Taglines: He doesn’t care if you’re naughty or nice.
Billy Bob Thornton is Willie T. Stokes, a washed-up, wise-cracking Department Store Santa who can’t help but be more naughty than nice. Underneath his ill-fitting red suit, Willie is actually a safecracker who makes one big score every year – on Christmas Eve. As shoppers head home from the mall, this Santa and his ingenious Elf – Willie’s midget partner-in crime Marcus (Tony Cox) – crack the store safe and make off with their own holiday stash.
But then comes Phoenix. Here Santa and his Elf find their annual heist endangered by a pesky store manager (John Ritter), a savvy mall detective (Bernie Mac), a sexy Santa fan (Lauren Graham) and an innocent but beleaguered 8 year-old misfit (Brett Kelly) who decides to believe that Willie – as intoxicated, acid-tongued and felonious as he seems to be — is the real Santa he’s been seeking.
Bad Santa (known as Badder Santa on the unrated DVD) is an American Christmas criminal comedy film directed by Terry Zwigoff, and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, Lauren Tom Bernie Mac and John Ritter. This was John Ritter’s last film appearance before his death on September 11, 2003. The Coen brothers are credited as executive producers. The film was released in the United States on November 21, 2003.
Read the Full Production Notes
Bad Santa
Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lauren Graham, John Ritter, Bernie Mac, Lauren Tom, Tony Cox, Lorna Scott, Alex Borstein
Screenplay by: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Production Design by: Sharon Seymour
Cinematography by: Jamie Anderson
Film Editing by: Robert Hoffman
Costume Design by: Wendy Chuck
Set Decoration by: Robert Greenfield
Music by: David Kitay
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, strong sexual content, some violence.
Studio: Dimension Films
Release Date: December 11, 2003