Bad Santa
Your Score
0
out of 10
User Score
7.4
out of 10
Generally favorable reviews- based on 118 Ratings
- Starring: Bernie Mac, Billy Bob Thornton, John Ritter, Lauren Graham
- Summary: The story of two criminals who disguise themselves as Santa Claus (Thornton) and his elf, traveling across the country to malls and taking advantage of the good will people have towards Santa to rob the stores blind.
- Director: Terry Zwigoff
- Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Crime
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 27 out of 38
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Mixed: 7 out of 38
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Negative: 4 out of 38
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90But Bad Santa does feature one last turn from the late John Ritter as a twittery department-store manager (his name, Mr. Chipeska, is a stroke of brilliance that I still can't quite put my finger on).
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80Happens to be extremely funny -- at times sidesplittingly so -- thanks to Zwigoff's way with raw irreverence and Thornton's perfectly pitched, ready-for-anything performance.
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60I wanted to believe in Bad Santa. At least half of the time I did.
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30The screenplay just isn't funny: Most jokes fall flat and just lie there in a pool of their own sick. And while Zwigoff's deadpan pacing was perfect for the wry, sophisticated humor of "Ghost World," here it's a comedy killer; that extra beat after each new outrage is just long enough for viewers to realize just how sad and disturbing it all is.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 57 out of 73
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Mixed: 3 out of 73
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Negative: 13 out of 73
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Published: December 10, 2009We count down the ten best-reviewed holiday-themed movies listed on Metacritic, finding Santas both good and bad.