Life I can't remember the last really good Christmas film I saw. There have been some good examples were the time of year is incidentally or happens as part of a larger canvas. It's always a risk -- assumings its a Hollywood product, once it's a hit over there the distributor has to wait at least a year for an effective release elsewhere. Which is what happened to Bad Santa. I'm surprised this was released anywhere at all, because it's the least smaltzy Christmas film I've seen breaking many taboos and generally portraying the season as a horrible time of year. Imagine the darker recesses of an early 90s indie film. It's about a drunk who along with his dwarf buddy gain employment in department stores and malls as a Santa and an Elf in order to learn about then rob the place on Christmas Eve.
A black seasonal comedy then. It's brave. It's unusual. But if there is a problem with Bad Santa it's that it feels like it should be funnier than it actually is. Which isn't to say that their aren't some blissfully amusing moments, it just doesn't go for the jugular when you would expect. For example when the kids meet the 'Bad Santa' you would expect there to me a vast stream of material. Instead we just get his increasing impatience and ours because we aren't seeing enough of anything. The timing of some of the editing doesn't quite work. There are scenes in which characters bounce dialogue off one another but a cutaway at just the wrong second cuts through a punchline or reaction shot flattening the effect.
It's also not helped at times by Thornton's performance which has a habit of being inexpressive when it needs to be. This part would have been perfect in the hands of Steve Buscemi or Bill Murray who can do pain as well as comedy. Thornton fails to react at important moments when we need to know what his character's motives and when he needs to be charming -- for example in his romancing of Lauren Graham's barmaid. More often than not you're wondering what she's in this guy other than his Santa hat.
It's not a complete disaster though. Bernie Mac is amazing as the manager of a shopping centre. Tony Cox (who once played an Ewok) carries many of his scenes. And the late John Ritter (in his final live action film role) is unrecognisably oily and demonstrates how missed he will be. It's just not an easy film to love. And unfortunately that's what your looking for as Christmas starts to bite.
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