Bad Santa (DVD)

The traditional Christmas tale will never be the same with the cleverly twisted, merrily irreverent story of a Santa so bad he's wickedly funny. Terry Zwigoff's Bad Santa stars Billy Bob Thornton as one of the most crooked, corrupted and downright hysterical Kris Kringles ever to grace the screen. Inspired by a mix of movie classics including the outrageous one-liners and outcasts of The Bad News Bears and the riotous impertinence of South Park, with a dash of the holiday spirit of A Christmas Carol, albeit one that would make Dickens wince! Billy Bob Thornton is Willie T. Stokes, a washed-up, wise-cracking Department Store Santa who can't help but be more naughty than nice. Underneath his ill-fitting red suit, Willie is actually a safecracker who makes one big score every year - on Christmas Eve. As shoppers head home from the mall, this Santa and his ingenious Elf - Willie's midget partner-incrime Marcus (Tony Cox) - crack the store safe and make off with their own holiday stash. But then comes Phoenix. Here Santa and his Elf find their annual heist endangered by a pesky store manager (the late, John Ritter), a savvy mall detective (Bernie Mac), a sexy Santa fan (Lauren Graham) and an innocent but beleaguered 8 year-old misfit (Brett Kelly) who decides to believe that Willie - as intoxicated, acid-tongued and felonious as he seems to be -- is the real Santa he's been seeking. On the heels of two films that brought him a hip, cult following and critical acclaim - Crumb and Ghost World - director Terry Zwigoff emerges with his most accessible comedy to date, all the while pulling no punches on a wild ride through Christmas' outlandish, funnier side. Laughing riotously all the way, the film skewers such classic holiday traditions as rampant commercialism, smart-mouthed mall rugrats and Santa's saintly image.

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