Bad Santa 2

Dir: Mark Waters

2016

*

Not many films deserve a sequel and far fewer receive one that is as good as or better than the original. Bad Santa was well received, indeed, back in 2003 is came as a very welcome addition to the seasonal genre and something of a breath of fresh air. Written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, with input from executive producers The Coen Brothers, Bad Santa was as bleak, droll and hilarious as you would expect. Terry Zwigoff was an inspired choice for director and it suited him perfectly. There were issues between the Coens, Zwigoff and Miramax producers the Weinsteins but it all turned out good in the end. It was low down and dirty, but funny and in the end rather heartfelt, which was a surprise, making it a genuinely touching film. It really didn’t need a follow up. By 2016 there were many failed sequels, so really, Bad Santa 2 had to be something special. It could not have been more horrid. It had to be ace, the only other option was to fool people into thinking it would be good and playing on the name of the first film and they went for the latter. Do Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates or Octavia Spencer need the work this badly? Did they get paid more than their usual salary? You know a film is bad when you can whole-heartedly say it is the worst movie Tony Cox has ever been in. It relies on the name, the characters and familiarity but tarnished the name, messes up the character dynamics and isn’t even that similar to the original – while also being just like it. The humour in the first film was a bit sharp and a bit dark, Bad Santa 2 started off wonderfully bleak but soon descended into the most repulsive gross-out nonsense that had it’s day well over a decade ago. It will appeal only to grubby-minded 13 year old boys, and even then there are more attractive films out there for them. People (filmmakers) often confuse comedy with shock, it is true that in times of extreme shock people can laugh but there is absolutely o danger of that here unless you have something very wrong with you. Brett Kelly put on vast amounts of weight that he had struggled to lose as a child to reprise his role as Thurman Merman. That has to be one of the most tragic things I have ever heard. None of the writers or producers from the first film returned and it shows. Mark Waters and Shauna Cross clearly didn’t get the original Bad Santa, either that or they simply wanted to (or were hired to) produce a cheap cash-in. I’m not sure who, why and what the hell were they thinkings, and I don’t want to either. It shouldn’t have ever happened and I feel stupid for falling for the same old fraudulent trick. Bad Santa has zero redeeming features. None. It has got to be one of the worst Christmas films and worst alternative Christmas films ever made – and there is a lot of competition. I would rather watch a Christmas film starring Dean Cain, a Labrador and a pair of annoying children that was clearly filmed during the summer. If I’m being honest, I’d rather stick a Christmas tree in my eye and pull it out the other end than watch Bad Santa ever again. What a sack of coal.