Bad Santa (2003)

I believe this is the film that inaugurated the "Bad" sequences of films which has since encompassed grandpa's, mom's, and teachers. The "Bad Santa" of the title is Willie T. Soke (played perfectly by Billy Bob Thorton) an oft drunk and perpetually ornery mall Santa who along with his elf Marcus Skidmore (Tony Cox) have for years been running a scam where they travel around the country and rob the malls they work at on Christmas Eve. This time in Arizona Willie is good naturedly stocked by a rather awkward and odd fat kid named Thurman Merman (Brett Kelley) who he reluctantly ends up befriending and who might just rekindle what good is left in the old grump. It took me awhile to get into this one but in the end it won me over, its strangely sweet in it's own way. Bernie Mac, Ethan Phillips, Octavia Spencer and Cloris Leachman have small rolls, and this was John Ritter's last live action film. Lauren Graham plays Willie's love interest, and I'd forgotten just how beautiful she looked in her mid 30's, I'm not saying she doesn't still look great, but in her mid 30's, wow. ***