Bad Santa

Directed by fringe wizard Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World, Crumb), Bad Santa is one hilariously crass Christmas comedy (and most certainly not for kids) about a sneering, bitter, broken-down, booze-hound mall-Santa conman (Billy Bob Thornton), whose antagonism is somewhat blunted by a friendship he strikes up with an overweight, none-too-bright, literally snot-faced kid (Brett Kelly). While playing on the gullible boy's persistent faith that he really is St. Nick--despite the drinking, the swearing, the haggard 170-pound frame, and the tendency to fly into a paranoid rage when interrogated about life at the North Pole--Thornton (who couldn't be more perfectly cast) and his "elf" (sharp-tongued, 36-inch-tall Tony Cox) plot to crack a department store safe and hide out with the kid and his invalid grandma who's too out-of-it to kick them out. The most sidesplitting, balls-to-the-wall politically incorrect comedy since There's Something About Mary (here, a “feel-good” moment is when Thornton shows he cares by beating the crap out of a teenage skateboarder who picks on the kid), this is recommended. [Note: Available in both “R”-rated and unrated versions, DVD extras on the unrated “Bad-der Santa” version include over seven minutes of never-before-seen footage, three deleted/alternate scenes (5 min.), a nine-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, four minutes of outtakes, a brief gag reel, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a wicked little film.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review—Oct. 17, 2006—Dimension, 88 min., R, $19.99—Making its third appearance on DVD, 2003's Bad Santa (Director's Cut) sports a solid transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Different (though not necessarily better) than either the original or “unrated” versions, the only new DVD extra here is an audio commentary by director Terry Zwigoff and editor Robert Hoffman. Bottom line: it's nice having a commentary track, but we're not sure it's worth dipping into the budget a third time for this admittedly popular satire.]