7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
The Christmas season just got a lot less joyous in this very dark comedy. Willie T. Soke is a con man and a thief who teams up with his friend Marcus, a midget, for a very special scam each year during the holiday season. Willie gets a job as Santa Claus at a shopping mall, his pal tags along as an elf, and they use their employee status to crack mall security and rob stores blind just before Christmas. However, there's one flaw to this plan — Willie is a bitter, foul-mouthed and perpetually grouchy alcoholic who doesn't care for kids, and it's all he can do to keep himself from getting fired while on the job. The mall's manager is certain something's wrong with the Santa he's hired, so he asks the mall's chief of security to do some research on Willie. Meanwhile, one of the kids Willie is forced to talk to becomes a regular customer; overweight, awkward, and the frequent target of bullies, the boy manages to arouse something like sympathy from Willie, who tries to give him some advice and develops something vaguely resembling Christmas sprit along the way.
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly (I), Lauren Graham, Lauren TomComedy | 100% |
Crime | 56% |
Dark humor | 46% |
Holiday | 46% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The main character in Bad Santa, Willie (Billy Bob Thornton), is truly one of the most vile characters in the history of cinema. He drinks and is constantly drunk, smokes, harasses women, terrorizes children and liberally peppers his speech with f-bombs and other socially unacceptable words. He’s also frighteningly hilarious and entertaining. Bad Santa is the kind of film that shouldn’t work, yet succeeds on just about every level.
Due to the fact that this is a family website, I'm not permitted to re-print virtually any of the dialogue from Bad Santa, except this singe line: "prove it..."
While Bad Santa wasn't ever destined to win any awards for picture quality, it does feature a expressive and rich palette of familiar Christmas colors. As most of the film takes place in a mall decorated for the holidays, there are plenty of vivid reds and greens that really pop off of the screen. Presented in full 1080p, this AVC encode does a remarkable job of presenting the film in a way that is true to its theatrical roots. There isn't a trace of edge enhancement, banding or any other negative picture anomalies found here. Instead we are treated to a very film-like image that retains the slight grain that is to be found in the original print. The film has a bit of a murky look at times, so a quick check of my DVD version of the film showed that this issue was also present there as well. It's hard to say if the murkiness is intended, but I do give the folks at Disney / Miramax the benefit of the doubt given their track record.
Again, Bad Santa isn't here to win awards on technical merit, but like its video presentation, this 5.1 PCM soundtrack is very effective and natural. What was striking about this uncompressed soundtrack was how rich and full the musical score sounded. Selections from Mozart, Chopin and Dean Martin are all wonderfully placed in what is a very front-loaded presentation. There is an occasional flourish from the rear channels and bass response is pretty well limited to a couple of gunshots and orchestral splashes. Otherwise, we have a very nice dialogue heavy presentation that is always perfectly intelligible. Uncompressed sound continues to impress, even on titles that are less flashy.
Here's what's included:
-Behind the Scenes
-Outtakes
-Deleted Scenes
-Alternate Scenes
-Gag Reel
There really isn't much here worth mentioning. All of the features on this Blu-ray release have been ported directly from the DVD release in 480i. The Behind the scenes feature is typical promotional junk and the outtakes and gag reel are just plain silly. The deleted and alternate scenes offer the only real entertainment value in this supplements package, but they are quite limited at best.
If you are easily offended, then avoid Bad Santa at all costs. The entire film is an exercise in bad taste and bad manners. Of course, the film is devilishly funny and features a whole slew of fantastic performances. Video and audio are also very nice and naturally presented. The supplements are a bit on the weak side, but the inclusion of two versions of the film more than makes up for this shortcoming. All in all, Bad Santa is a stunningly hilarious film with a surprising sweet twist. If your Christmas has room for a few F-Bombs and some scatological humor, make some time to watch this one as soon as possible!
The Unrated Version and Director's Cut
2003
The Unrated Version and Director's Cut
2003
The Unrated Version and Director's Cut
2003
2009
1988
2014
2008
2009
2002
Special Edition with Flair!
1999
1999
Loaded With Extra Crap Edition
2006
Warner Archive Collection
1990
2009
1994
35th Anniversary
1988
2004
1989
2011
2017
Collector's Edition
1987
2001
2013