Bad Santa 2

This review may contain spoilers!

The sequel is just as awful as the first film (I know, big shock!). I would give Bad Santa 2 a 1.5/10.

The movie itself actually picks up the narrative from where the first one left off quite well, if anything what this movie excels in is adding more character development to Willie. I really enjoyed seeing a bit more of Willie's backstory, it was great to see his role fleshed out and the relationship between Willie and Thurman was made even stronger within this film.

Billy Bob Thornton, who played Willie Soke, weirdly seems better as the protagonist in this film than he was in the original; whether he's become more of a seasoned performer or is comfortable in the deadpan snarky Santa role Thornton does a good job. Ryan Hansen, who played Regent Hastings, is one of the more energetic performers of the cast; Hansen's blatant greed and enormous screen presence makes him a notably minor antagonist. Mike Starr, who played Jolly Santa, has the happy soulful Santa portrayal down in this film; when he's revealed to be a pedophile it contrasts so well with his performance and results in a great scene. Ranee Lee, who played the Choirmaster, is a sweet minor role in this film; it's nice to see a character with a bit of spirit and decency in a film as bad as this one.

However the best performance came from Tony Cox, who played Marcus Skidmore. Cox is one of the strongest comedic performers of the film, snapping back with quick funny retorts at every chance he gets. This role was probably the best in the first film too and it's great to see that sometimes 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' really does apply. Cox has a strong presence with an antagonistic attitude towards most of the other characters and a drive to steal as much as he can and fulfill his sexual desires after thirteen years in prison.

This is a comedy of the crudest degree, it's horrible jokes and you wind up laughing more out of shock than anything else. Because all the characters are as deplorable as each other and the plot is struggling to fill in the running time you wind up with a rather drawn out mess. The cinematography is simple, there's no attempt here at style; it's all a bit bland to look at. The editing is exactly the same, the cutting is simple and the awful attempt at creative transitions from the first film don't even make a reappearance. The soundtrack is the exact same as the first film, in some cases with songs appearing roughly at the same points of the film which is just lazy.

Kathy Bates, who played Sunny Soke, has really not done a good film in a long time; this nasty crude attempt at a comedic role is yet another performance of hers that falls flat. Christina Hendricks, who played Diane Hastings, is a little pointless in this film; her entire role seems to be a copycat portrayal of Lauren Graham's role from the original Bad Santa. Brett Kelly, who played Thurman Merman, proves that what sometimes works when you're a child performer doesn't work when you're a mature performer; this role is awkward to watch and the dialogue feels like it'd be better suited to a younger actor. Jenny Zigrino, who played Gina De Luca, feels like a very two-dimensional sex object in this film; Zigrino's sudden infatuation with Thornton's role is hard to believe (which is putting it mildly). Jeff Skowron, who played Dorfman, is an over the top portrayal of a nerdy security guard role; this sort of cringeworthy character is hard to watch in a good comedy let alone a bad one. Cristina Rosato, who played Alice, is a throwaway role completely; Rosato is not necessary to inform the audience how awful Hansen's character is. Octavia Spencer, who played Opal, is quite simply better than a garbage film like this; sticking Spencer in a trashy prostitute role is a waste of a stellar actress. Valerie Wiseman, who played Greta, seems like a side role that's a bit out there even by Bad Santa's standards; Wiseman bringing forth a serving girl ready to sleep with Thornton at the drop of a hat is as unbelievable as Zigrino's attitude towards sleeping with Thornton.