Vulgar, distasteful, and obnoxious! These are just a few words that came to mind when the ending credits began to roll on Bad Santa 2. As I wiped the final remaining tears from my eyes I quickly realized: THIS MOVIE IS HYSTERICALLY FUNNY!
In 2003 we were treated to the perfect antithesis of a happy and merry Christmas movie. We met the foul-mouthed, often angry, and criminally driven Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton). Thirteen years later we rediscover an even more listless and sarcastic Willie as he’s lured back for “one last score” by his paroled wolf-in-elf’s-clothing partner, Marcus (Tony Cox).
The original Bad Santa was wildly successful for a myriad of reasons. It was crude, laugh out loud funny and wildly politically incorrect. Bad Santa 2 capitalizes on many of these same tropes and for the most part, finds itself able to find much of the same “magic” that made the first entry successful.
Billy Bob Thornton perfectly portrays the petulant Willie. He hasn’t grown, matured or refined his ways… and it’s glorious! Brett Kelly reprises the role of the oft-oblivious and kind-hearted “kid,” a.k.a. Thurman Merman, having aged only in years and not common sense. Rounding out the “familiars” from the first film is Tony Cox, playing the sexually frustrated, expletive-driven, Marcus.
Newcomers to the sequel include Christina Hendricks and Kathy Bates. Bates plays Willie’s mom, a woman of a sordid past who recruits her son and his sidekick to pull one last heist. Hendricks carries the load of the “lust” interest for Willie, but her character seems to be nothing more than background filler as opposed to the bubbly light of Lauren Graham’s Sue from the first film.
The ending of the first film hit in splendid fashion and felt tidy in resolution. While Bad Santa 2 is a fun romp with your favorite familiars, it doesn’t capture the same level of boorish charm of its predecessor. Bad Santa 2 feels familiar but misses on a lot of the emotion that made the first movie feel so cozy.
Bad Santa 2 receives 3.5 of 5 presents under this year’s tree.
The movie opens nation-wide on November 23rd.
