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Bad Santa

  • 2003
  • R
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
164K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
254
225
Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Tony Cox, and Brett Kelly in Bad Santa (2003)
Trailer for Bad Santa
Play trailer1:43
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Dark ComedyHoliday ComedyRaunchy ComedyComedyCrimeDramaHoliday

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.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.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.

  • Director
    • Terry Zwigoff
  • Writers
    • Glenn Ficarra
    • John Requa
  • Stars
    • Billy Bob Thornton
    • Bernie Mac
    • Lauren Graham
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    164K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    254
    225
    • Director
      • Terry Zwigoff
    • Writers
      • Glenn Ficarra
      • John Requa
    • Stars
      • Billy Bob Thornton
      • Bernie Mac
      • Lauren Graham
    • 563User reviews
    • 175Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 12 nominations total

    Videos3

    Bad Santa: Blu-Ray
    Trailer 1:43
    Bad Santa: Blu-Ray
    Bad Santa
    Trailer 1:38
    Bad Santa
    Bad Santa
    Trailer 1:38
    Bad Santa
    We Are Santa | Supercut
    Clip 1:03
    We Are Santa | Supercut

    Photos192

    View Poster
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    + 185
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    Top Cast51

    Edit
    Billy Bob Thornton
    Billy Bob Thornton
    • Willie
    Bernie Mac
    Bernie Mac
    • Gin
    Lauren Graham
    Lauren Graham
    • Sue
    Tony Cox
    Tony Cox
    • Marcus
    Brett Kelly
    Brett Kelly
    • The Kid
    Lauren Tom
    Lauren Tom
    • Lois
    John Ritter
    John Ritter
    • Bob Chipeska
    Ajay Naidu
    Ajay Naidu
    • Hindustani Troublemaker
    Lorna Scott
    Lorna Scott
    • Milwaukee Mother
    Harrison Bieker
    • Milwaukee Boy
    Alex Borstein
    Alex Borstein
    • Milwaukee Mom with Photo
    Alexandra Korhan
    • Drum Set Girl
    Dylan Charles
    • Milwaukee Bratty Kid
    Billy Gardell
    Billy Gardell
    • Milwaukee Security Guard
    Lisa Ross
    Lisa Ross
    • Milwaukee Bartender
    Bryan Callen
    Bryan Callen
    • Miami Bartender
    Tom McGowan
    Tom McGowan
    • Harrison
    Grace Calderon
    • Big Booty Woman
    • Director
      • Terry Zwigoff
    • Writers
      • Glenn Ficarra
      • John Requa
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews563

    7.0163.5K
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    Featured reviews

    geeked-out-4-movies

    A uproariously side splitting masterpiece! Greatest comedy ever made!

    I went into this movie because I thought it looked funny and it really extended my expectations. The movie is absolutely hysterically. Side splitengly funny on every level . Billy Bob Thorton deserves an Oscar for this movie as does Tony Cox. There are so many scenes in this set make you laugh so unbelievably hard the acting is fantastic and the script is really good. I simply love the bad Santa a lot and this is one of my absolute favorite Christmas comedies ever literally ever. If you enjoy this movie, bad Santa, you have a really good taste in movies. I applaud your taste.

    I give Bad Santa 10 stars out of 10.
    9marcosaguado

    Zwigoff

    Billy Bob Thornton has found his Josef Von Sternberg in Terry Zwigoff. As a revolting, immoral, insignificant Santa, Billy Bob is a wonder. His face is a moving, disturbing, hysterical reflection of his awareness. His life sucks. The cut from Miami to Billy Bob and his partner walking down the street in their Christmas costumes is, on its own, worth the price of admission. Terry Zwigoff has transformed the crumbs of society into a sophisticated, adult, art form. Billy Bob and his sensational young co star Brett Kelly create characters never seen before on the screen and as a consequence we cling on to their every nuance, incapable to predict what could happen next. That in itself makes Bad Santa a very welcome surprise and a great time at the movies.
    8trickydicky

    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.
    7=G=

    Excellent casting

    He drinks and smokes and pukes and wets his pants and has sex in public places. He has a horrible attitude, a trash mouth, is mean to little kids, hates himself, and robs department stores. Ok, so he's not all bad, but he is without a doubt the worst department store Santa ever. There's not a lot of stretching required of Thornton to get into character in this flick which capitalizes on the grosser than gross sense of comedy/humor as it wends its way through a simple tale about a scamming Santa and his dwarf/elf sidekick who rip off a department store a year to avoid honest toil. A mildly creative love it or hate it flick which tries as hard to be disgusting as funny, "Bad Santa" has, for obvious reasons, received mixed reviews. Only for the thick skinned who aren't easily offended by bad language, bad attitudes, or bad, bad Santas. (B)
    8sfwriter999

    One of the funniest movies for a long time

    I saw the trailers and knew what I was in for when I went to see Bad Santa. It's not Nice Santa or Naughty Santa, but BAAADD SANTA, horribly drunk and disorderly Santa. Rude and Crude Santa.

