life and changes him. Graham (Gilmore Girls, Evan Almighty) plays Sue, a bartender who falls for Willie, the late, Ritter (Problem Child) plays department store boss, Bob and the late, Mac (Ocean's Eleven) plays Gin, the store's head of security who becomes on to Willie & Marcus. This is a good holiday comedy with hilarious and a bit of touching moments. Thornton & Cox are great together and steal the film. I recommend this, but caution that there's a lot of profanity.

Bad Santa (2003): Dir: Terry Zwigoff / Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac: Unbelievably vulgar Christmas comedy about deceit or the wolf in sheep clothing. In this case it is the con artist dressed as Santa who appears with his trusty dwarf dressed as an elf to spread Christmas cheer before robbing the store. Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious as a bitter alcoholic who hates the holidays, which results in numerous amusing drunken outbursts in front of children. Tony Cox plays his midget partner fed up with Thornton's drunkenness, and practically runs an obstacle course just to defuse the alarms. Brett Kelly plays a naïve kid whom Thornton shacks up with when police search his hotel room. Kelly lives with his senile grandmother while his father serves time in prison for tax fraud. Bernie Mac steals scenes as a corrupt security officer. Lauren Graham plays a bar waitress who has a Santa fetish. John Ritter is featured in his final role as a squeamish mall manager. Superb setup that becomes a well written screenplay that may strike a note of truth to some. Director Terry Zwigoff who made Ghost World, takes a chance in a daring conclusion that works all the better because it doesn't play to the typical happy ending with a give and take. Not for families but it does stress the need to turn the bad into good. Score: 9 / 10