Review: ‘Bad Santa 2,’ when Santa Claus is on the naughty list

It is not even midway into December, and already Hollywood is churning out Christmas-themed movies. It’s disappointing, then, that one of their first attempts to put audiences in the festive spirit is a complete dud.

“Bad Santa 2” is practically identical to its predecessor, “Bad Santa.” Billy Bob Thornton reprises his role as Willie and, with the aid of his partner in crime Marcus, played by Tony Cox, plans out another heist. Willie dresses up as Santa, with Marcus disguised as an elf, and misadventures soon follow when what should have been a simple heist quickly turns chaotic. 

Accompanying this disastrous film is an obscene amount of toilet humor and sexual content that showcases why it deserves its hard R-rating. There is some entertainment to be found in the jokes, but it is quickly overshadowed by the shortcomings of both the flimsy story and boring characters.

The movie is an hour and 32 minutes long, but by the second half, the film went from a level of boring and repetitive to “I just want to leave.”

Thornton is fun to watch when he acts like a drunken, immature Santa Claus, however, this short and fleeting charm does not save the rest of this film. Willie’s son, played by Brett Kelly, also got old fast. His character didn’t add much to the already disappointing film, only serving as an anchor that drug it further into the grimy garbage.

The first step for 2016’s holiday movies is a disappointing one. “Bad Santa 2” managed to take one step forward, trip over its own shoelace and fell flat on its face. The movie was a waste of time, money and energy, and should not be seen by anyone.