    I laughed until tears streamed down my face.

    There is a lot of sexual situations and profanity, but you have to look past it. Those sensitive to foul language should not watch this movie nor FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL. This is not a kiddie movie, but a movie made for adults.

    Compared to ELF, SANTA CLAUSE, and a whole raft of other so-so Christmas related comedies, this is one of the best. Most holiday humor movies are always on the lightside with an eye to the children market during the holidays. This one ranks in there with A Christmas STORY and PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES and THE GRINCH WHO STOLE Christmas (cartoon version).

    BAD SANTA is Christmas at its darkest, full of profanity, bad people, and evil deeds. But at the heart of it is a small bit of caring by one Bad Santa.

    Movie and TV Santas We Love

    Movie and TV Santas We Love

    Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with some of our favorite portrayals of Santa Claus.
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    Related interests

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford in Fleabag (2016)
    Dark Comedy
    Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
    Holiday Comedy
    Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane in Ted 2 (2015)
    Raunchy Comedy
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    James Stewart, Donna Reed, Beulah Bondi, Carol Coombs, Karolyn Grimes, and Thomas Mitchell in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    Holiday

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Billy Bob Thornton has said that he was genuinely intoxicated during some of filming. In the escalator fall scene, he actually passed out after drinking three glasses of red wine for breakfast followed by vodkas, cranberry juice, and a few Bud Lights.
    • Goofs
      When Marcus turns off the surveillance cameras, he uses one button to turn off the TVs. If he just turned off the TVs, then the cameras would still be recording (but the images wouldn't be displayed in the security room).
    • Quotes

      [Willie has just passed out]

      Gin: Look here, get himy outta here and I'll go smooth things over with Chipeska, Tell him it was food poisoning or something.

      Marcus: What do you mean, get him outta here?

      Gin: Take him to the car.

      Marcus: In case you didn't notice I'm a motherfucking dwarf, so unless you got a forklift handy, maybe you should lend a hand hmm?

      Gin: That figures. You want all kind of set-asides. Special treatment 'cause you're handicapped. You're all the same.

      Marcus: Special treatment? I'm 3-foot-fucking-tall you asshole! It's a matter of physics. Draw me a sketch of how I get him to the car, huh?

      Gin: Bitch, Bitch, Bitch!

      Marcus: Sketch it up, you fucking moron. Fucking Leonardo da Vinci.

      Gin: What'd you call me thigh-high?

      Marcus: I called you a fucking guinea homo from the 15th-fucking-century, you dickhead!

      Gin: I could stick you up my ass, small fry.

      Marcus: Yeah? You sure it ain't too sore from last night?

      Gin: You got some lip on you midget.

      Marcus: Yeah? Well these lips were on your wife's pussy last night. Why don't you dust that thing off once in a while? Asshole!

    • Crazy credits
      There is a special thanks to Leonardo DiCaprio
    • Alternate versions
      The 99-minute 'Badder Santa' was assembled by the studio without any input from the director. The 88-minute 'Director's Cut' was assembled and approved by Zwigoff.
    • Connections
      Edited into Bad Santa: Deleted and Alternate Scenes (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No.2
      Written by Frédéric Chopin (as Frederick Chopin)
      Performed by Idil Biret, piano
      Courtesy of Naxos
      By arrangement with Source/Q

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    Holiday Movie Posters We Love

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    FAQ23

    • How long is Bad Santa?Powered by Alexa
    • Common lore has it that Billy Bob Thornton was actually intoxicated during shooting Bad Santa. Is this true?
    • What are the alarm codes punched in by the security guards?
    • What are the differences between the R-Rated version and the Unrated Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 26, 2003 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Germany
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Un santa no tan santo
    • Filming locations
      • Del Amo Fashion Center - Hawthorne Boulevard & Carson Street, Torrance, California, USA(as Saguaro Square Mall)
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Dimension Films
      • Triptych Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $23,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $60,060,328
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $12,500,000
      • Nov 30, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $76,490,995
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 32m(92 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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