Bad Santa 2 (2016)

Showing that lightning often doesn't strike twice, especially when it comes to unexpected hit comedies (The Hangover series, Nutty Professor etc.), Bad Santa 2 is a pale imitation of the cult 2003 hit that saw Xmas painted blacker than black thanks to Billy Bob Thornton's alcoholic Santa/petty thief Willie Soke and his partnership with dwarf acquaintance Marcus Skidmore.

Giving Thornton his best role in a number years and taking the idea of Xmas movies to a whole new smut filled level, Terry Zwigoff's original film was one of those experiences you find yourself enjoying more than you know you should and with side characters like the lovable Thurman Murman along for the ride, Bad Santa has found itself a nice long shelf life as fans continue to come back to it all these years later.

With Mean Girls director Mark Waters now at the helm, Bad Santa 2 seemed poised to at least be a respectable follow up to its original incarnation, especially with the cast all returning including the now non-acting Brett Kelly as Thurman and the addition of Kathy Bates going into beast mode as Willie's estranged mother who just so happens to be the criminals new contact for a planned charity robbery but Bad Santa 2 feels like an event too long between drinks and the cast seem to know it.

Looking bored and injecting nothing into their respective roles, Thornton and Cox spit out dialogue without an ounce of charisma while Kelly should've stayed away from an acting return with his pointless reiteration of Thurman (a character that adds nothing to proceedings) who now just annoys rather than brings smiles and the whole Bad Santa lifeblood of smutty jokes, horny Saint Nick's and holiday thieving feels outdated in today's climate portrayed as it is here.

This is a shame for all involved, as it does feel as though another Bad Santa done well, could've fitted in nicely with the festive season now upon us but even die-hard fans of Willie and Marcus will be finding themselves returning to the original in years to come and forgetting this sequel even happened.

There are glimmers of a funny black comedy here, small bits of dialogue are too outrageous not to laugh at while the very idea of this "bad" Santa is still funny but with a rather uninspired plot, tiresome performance's and an over reliance on filthy words and scenarios the whole idea of this project feels forced whereas the first Bad Santa journey felt like a breathe of booze filled fresh air in a sub-genre of Xmas tales that had grown rather stale.

1 ½ non-desirable bunkbed buddies out of 5

Fmovies: For those who despised this film, I respect your opinion and please don't hate me. Because I found this film entertaining, would I consider this a great film heck no, but would I consider it to be a bad film, certainly not. Bad Santa 2 is a film to me to watch with your friends and have a big laugh.

Years after the events of the first Bad Santa(2003), down on his luck Willie(Billy Bob Thornton) is pulled back for another heist by his former partner Marcus(Tony Cox) and his estranged mother(Kathy Bates). Willie has got nothing else going for him, except for Thurman(Brett Kelly) who is now grown, but acts like a lost child. And it's during the time of Christmas, so Willie has to put on the Santa outfit again.

I saw very little of the first Bad Santa, and probably should have watch all of it before watching the sequel. Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, and Kathy Bates all have funny chemistry. They are all despicable people, but that is what makes them funny. Thornton is a drunk foul mouth character, but you know there is a good person hiding in there somewhere. Christina Hendricks is also amusing here, she and Thornton have funny scenes. The movie does have a lot of raunchy jokes, but I laughed cause the deliver was perfect. My only real problem here is the Thurman character played by Brett Kelly. They could have done so much more with that character, instead the writers took the lazy way out with him. But all in all an entertaining film, you go in expecting nothing more, nothing less.

I'm a huge fan of the original. I was really looking forward to this when it was first announced. I cannot believe they released this pile of garbage. Three times the vulgarity of the original with absolutely NONE of the humor or charm that made it a classic. Every other word is "fuck" and for no apparent reason. It's like a 10 year old wrote this script. No wait, that's an insult to 10 year olds. I LOVE politically incorrect films and things that offend as long as there is comedy involved. This movie had zero laughs. I sat in a half empty theater and not one person made a sound through the entire film other than a few groans. What a let down. I did everything I could not to walk out. I guess I hoped it would get better. It didn't.

Bad Santa 2 fmovies. "Bad Santa 2" is frequently hilarious, if one enjoys raunchy no-holds-barred humor. In a world of oppressive mandates for politically correct action, speech and thought, it is a breath of fresh air, mercilessly lampooning every liberal sacred cow imaginable.

