Badder Santa (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

After all the fan-fare Bad Santa received upon being released in theaters I was upset that I had missed it and didn't have a chance to get up a review, but now that I have seen it on DVD I have to wonder what the hell everyone was talking about.

Don't get me wrong this isn't a "bad" movie in as much as it missed its punch lines along with a golden opportunity to take cheap shots at the over-commercialized holiday that Christmas has become. Instead it decides to use swearing and promiscuous behavior to guide us through a montage of scenes where Billy Bob Thornton is either drunk or his 3' 6" tall partner in crime, Tony Cox, is lashing back at him for his late night escapades.

The film follows Willie T. Stokes (Thornton) and Marcus (Cox) as they run around every Christmas posing as Santa and Elf, until Christmas Eve when they make their big score by robbing the unsuspecting shopping mall that has hired the two half-wits. Things soon change as a young man, known for the majority of the film as The Kid, latches on to Willie in an attempt to have at least one friend as his father spends time in jail and his mother is God knows where. Willie sees it as a golden opportunity and ends up moving in with The Kid and his grandmother, who looks as if she is one day away from death.

Madness ensues and swearing is used as this once "Bad Santa" is searching for a reason to have a change of heart, and occupation for that matter. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me as it takes more than swearing to make me laugh, uncut or not.

As for the special features, they are just as lacking, if not more. You get two equally bad gag reels, only one is called "Outtakes" and the other "Badder Santa" Gag Reel. Then there is the minuscule set of "3" deleted/alternate scenes, which are more alternate than anything else, and a 9 minute "Behind-the-Scenes" feature that just isn't even worth the time.

Overall I was extremely disappointed in this film as I expected much more and with Bernie Mac given no more than a couple scenes to make me laugh I just wanted it all to end.