Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates and Tony Cox
Directed By: Mark Waters
Rated: R
Running Time: 92 minutes
Broad Green Pictures
Our Score: 1.5 out of 5
We need a laugh. Right? I don’t need to point out or remind anyone that this year has been miserable. We as Americans deserve a hearty laugh at the theaters as we begin to wind down 2016 and put it behind us. You might get one with “Bad Santa 2,” but you won’t feel good about it and it certainly won’t cheer you up.
Willie (Thornton), the titular star of the first, is back and is just as miserable as ever. His crude happy ending in the first movie is a distant memory as he’s broke and lonely. Compounding his frustrations is the fact that he can’t commit suicide because his oven is electric. Hanging around still is Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly), the young boy from the first. He’s now a grown-up, one note joke and the first sign that the “Bad Santa 2” filmmakers had no grasp of what made the characters in the first movie so likable.
Marcus (Cox), after a stint in jail, is hoping to knock off a massive Chicago charity with the help of Willie. But unbeknownst to Willie, they’re recruiting a third for the job, Willie’s mom. Sunny (Bates) is just as foul-mouthed, belligerent and disgusting as the son she raised. When the trio of actors is left to their own devices, when they’re most likely ad-libbing scenes, they provide some of the movies only laughs. Everything else is scripted garbage.
The original director, writers, and a handful of cast members must have known better when being presented with this project over the past 13 years. “Bad Santa 2” isn’t a genuine sequel. It’s a greedy studio cash grab in the season of giving. The new writers and director are unable to capture the misanthropic nature of the original, opting more for unfunny and mean-spirited one liners, and cheap sex gags. The script feels more like a fanboy sequel rather than a realistic continuation of Willie’s story, which really didn’t need a continuation.
There are a lot of things that made the original entertaining and a classic for 21st century Grinches. The original was always hesitant to have Willie become a good person. Instead it opted for him to realize he can still be a scumbag, but a good person to those he cares about. The sequel misunderstands his one minute lapse of kindness in the first. “Bad Santa 2” utilizes his sour affection every chance it gets to convey the idea that he’s always been a lovable conman. This leads to nauseating predictability and false holiday charm that Willie will stop Marcus and his mom from stealing millions from a charity for the homeless and children.
Overall, “Bad Santa 2” is a 92 minute callback that fails to understand what made the original such a guilty delight. If you’re looking for a laugh and some form of escapism from the family this holiday season, you should stay far away from this movie. You should stay home this holiday season, grab a bottle of liquor, watch “Bad Santa” and add “Bad Santa 2” to the list of things you’ll want to forget about 2016.
