Release Date: November 23, 2016 Here's an unnecessary sequel spawned from a good film: the original Bad Santa, starring Billy Bob Thornton as a down-on-his-luck thief/alcoholic who takes on the guise of Santa Claus in order to rob department stores at Christmas, was a true original. It was refreshing to see a Christmas movie that dared to be properly dark and profane. In stark contrast, Bad Santa 2 still feels like an ill-judged use of Hollywood's time. Is this the sort of movie that needs a sequel? Has Billy Bob Thornton reached a point in his career where he needs to go back to Bad Santa and force it into a franchise? Granted, the film pulled in an admirable amount at the box office back in 2003, but that was 13 years ago - not to mention that Bad Santa is kind of a cult film, really; a sequel doesn't feel "natural." There's some hope for it, perhaps, given that it is at least directed by somebody worthwhile: Mark Waters, whose previous films consist of Freaky Friday and Mean Girls. But remember that Terry Zwigoff, a genuine, idiosyncratic weirdo helmed the first flick, and the film was thus imbued with his weirdness (which made it work). Without Zwigoff on board, it's almost like doing the picture without Thornton: what's the point?
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.