Bad Santa
| Bad Santa | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Terry Zwigoff |
| Written by | Glenn Ficarra John Requa uncredited: Joel Coen Ethan Coen Terry Zwigoff |
| Produced by | John Cameron Ethan Coen Joel Coen Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein |
| Starring | Billy Bob Thornton Tony Cox Brett Kelly Lauren Graham Lauren Tom John Ritter Bernie Mac |
| Cinematography | Jamie Anderson |
| Edited by | Robert Hoffman |
| Music by | David Kitay |
| Distributed by | Dimension Films Columbia Pictures |
Release date | November 26, 2003 |
Running time | 91 minutes (Theatrical) 88 minutes (Director's cut) 98 minutes (Unrated) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million |
| Box office | $76,057,639 |
Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter (in his final live-action film) co-star. Lauren Graham, Lauren Tom, Ethan Phillips, Brett Kelly, and Cloris Leachman are also featured.
The unrated version of the film was released on DVD on March 5, 2004 and on high-definition Blu-ray Disc (November 20, 2007) as Badder Santa. A director's cut DVD was released in November 2006. It features Zwigoff's cut of the film (including an audio commentary with him and the film's editor), but is three minutes shorter than the theatrical cut and ten minutes shorter than the unrated version. The film was screened out of competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Plot
Willie T. Stokes works the holiday seasons as a mall Santa with his dwarf friend, Marcus, who works as Santa's elf. Every Christmas Eve they disable the security alarm after hours and rob the mall; afterwards, Marcus returns to living with his wife, Lois, while Willie goes to Miami and spends all his money on alcohol, a resort condo and other hedonistic pursuits.
The next year at a new mall, Willie's alcoholic rants arouse the suspicions of mall Manager Bob Chipeska, who asks Security Chief Gin Slagel to investigate. Willie meets bartender Sue, and they begin a relationship. He also meets a pudgy, preteen boy, whom he nicknames the Kid, during their visit in the mall. When he leaves a bar a hostile man confronts Willie, but the Kid stops the man from beating Willie. A lonely, unpopular boy, the Kid lives with his senile grandmother; his mother is dead and his father is in prison for embezzlement. Willie takes the Kid home and breaks into the safe, taking the money and his father's BMW.
Irritated by Willie's reckless behavior, Marcus berates him for his new car, his alcoholism and his flirtatiousness with customers. When Gin breaks into Willie's motel room posing as a police officer, Willie moves in with the Kid. During his time spent with the Kid, Willie starts to show small signs of kindness, offering the Kid advice on fighting and playing checkers.
Willie causes more trouble at the mall but continues to spend time with Sue and the Kid. Marcus is continually disgusted by how unreliable Willie has become. Gin, meanwhile, discovers the history of the criminals and he demands half of the loot, creating further friction between Willie and Marcus. Willie goes to the mall drunk and destroys a nativity display. Marcus and Gin try to cover it up, but get into an argument. The next day, Willie tries to commit suicide, giving the Kid a letter explaining the mall robbery. He changes his mind when he sees how the bullies have blackened the Kid's eye; Willie beats up the lead bully. Willie feels that he did something good for the first time in his life. To make sure the Kid can defend himself, Willie and Marcus try to teach him how to box.
The Kid gives Willie a Christmas present in advance: a wooden pickle he bloodied when he cut himself carving it. He gives Willie a low-grade report card, hoping to make him happy. Willie learns the Kid's name is Thurman Merman. Thurman asks for a pink stuffed elephant this year, since he hasn't received any presents for the past two years.
That night, Marcus and Lois murder Gin with their van when he refuses to take less than half the money. On Christmas Eve, Sue helps Willie and Thurman decorate their house for Christmas. Willie leaves to rob the mall with Marcus. After cracking the safe, Willie takes a stuffed elephant for Thurman. However, Marcus produces a gun and plans to kill Willie because he is too unreliable. Willie, in tears, asks Marcus and Lois if they really need everything they steal. Fortunately for Willie, the Police arrive, having been tipped off by Willie's letter that Thurman gave them. Willie flees and speeds (to the sound of Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in the background) to Thurman's house to give him his present; he arrives at the house but the Police shoot him eight times in front of the neighborhood. Willie survives and avoids prison time because of the letter and the fact that an unarmed man dressed in a Santa suit getting shot eight times in front of screaming children "is more fucked up than Rodney King", as Willie puts it. The Police arrest Marcus and Lois. Sue is legally given guardianship of Thurman and Willie receives a sensitivity trainer job for the Police Department. The movie closes with Thurman walking outside to fix his new bike. The bully from earlier in the movie is waiting outside his house and confronts him, but Thurman kicks him in the testicles and rides away with a carefree attitude.