It is not a great film. "Bad Santa" was amusing, but not particularly memorable and the sequel will undoubtedly also quickly fade from memory. The plot is largely familiar. The characters don't grow emotionally and are roughly as misanthropic, misogynistic, cynical, self-destructive, abrasive, etc., at the conclusion as they were at the start. It succeeds in creating humor by placing ridiculous characters in improbable circumstances. The humor is bawdy, uninhibited and confrontational. The jokes would make Lenny Bruce blush.

The film fails to rise above its station in its use of alcohol and nudity. Alcohol can be used for burlesque effect by turning a normally staid individual into a stumbling clown, or it can be used to strip away the character's inhibitions, exposing raw anger, resentment, fear and other emotions for all to see, as in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Nudity can be used for titillation, or make the character seem vulnerable, primal or honest, as in "Teachers."

BS2 uses uninhibited, unrestrained, brutally honest language to convey the frustrations, anger and other emotions of the characters. It is at times shocking or amusing, but consistently honest. But alcohol does not strip away any emotions or public façades, as these characters have no inhibitions to strip away. The brief nudity seems immature and puerile compared with the dialogue. One character has on-camera sex in half a dozen scenes with several different partners, with both partners fully dressed (at least from the camera's POV). This is an actor known for a highly erotic scene in a 2001 film. What little nudity is presented in the film seems cheesy and dishonest compared with the brutally honest dialogue.

The film delivers more laughs than many comedies. Production values are adequate. Performances are uniformly excellent. The script is underdeveloped with several major plot holes. It isn't destined to become a classic, but succeeds admirably as a raunchy celebration of political incorrectness.

It will come as a shock to very few people that this film is extremely crass and vulgar, with about as lame a plot as one can imagine. Obviously, it's meant to be the darkest of comedy, but comedy usually means to me actually laughing at something but this movie is so bleak and intent on shocking that the effect was just cringe inducing and a real turnoff. I'm aware that the film will have its proponents, so more power to you but I can't subscribe or buy in to this mean-spirited crapola.

All in all, this sequel, directed by Mark Waters with a screenplay from Johnny Rosenthal and Shauna Cross, did nothing for me and the end couldn't come soon enough.

The idea of making a sequel to Bad Santa is one that was first raised in 2009, only six years after its release. It's an idea that should have really been acted upon then or just left in the past because Bad Santa 2, a sequel that comes thirteen years after the original, is not a very good film at all.

Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) is still living a life fuelled by whiskey and greed, a lifestyle that leaves him contemplating suicide, until his old friend, Marcus (Tony Cox), resurfaces after spending ten years in prison. With him, Marcus brings a job for both him and Willie in Chicago.

This time though, the duo find themselves attempting to steal $2million on Christmas Eve from a charity aimed at helping underprivileged children. With Willie's mum, Sunny (Kathy Bates), and Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly) joining the duo in Chicago, things start to become a little more tricky for Willie and Marcus.

There is just so much wrong with Bad Santa 2 as both a comedy and a sequel. The most vital mistake the film makes is that it totally lacks any of the charm or wit that made the first one good. I mean, seriously, the jokes in this are as if they're just having a competition to see who can say the most controversial thing, including one about abortion that just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

It's a level of writing that comes as no surprise seeing as both the writers of the first film don't have any involvement with this sequel. Any soul that was established in the predecessor is totally destroyed with a screenplay and characters that take things from bad to utterly vulgar in a matter of ninety minutes. Billy Bob Thornton punching Kathy Bates right in the face is something that we don't really need to be seeing in a film today to get a cheap laugh.

Then come the performances, none of which bring any life to the film. Billy Bob Thornton just snoozes his way through proceedings, Kathy Bates wastes both her talent and time in a turgid role and Christina Hendricks, what the hell were you even thinking?! I mean, come on this is not what you should be doing. I was so disappointed with Brett Kelly as well, which isn't necessarily his fault, but Kelly making an appearance as a 21-year-old Thurman Merman just didn't work for me. It worked because he was a kid before and it was funny to watch Billy Bob Thornton react to his mannerisms however, it's fair to say Kelly just doesn't sell the character very well now at an older age.

Did I laugh? A little. Is it as good as the first film? Nowhere near. Is Bad Santa 2 one of the worst films of 2016? Sadly, yes.