Bad Santa 2 is as gloriously raunchy as the original. Bravo to the filmmakers for having the guts to make it just as ribald and patently offensive. The humor is spectacularly low brow, the cursing comes on like a freight train, and the sex scenes are literally trashy. There’s not a drop of decency here. But you will laugh yourself into the ground, get up, and then fall back down again. It’s really that funny.
The story picks up thirteen years later. Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) is still a hopeless drunk. He works menial jobs, lives in a fleabag hotel, and oh yes, still adored by the goofy Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly). Thurman is all grown up, big-hearted, utterly naïve, and still making sandwiches; this time for a living at a local sandwich shop. Willie is near suicide when he gets an intriguing package. His old partner, Marcus (Tony Cox), is out of prison. He has the heist of a lifetime, $2 million dollars; if Willie can forget the past and come to Chicago for the job.
From Broad Green Pictures, Bad Santa 2 shows us Willie’s back story. How did this man hit rock bottom? He was born there. Insert Kathy Bates as Willie’s mother, Sunny. Bates is tremendous here. She plays one of the most obnoxious and unforgiving characters I have ever seen. She chews up the screen like a shark devouring a baby seal. Her interplay with Thornton and Cox will burn your ears. She has a monologue explaining why Willie has such a penchant for sodomy. Wow is an understatement.
The plot is minor in a film like this. It’s not terrible, but of course completely nonsensical and illogical. It’s just there as the set-up for these characters to interact. The ensemble cast and their banter is the highlight. I could watch Cox, Bates, and Thornton deride each all day. The cherry on the sundae is Brett Kelly as Thurman. The curly blonde hair, skin-tight shirt, the plastic sandwich making gloves, Thurman is a freaking riot. He’s the one bit of goodness and hope for Willie. Their relationship has heart, but more importantly, knockdown funny.
If you liked the first film, then Bad Santa 2 is a must see. Willie, Marcus, and Thurman haven’t changed at all. I think it helps to have seen the original to really get into the humor. Bad Santa 2 is so profane and indecent; anyone who is easily offended needs to steer clear by a mile. This film doesn’t care about political correctness or good taste. It embraces nastiness and we have a delightfully wicked film because of it.