Terry Zwigoff
Babbo Bastardo

LA RECENSIONE

Among the Christmas movies that inevitably fill TV schedules from mid-December onwards, one that you should NOT let your children watch is definitely Bad Santa (unless you want to give them some trauma); unlike almost all films of the same genre, which are kind, sugary, and conformist, this 2003 film is as vulgar, incorrect, and uneducational as possible. Taking Christmas stereotypes and flipping them (starting with the summer setting where not even a snowflake is seen) is certainly not an original move, but it would have been easy to create a forgettable B-movie; instead, this is a little gem, capable of offering moments of devastating comedy and, after a few minutes, moving and touching the audience. It's no coincidence that the Coen brothers are behind it all: the original screenplay was written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, but it was "refreshed" by director Terry Zwigoff and the Coen brothers, who for legal reasons only appear as executive producers and not also as screenwriters.

It's therefore not surprising to see Billy Bob Thornton (an actor who collaborated on 2 Coen films in the early '00s) in the role of the alcoholic, vulgar, depressed, burglar, fake Santa Claus Willy; together with his partner Marcus (Tony Cox), who plays the elf, they get hired by a mall every year to rob it on Christmas night. The relationship between the two is not what it used to be, with continuous arguments over Willy's behavior, almost always drunk. As if that weren't enough, the head of security at their latest mall, Gin, has discovered them and wants half of the loot. The turning point in Willy's life will be meeting the bartender Sue (Lauren Graham) but above all Thurman (Brett Kelly), a naïve and exceedingly peaceful child who invites him to live with him and his senile grandmother.

Everything that common morality regards as taboo is exalted in the film: crime, alcoholism, sex (preferably with fatties), and much more in an explosive but impactful cocktail. The dialogues between Willy and Marcus and the scenes with Thurman, who is unlike anyone else in getting on the protagonist's nerves, are hilarious. We not only have high concentrations of cynicism but also a proper mix with good sentiments, as Willy, from the cynical and disillusioned person he was (as is typical of the Coens), slowly changes, for example when (while drunk) he eats all the chocolates in Thurman's Advent calendar but then repairs it, or when he beats up the kids who were bullying him; this change is also aided by the child's kindness, who, for example, carves a wooden pickle as a Christmas gift for Willy, cutting himself and staining it with his blood. There are also jabs at the Christmas holiday and its original value, now lost in business: unlike Willy, Gin and Marcus will remain greedy and devoid of feelings, and for once (but only because it's Christmas and people tend to be nicer) the brothers will ensure a happy ending.

The performance of all the actors is excellent, with Thornton's performance superior as always in the difficult task of pretending to be drunk for 90% of the film, and a mention for 2 actors who have passed away and who by chance often dialogue with each other during the film, the late John Ritter, who plays the mall manager (to whom the film is dedicated, having passed away before the film was released) and Bernie Mac, who plays Gin, passed away in 2008.

A film that entertains without leaving indifferent, vulgarity is not gratuitous but in service of quality, a rare trait for films of this genre. And with dialogues like these, one can't help but die of laughter:
-You lousy, crummy Leonardo da Vinci-
-What did you say, can?-
-I said you're as crummy as a pederast fop from the 15th century-
-I'll shove you up my ass, gnome, you know that?-
-Oh yeah? And isn't your exhaust already too red?-
-Lilliput, your tongue sure is long!-
-This tongue was licking your wife up and down last night, why don't you dust off that dangly thing of yours, you asshole?-
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

RATING = 8