Overview
A con man in a Santa suit brings chaos to the holiday season with his outrageous antics.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- sardonic
- irreverent
- bleakly comic
- adult christmas viewing
- alternative holiday movie night
What critics said
Critics generally praised the film as a gloriously rude, gleefully offensive, and unusually funny holiday crime comedy, while noting that its abrasive humor is not for everyone.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Willie uses a department-store Santa costume while drinking heavily, insulting people, and organizing robberies.
Willie’s heavy drinking repeatedly undermines his criminal partnership and public appearances.
Willie and Marcus return to their annual department-store robbery scheme while constantly frustrating one another.
The Kid is convinced Willie is the real Santa, creating an unexpected relationship that distracts Willie from his criminal routine.
Films like Bad Santa, and why
The Ref
shares irreverent holiday comedy, offensive humor, and a fundamentally damaged protagonist
In Bruges
shares abrasive black comedy, criminal misbehavior, and an unexpectedly warm emotional core
The Ladykillers
shares dysfunctional criminal characters, deadpan cynicism, and comic self-sabotage
Scrooged
shares subversive Christmas themes, outsider protagonists, and darkly comic sentimentality
Movie Details
- Director
- Terry Zwigoff
- Release Date
- 2003-11-26
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (2466)
Cast
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Tony Cox
- Lauren Graham
- Brett Kelly
- Lauren Tom
- John Ritter
- Bernie Mac
- Ajay Naidu
- Alex Borstein
- Lorna Scott
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bad Santa about?
- A drunken department-store Santa and his resentful accomplice find their annual robbery complicated by a lonely child and the possibility of becoming slightly less hopeless.
- What is Bad Santa like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bad Santa as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Bad Santa violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bad Santa as mild.
- What did critics think of Bad Santa?
- Critics generally praised the film as a gloriously rude, gleefully offensive, and unusually funny holiday crime comedy, while noting that its abrasive humor is not for everyone.
- Which films are like Bad Santa?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ref, In Bruges, The Ladykillers, and Scrooged.
- How long is Bad Santa?
- Bad Santa runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bad Santa?
- In United States, Bad Santa streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
