It’s a difficult question to answer when someone asks, “Are you happy they’re making a sequel to Bad Santa?” The original film is one of my favorite dark comedies. It was almost perfect. The casting was great, the ending was satisfying, the late Bernie Mac was hilarious playing the straight man.
So why not leave it alone? Why mess with a good thing? Because humans are in charge of Hollywood, and we have trouble letting things go.
Bad Santa 2 is happening (or happened) and we have to accept it now. The sequel will hit theaters November 23, 2016. A full trailer hasn’t been released for the movie; however, an official poster and the first images were released this week. As you can see, the three stars of the first film are back. You got Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, and yes that’s the chubby kid (Brett Kelly) from the first movie all grown up.
The poster (seen at the bottom of the page) promises this sequel will be wilder, drunker and badder. A promise that has me more nervous than excited. The original film didn’t need to resort to the Hangover-style comedy most films are littered with today.
We’ll see what happens. I’m looking forward to watching the first trailer. But for now, we must settle for the poster and official synopsis.
“BAD SANTA 2 returns Academy Award®-winner BILLY BOB THORNTON to the screen as America’s favorite anti-hero, Willie Soke. Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie teams up once again with his angry little sidekick, Marcus (TONY COX), to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve. Along for the ride is ‘the kid’ – chubby and cheery Thurman Merman (BRETT KELLY), a 250-pound ray of sunshine who brings out Willie’s sliver of humanity.
Mommy issues arise when the pair are joined by Academy Award®, Golden Globe and Emmy-winner KATHY BATES, as Willie’s horror story of a mother, Sunny Soke. A super butch super bitch, Sunny raises the bar for the gang’s ambitions, while somehow lowering the standards of criminal behavior. Willie is further burdened by lusting after the curvaceous and prim Diane, played by Emmy Award-nominee CHRISTINA HENDRICKS, the charity director with a heart of gold and libido of steel.”
