Remember “Miracle on 34th Street”?
That was a Christmas movie of a different era.
In 2003, Santa is being portrayed alternatively by an outspoken socialist radical and as a hard-drinking, profane, mean-spirited thief.
In “Bad Santa,” debuting this week, Billy Bob Thornton plays a foul-mouthed, drunken thief who poses as a mall Santa so he can pull off Christmas Eve heists.
 Billy Bob Thornton as Santa (Photo: Miramax) |
Christian film critic Ted Baehr says, “Bad Santa is a raunchy, depressing, deplorable Christmas movie with over 250 mostly strong obscenities and profanities. The fact that it was even made should sadden moral audiences. The protagonist is a nasty, foul-mouthed, alcoholic con man who’s mean to children.”
In “Bad Santa,” Thornton plays Willie T. Soke, a mall Santa who, along with his elf partner, use their holiday positions to rob department stores, cracking open their safes and stealing furs and jewelry.
Rated R, in one shocking scene, the Santa Claus character is shown picking up a young girl and having anal sex with her in a mall dressing room. In another scene, a child asks, “You are really Santa, right?” The Thornton character responds, “No, I’m an accountant. I wear this as a f—— fashion statement!”
“If children do happen to see this movie, and God forbid that drunk or otherwise temporarily insane parents allow it, their knowledge of profanities, sexual exploits, safe cracking, drinking, smoking and playing con games will increase to staggering levels,” says Baehr.
There are rumblings in some quarters that the studio behind “Bad Santa” could face the same kind of fallout CBS experienced with its “The Reagans” miniseries. Miramax is a subsidiary of Disney – once known for its wholesome productions geared for children.
“Bad Santa” is not the first controversial Christmas movie of 2003.
There’s the current hit “Elf,” starring Ed Asner as Santa. In this one, Asner, one of Hollywood’s most radical political activists who raises money for the Democratic Socialists of America, brings to the role some of the gruffness he was known for in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Lou Grant.”
“I really had a feeling this Santa’s bones were aching at times,” he told the Associated Press. “He’s wondering if he’s getting too old for this job.
“I also had an undercurrent of feeling that this Santa liked to have the occasional or more than occasional nip.”
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WND Staff