Bad Santa (2003) - IMDb
7.0/10
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520 user 203 critic

Bad Santa (2003)

R | | Comedy, Crime, Drama | 26 November 2003 (USA)
Bad Santa Poster
Trailer
1:43 | Trailer
A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid.

Director:

Terry Zwigoff

Writers:

Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham | See full cast & crew »
70
Reviews
Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 11 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

See all 2 videos  »

Photos

See all 105 photos »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Bob Thornton ... Willie
Tony Cox ... Marcus
Brett Kelly ... The Kid
Lauren Graham ... Sue
Lauren Tom ... Lois
Bernie Mac ... Gin
John Ritter ... Bob Chipeska
Ajay Naidu ... Hindustani Troublemaker
Lorna Scott ... Milwaukee Mother
Harrison Bieker ... Milwaukee Boy
Alex Borstein ... Milwaukee Mom with Photo
Alexandra Korhan Alexandra Korhan ... Girl on Santa's Lap
Dylan Charles Dylan Charles ... Milwaukee Bratty Boy
Billy Gardell ... Milwaukee Security Guard
Lisa Ross ... Milwaukee Bartender
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Storyline

Willie T. Stokes is a convicted con man who's led a miserable life. He drinks heavily and constantly embarrasses himself publicly. He only works once a year dressed as Santa. But then come Christmas Eve, he and his pint-sized helper dwarf Marcus stage elaborate robberies and take their department stores for everything they got. This time around, Willie gets distracted by large women, a bartender who is attracted to Santas, and a kid who's convinced he's the real deal. However, Marcus must once again put up with Willie's heavy drinking and a series of incidents that constantly shoot themselves in the foot. Will Willie and Marcus make it to next Christmas? Or will this be the year the dynamic duo finally face justice? Written by halo1k

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

christmas | christmas eve | heaving bosom | intercourse | stripper | See All (346) »

Taglines:

A truly twisted comedy that will have you in stitches any time of the year! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content and some violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Sarah Silverman: deleted scene, portraying a Santa Trainer. See more »

Goofs

When Marcus is crawling through the air ducting above the customer service people on their computers, the middle computer monitor has no power cord. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Willie: Hey, can I get another drink down here?
See more »

Crazy Credits

Special thanks to ... The Miller-Fritch Family See more »

Alternate Versions

The unrated cut of 'Bad Santa' includes these changes:
  • There's an alternate take of Willie leaving the mall at the start of the movie with a more vulgar exchange with the security guard.
  • There's a whole new subplot at the beginning of the movie with Willie stealing a car and robbing someone's house, and then going to a strip club and bringing a stripper home before hearing the phone message telling him it's that time of year again.
  • There is more footage of Willie having sex in the dressing room.
  • The pinball scene with the underage girl is extended with more thrusting, and Marcus grumbling, "Motherfucker! Oh, you lousy fucking motherfucker!" in annoyance.
  • There's more swearing and berating in the food court scene.
  • There's some more footage of Willie yelling at The Kid after losing a game of checkers.
  • The Jacuzzi sex scene is slightly longer.
  • The scene with Willie confronting a security guard outside the mall is extended.
  • A small extension of the Granny Death scene.
  • An extended car death scene.
  • A longer shoot out at the mall.
See more »

Connections

References Dummy (2002) See more »

Soundtracks

Jazz Suite #2
(1938)
Written by Dmitri Shostakovich (as Dmitrie Dmitrij Shostakovich)
Performed by Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest (as The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
Courtesy of Decca Music Group Ltd.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
See more »

User Reviews

 
Excellent casting
23 June 2004 | by =G= – See all my reviews

He drinks and smokes and pukes and wets his pants and has sex in public places. He has a horrible attitude, a trash mouth, is mean to little kids, hates himself, and robs department stores. Ok, so he's not all bad, but he is without a doubt the worst department store Santa ever. There's not a lot of stretching required of Thornton to get into character in this flick which capitalizes on the grosser than gross sense of comedy/humor as it wends its way through a simple tale about a scamming Santa and his dwarf/elf sidekick who rip off a department store a year to avoid honest toil. A mildly creative love it or hate it flick which tries as hard to be disgusting as funny, "Bad Santa" has, for obvious reasons, received mixed reviews. Only for the thick skinned who aren't easily offended by bad language, bad attitudes, or bad, bad Santas. (B)
37 of 57 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the alarm codes punched in by the security guards?
Q: What are the differences between the R-Rated version and the Unrated Version?
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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 2003 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Badder Santa See more »

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,500,000, 30 November 2003

Gross USA:

$60,060,328

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$76,490,720
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Dimension Films, Triptych Pictures See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (Unrated Director's Cut) | (Unrated Edition)

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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