Bad Santa

This is the single nastiest holiday film ever made, and that includes Silent Night, Deadly Night. Billy Bob Thornton is fall-down funny as Willie, an evil, evil man with a nasty drinking habit and no business playing Santa every year. But that’s just what he does, because he’s a safe cracker, and he’s worked out a yearly scam with his scheming partner (Tony Cox) to rip off department store loot posing as Santa and his elf. Director Terry Zwigoff has concocted a holiday stew filled with vulgarity yet somehow sends his audience home all warm-hearted. Thornton is cantankerous perfection, and Cox makes for a hilarious sidekick. As The Kid, Brett Kelly is a heartbreaker playing a young boy trying to befriend Willie, a task that proves near impossible. This ain’t no Elf. I saw plenty of parents rushing their brood out of the theater after the film’s glorious obscenity became apparent. If holiday films full of sap have gotten on your nerves, try this one out.