CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 10/20/06

Something to Sink Your Claus Into

by dennis sampson

Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

Released on DVD for the third time—initially as “theatrical,” then as “unrated,” and now as a “director’s cut”—Bad Santa as a film consistently delivers on what it promises to be: a black comedy about Christmas.  Willie T. Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) is a career criminal who spends his Decembers posing as a department store Santa while his elf/partner-in-crime Marcus (Tony Cox) aids him in robbing the malls that employ them.  It’s the acerbic and sardonic nature of Soke’s character, a man who would stoop so low as to give a kid (Brett Kelly) a ride home and then make a move to burglarize his house, that carries the movie.  Our protagonist is so clearly defined as a lowlife sleazebag, it’s incredible that we’re supposed to find him funny.  But somehow, perhaps thanks to Soke’s devotion to always staying true to form, we do.  What’s not funny is the number of different cuts and DVD releases this movie has seen.  Interestingly, the Bad Santa director’s cut is 10 minutes shorter than the “unrated” version, but that’s all about that’s interesting as far as the differences between the versions are concerned.  As he reveals in the commentary, director Terry Zwigoff made a few tweaks to conform to his original vision of the film; to wit, he excised a scene where Willie teaches the kid to box, changed the ending (but left the film’s final theatrical message), and lost an opening voice-over because he thought the character was softened too quickly by the studio.  Unfortunately, the changes are so minimal, the distinctions aren’t noticeable unless they’re so indicated.  Stokes comes off as the same dirtbag as when we saw him on both the big screen and the unrated version of the movie.  And his oddly appealing, much-more-naughty-than-nice persona is what’s always kept us watching.

Bad Santa (Director’s Cut)
Miramax Home Entertainment
Unrated; 88 min.
$19.99

Buy it now

Dennis Sampson is a commercial production coordinator and unproduced screenwriter. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his better half, Susan, and their dog Tripp.

Bad Santa (Director's Cut) courtesy Miramax Home Entertainment

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