BAD SANTA (2003)  ***1/2

Reviewed 11/26/03

All the reports you’ve heard are true. BAD SANTA is vile, depraved, sacrilegious, totally unrealistic, and god damn fucking hilarious. Billy Bob Thornton delivers again, this time as a no-good, obscenity-spouting, alcoholic, plus-size woman sodomizing safe cracker by way of department store Santa. He's Eric Cartman all grown up. “Little person/dwarf/midget” Tony Cox is every bit as crass and funny as a collaborating elf, and young Brett Kelly gets kudos playing straight man, uh, kid to the adults without cracking. Lauren Graham is the bartender with a Santa-fucking fetish, and Bernie Mac is a mall security chief who wants to get in on the action. The boxing ring scene just might be the funniest thing I’ve seen all year. This misanthropic "fuck you" to all Christmas pretension is John Ritter’s last movie.