Christmas DVDs

Willie is a cynic. He’s an alcoholic and a sex-addict. And the job of this wretched creature is to bring holiday joy to children as Santa Claus at a mall. Well he doesn’t. Usually he makes fun of the kids or simply screams at them. After work Willie and his colleague Marcus pursue their “real” job: They rob the malls where they worked during the day. When Willie meets a shy overweight boy who lives with his grandmother in a huge house he moves in with them, of course to rob them. But things change as the boy teaches the gangster one or two lessons about the meaning of Christmas.

Bad Santa is the most ribald but also one of the best Christmas DVDs of recent years. Billy Bob Thornton in his role as stealing alcoholic Santa Claus is really great but the other actors in this comedy deliver great performances, especially Bernie Macas a Shaft-wannabe mall detective and Lauren Graham as a Santa-fetishist. But aside from great performances this Christmas comedy really stands out with its rude jokes and lines. I see it as a parody to all the glossy everything-is-fine Christmas DVDs that we also have come to love. But nevertheless Bad Santa is totally appropriate for holiday watching – just maybe not with the whole family. It doesn’t impose a message upon the viewers . The main message is to have some fun. In the end Bad Santa gets a bit on the classic kitschy holiday track nut not for long. Bad Santa is deliciously low brow and a great antidote if you are suffering from Christmas cheer overdose. It’s a definite must-see for everyone who’s not afraid of some black humored Christmas cheer.