Cast
- Billy Bob Thornton as Willie T. Stokes
- Tony Cox as Marcus
- Brett Kelly as Thurman Merman
- Lauren Graham as Sue
- Lauren Tom as Lois
- Bernie Mac as Gin Slagel
- John Ritter as Bob Chipeska
- Cloris Leachman as Granny
- Alex Borstein as Milwaukee mom
- Billy Gardell as Milwaukee Security Guard
- Lisa Ross as Milwaukee bartender
- Bryan Callen as Miami bartender
- Christine Pichardo as photo elf
- Tom McGowan as Harrison
- Ajay Naidu as Hindustani troublemaker
- Ethan Phillips as Roger Merman
- Matt Walsh as Herb
- Max Van Ville as Bully
- Natsuko Ohama as Asian pedicurist
- Briana Norton as pinball machine girl
- Hayden Bromberg as Fraggle-Stick Car boy
- Ryan Pinkston as shoplifter
- Curtis Taylor as Phoenix Security Guard
- Sheriff John Bunnell as Phoenix Police Chief
Production
Bad Santa, Zwigoff's fourth film, was his most mainstream, following the limited releases of Crumb and Ghost World. The original screenplay was written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who had previously been known for the 2001 family film Cats and Dogs. They would later go on, alongside Bill Lancaster (the original screenwriter; although he has since died, he is still credited), to write the screenplay for the 2005 remake of The Bad News Bears, also starring Billy Bob Thornton. Prior to filming, producers Ethan and Joel Coen and director Zwigoff did rewrites on the script, although by WGA rules, they were uncredited.
Several different actors interested in the role of Willie were unable to participate due to scheduling conflicts. Among them were Jack Nicholson and Bill Murray, who were already filming Something's Gotta Give and Lost in Translation, respectively. Coincidentally, Nicholson, Murray and Thornton all received Golden Globe nominations that same year for their roles, with Murray winning the award.
Reception
The movie attracted bad publicity before its release from critics, who likened the movie to an "evil twin" of Miracle on 34th Street and chided The Walt Disney Company for allowing such a beloved figure as Santa Claus to be trashed by its Miramax subsidiary.[2]
The film has a rating of 7.2 at the Internet Movie Database,[3] an aggregate "Certified Fresh" rating of 77% at Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus saying "This black comedy isn't for everyone, but grinches will find it uproaringly funny.",[4] and 3½ stars out of four by Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert.[5]
The film grossed over $60 million at U.S. box offices and over $76 million worldwide.[6]
This was John Ritter's last live-action movie role — he died two months before the release — and it is dedicated in his memory.
Home media
In the U.S, a theatrical version, an unrated version, a director's cut and a Blu-ray version (which includes unrated and director's cut) have all been released. According to dvdtown.com, the special features for the theatrical cut of the film included: a behind-the-scenes special, outtakes, and deleted scenes. The unrated edition was released June 22, 2004 and had all of the above plus a 'Badder Santa' gag reel and over seven minutes of unseen footage. The director's cut was released October 10, 2006 and contained the new version of the film (in which Zwigoff originally intended it to be) and it had a new commentary (in addition to the rest of the features: outtakes, deleted/alternate scenes, and the behind-the-scenes feature). The Blu-ray version released November 20, 2007 contained the unrated version and the director's cut of the movie. Among its special features were director's commentary, an interview with Zwigoff and editor Robert Hoffmann, along with other features ported over from the previous unrated version's release in addition to a showcase feature.
Sequel
On September 18, 2009, Billy Bob Thornton appeared on a segment of the NFL Network's flagship show, NFL Total Access, called "Celebrity Picks". He confirmed that, after host Rich Eisen hinted, there will be a sequel to Bad Santa, and it is currently in the pre-production stages, and is expected to be released by Christmas 2011.[7]
In March 2011, Billy Bob Thornton and The Weinstein Company confirmed that negotiations had begun for a sequel.[8]
References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Bad Santa". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
- ^ http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20031120-075904-1339r.htm
- ^ Bad Santa at IMDb
- ^ Bad Santa at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031126/REVIEWS/311260302
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=badsanta.htm
- ^ http://www.deadline.com/2010/12/weinsteins-and-miramax-strike-sequels-deal/
- ^ http://www.punchdrunkcritics.com/2011/03/billy-bob-thornton-in-talks-for-bad.html
External links
