BAD SANTA (DVD Review) - 26/4/06

This is actually a DVD review of the Unrated version titled "Badder Santa" which was the version you didn't see in cinemas and has a far raunchier cut of the film with never before seen footage. Disney exec's must have had a cow on seeing this film and it got a very limited big-screen run both in the States and the UK and got shelved for two years before it came out on DVD. It's a film that has no redeeming features at all and just when you expect a silver lining it gets worse - and that is what probably make's it so good - unlike a lot of happy and jolly Hollywood pap it continues in the same vein from start to finish with no let-up in it's depiction of a sodden alkie crook gradually going down the pan and hitting bottom. Totally unrelenting it skewers the viewer with it's tale of criminals Billy Bob Thornton and his sidekick Tony Cox ripping off department stores at christmas in the guise of santa and his elf. Thorton's appalling character eventually get's it together after frequently drunk escapades involving fat women and booze whilst often pissing himself as the foul-mouthed santa. I can't even call this a black comedy it's so unrelentingly dark; more a dramatic voyage of self-discovery from the socially inept child, played by Brett Kelly with good cameos from John Ritter (in unfortunately his last film before he died) as the store manager and Bernie Mac as the store detective.

The Unrated version is the one to see in all it's mind numbing glory! SPECIAL FEATURES: Include over 7 Minutes of Never-Before-Seen Footage, Deleted & Alternate Scenes, Behind-The-Scenes Special, Outtakes & "Badder Santa" Gag Reel. Soundtrack: 5.1. Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16x9 TV. Runtime: 98 Mins. Colour. BVHE/Dimension Home Video. 36515/ISBN # 0788855492.

Below is the cover for the Region 1 (USA) and Region 2 (UK) "Bad Santa" DVD both of which have exactly the same special features on - I would say not to bother with this and get the Unrated Region 1 (USA) "Badder Santa" version as above.