Bad Santa 2 review: Billy Bob Thornton returns as ‘thief in Santa’s clothing’, Willie. But is it as funny as the first time?
Bad Santa 2 review, Kat Hughes.
2003 was when we were first introduced to the foul-mouthed, incontinent drunk, Santa impersonator and crook, Willie. Now thirteen years later we re-join Willie as he’s pulled back into the Christmas crime ring to do one last job.
In this day and age it’s almost unheard of for it to take more than ten years to make a follow up to a successful film, and yet here we are. The sequel has a lot to live up to as the first Bad Santa is brilliant. It was the perfect remedy to all the sweetness usually contained in a festive film. There’s a few sweet moments buried deep within, but overall it’s crass, heavily politically incorrect and laugh out loud ho-ho-hilarious in all the right ways.
For the most part Bad Santa 2 follows the same formula as the first and manages to succeed in most places. It starts off strong, the opening fifteen or so minutes capture that same spark we’ve come to know. Willie is still exactly the same and brings laughs a plenty, but the story fizzles where the original sparkled. This is a film that tries to play to the strengths of the source, but misses the vital ingredient, the heart. Bad Santa had a solid emotional core but Bad Santa 2 can’t replicate that same Christmas spirit. There’s a bit during a Christmas concert towards the end, that almost hits that mark, but is too little too late.
Billy Bob Thornton is once more perfect as the embittered Willie. He hasn’t changed a bit and you can’t help but love him for it. Brett Kelly is back as ‘the Kid’, aka Thurman Merman, but he’s now all grown-up and is making us feel old. So very old. He’s great and the dynamic between both characters hasn’t changed over these years. Also back is Tony Cox as Marcus, and he’s just as potty mouthed as ever.
New to the line-up are Christina Hendricks and Kathy Bates. Bates plays Willie’s Mom who might just be more of a screw-up than her son. Bates is on fine form, but some of her character’s motives and schemes aren’t fully explained, especially towards the end. Hendricks takes over the love interest duties from Lauren Graham, but her role is never fully formed and she seems to vanish into the background.
Whilst the trio in front of the cameras remains the same, it’s all change behind the scenes, with the movie having new writers (Shauna Cross, Johnny Rosenthal) and a new director (Mark Waters). Waters previous films include Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, Mr Popper’s Penguins and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, making him somewhat of a strange choice for such filthy material. He attacks it with bravado though and somehow manages to out shock the first, a feat we didn’t think possible.
The ending of the first film felt so right and contained, and whilst Bad Santa 2 is a lot of fun in places, it really wasn’t necessary. When it works, it works wonderfully, but all the laughs amount to nothing when there’s so little emotion in it. A familiar frolic with an old friend, it’s just a shame it’s a little hollow.
Bad Santa 2 review by Kat Hughes, November 2016.
Bad Santa 2 is released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 23rd November, 2016.
