BrendanW 
Billy Bob Thornton is a lot more versatile than people give him credit for and that’s because he is a good actor but he is especially good at playing one particular kind of role: that of the drunken curmudgeon with a heart of gold (hidden very, very deep in his loins). In 2003, with the assistance of indy director Terry Zwigoff, he made the film Bad Santa, which ended up a lot better than anyone expected and also showed a lot of nuance for a simple crass and decidedly-politically incorrect Christmas film. Flash-forward 13 years later and we ask… is the magic still there?
Billy Bob plays aging Willie Soke, the criminal from the original film who seemed to have turned a new leaf somewhat after he was sold down the river by his old partner Markus (Tony Cox) and held at gunpoint. However, astonishingly he is recruited once more by Markus, who apologizes for his past transgressions and suggest that they knock off a local charity. The only problem is that Willie’s mother (Kathy Bates) wants in on this operation as well and Willie wants nothing to do with her after a (shall we say) troubled childhood. Meanwhile, Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly) is still around and is a fully-grown 21-year old sandwich store employee with the same love for Willie as he had in the first film.
This is not a great follow-up it should be said but it doesn’t completely fail on every level. We still have the misanthropic wit of Billy Bob and the addition of Kathy Bates is a welcome one that provides at least a few isolated pockets of humour. Bates would be a more solid addition if only she was given funnier things to say. I will say that the first thirty minutes of the film are riotously funny with lots of funny one-liners and situations to make Willie look like the ultimate sad sap. We get a very darkly funny sequence with Willie attempting to commit suicide, which Thurman interrupts and doesn’t even comprehend what is going on. Amusingly enough, this is the second film in which Thurman inadvertantly stops Willie from offing himself. In the last hour of the film, the laughs get further and further between until we reach a halfway-decent finale that manages to be somewhat funny but also infuriating in a way in regards to the way the story had been written up to that point. Things that don’t work as well? The interminably long scenes involving Markus attempting to woo Gina in a fairly dull dinner date scene, the long stream of one-liners that litter the last two-thirds of the movie that don’t always hit the mark and lots of subplots that barely get wrapped up or even addressed as the film comes to an end.
Tony Cox is just as funny as he was in the first one but gets angry a lot more, which I guess is supposed to be doubly funny but eventually it mostly emits chuckles rather than guffaws. Brett Kelly is back as Thurman as well and it is awkward to see him at this age but he probably gets the most laughs in the film. As for the newest additions to the film, Christina Hendricks of Mad Men fame gets a pretty embarrassing role as a potential “love” interest for Willie that just likes to be defiled in dark alleys because of her repressed and unfaithful husband.
The husband character, Regent Hastings (as played by Ryan Hansen) is another character that is very bland and we are supposed to be surprised by his villainous tendencies but it might as well have been written on his forehead in giant letters. The biggest offender is Jenny Zigrino, who plays the oversexed security guard Gina with all the subtlety of an anvil in a Warner Bros. cartoon. To say that she is playing the role in a broad manner is an insult to overacting and I was dreading every moment of screentime she occupied, which thankfully wasn’t too much. Jeff Skowron plays another villain and is also quite bland but at least he emits a few laughs just because of his decent delivery.
As it stands, this film relies more on shock humour than the original film and still feels like it wasn’t nearly as offensive (and funny) as the 2003 cult classic. While it is an okay times at the movies, I wouldn’t go out of your way to pay the full price.
RATING: ** ½
Rating System:
* (Brutal; the worst rating)
** (Some elements keep it from being awful but still not very good)
*** (Completely watchable; a rental as old-timers might say)
**** (Great film with a few things here and there keeping it from being perfect)
***** (Flawless; a true achievement)
