Directed by:
Terry ZwigoffCinematography:
Jamie AndersonComposer:
David KitayCast:
Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, Lauren Tom, Bernie Mac, John Ritter, Ajay Naidu, Lorna Scott, Alex Borstein, Ethan Phillips (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Criminals Willie and Marcus disguise themselves as Santa Claus and his elf and travel across the country to major malls, using the good will people have toward Santa to rob the mall stores blind. The problem is, Willie can't stand kids and it's all he can do to keep himself from getting fired while on the job. Their plan still progresses beautifully until the two reprobates meet an introverted 8-year-old boy who thinks Willie is the real Santa Claus. Overweight, awkward, and the frequent target of bullies, the boy manages to arouse something like sympathy from Willie, who tries to give him some advice and develops something vaguely resembling Christmas spirit along the way. (Miramax Films)
(more)Reviews (8)
The brilliant Billy Bob Thornton pulls this controversial whirlwind of black and raunchy humour solely on his shoulders in such a brilliant manner that he manages to mask an inconsistent script that, as it progresses, flounders somewhere in a void between an uncompromising presentation of the 15+ rated word "fuck" and a tawdry family tale about a foul-mouthed Santa learning the true meaning of Christmas under the influence of not only whiskey, but more importantly, a kind little boy. We don't get bored and we are happy to accompany the central couple to the expected conclusion, but the opening "bad motherfucker" part unfortunately far outweighs the rest of the story... 75%
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A provocative, almost subversive, entertaining film about the redemption of an alcohol-soaked criminal, who, along with his accomplice, disguised as Santa Claus, takes advantage of the pre-Christmas shopping atmosphere for some down-to-earth enrichment. Its cynical humor, which undermines the traditional pre-Christmas sentiment of American family films, along with excellent casting led by Billy Bob Thornton, makes this comedy a highly above-average affair. Overall impression: 85%. It's just a pity that the director didn't find understanding from the producer for poking fun at religious rituals and the Christian focus of Christmas celebrations. The original version of the script reportedly contained much sharper humor from the main character.
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The problem is that the rewarding situation of a Santa cussing in front of a kid works only at the beginning, but you can’t carry a whole film on that and the plot soon starts to have the bitter taste of stereotype. The idea of dressing up as an elf and Santa to set the stage for a heist isn't bad, but the moralistic conclusion spoils a lot, and Thornton crawling holding a pink elephant is the height of screenwriting cringe. The film starts out controversial, only to end up completely conventional and unbelievable. A mix of wannabe controversy and moralistic message, maybe that's what the Americans want, the box office (60 million) was not bad at all for such a film. Otherwise, Thorton is traditionally superb. Fuck.
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It's horribly purposeless, but it worked perfectly for me at least thanks to Billy Bob Thornton's performance. Whether it's the scene with the drunken Santa arriving on the escalator and later the brutal massacre of the Christmas reindeer, or the more lyrical positions at the end... I just had a great time and really bought into the main character. I can’t be as positive about Larry Zwigoff's directing. It seemed to me that many of the gags fizzled out, attempts at strong character miniatures (entirely in the style of the Coen brothers, who produced it) end with three dots and not with an exclamation mark, and the film is squeezed only into the character of Santa and a boy who looks like an idiot. But they'll carry that load of presents. The attempts at verbal humor are sometimes too vulgar, and there are not many original gags. Yet the atmosphere and the idea are simply there, and I had fun with the anal-alcoholic "poetics" of the film about fixing one lost destiny. Perhaps it’s too bad that Ethan and Joel did not do more with the film than fund it.
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I don't think the eternally alcohol-laden "Santa", played by the irresistible Billy Bob Thornton, could have met a more worthy opponent than the perfect 21st century baroque angel, who absolutely does not bat an eyelash, come what may. In short, it is a very good comedy that does without pathos and in which even the constant vulgarities do not get old. It was produced by the Coen brothers - no wonder.
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