Happy New Year to everyone on Ciao! many thanks for all the r/r/c's I've received throughout the yea...
Happy New Year to everyone on Ciao! many thanks for all the r/r/c's I've received throughout the year! RIP Holly, Christmas wont be the same without you...
Member since:27.07.2006
Reviews:243
Members who trust:91
- Cast & Crew -
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307987/fullcredits
- Plot -
Down-and-out drunk Willie makes his living by playing Santa Claus along with his partner Marcus who accompanies him playing an elf, at department stores around the US. They make money by burgaling from the store on Christmas eve and disappearing elsewhere, where they spend the money they stole to get them through until the festive season next year.
Willie is a particularly nasty man, obviously as a thief and also as a drunk who has a pretty dirty mouth and really doesn't have any time for kids, only doing the least of his duties as a department store santa, while looking out for women to screw and the like.
However this year is different, with him in Arizona where he, while yet again playing a less than overly jolly Santa in a department store, befriends a lonely, chubby boy who comes to see him. The boy comes to his defense during a scuffle with somebody else outside the store at night and he ends up following him home, where he discovers that the boy lives in a house with only his elderly grandmother who hardly seems to notice him, so he decides to take up residence there.
The store manager catches a glimpse of a less than Santa-like act one day and this leads to the store staff/security keeping a close eye on
Willie.
I guess the question is, will Willie (and Marcus) ever change and will he pay any attention to the young boy he's befriended and now lives with? you'll have to watch the movie to find out.
- Genre/Type of Movie -
This is a rude and slightly bawdy, dark adult comedy movie.
- Thoughts & Opinions -
I had been keen to see this for a while, I guess a part of me liked the idea of an antidote to the overly saccharine, sugary sweet sentimental family Christmas movies where everyone is perfect and whatever else, bah humbug to that, its so unrealistic and anyway its got to be somewhat of a novelty to see (or more, hear) a santa that swears like a trooper, right? ok so perhaps that shows a bad light on me for thinking that way but I admit it, I was somewhat interested to watch this movie knowing thats what it'd be like or would feature... a swearing santa, who'd have thought it?!
The movie is ok, although it will be a bit too dark for some im sure and of course this isn't at all for children, even though it does feature one fairly young kid in particular, I certainly wouldn't recommend it be shown to anyone under the age of about 16 or 17 at least.
It was somewhat amusing but I think its too much of a one joke movie really, im certainly glad it didn't last considerably longer. I felt quite sad for the young boy, seeing him getting bullied by the local teenagers and clearly not seeing 'Santa' for who he really is. The boy follows Willie around most of the time because he's clearly shy and lonely and so he wants to be protected by this low life drunk that he somehow believes will protect him and give him what he wants at Christmas.
As I say, this is clearly quite a dark movie and it does have a couple of scenes that are quite funny, one being where Willie comes home with his then girlfriend to find the boys grandmother looking frighteningly stiff and still sitting on the couch. I guess its nice to know that they cared enough to check whether or not she had expired at that point!
Its perhaps worth mentioning that Bernie Mac stars in this movie, he makes a nice addition to the cast as the rather suspicious store manager Gin, who Willie and Marcus try to get rid of. Although really the main star of this movie, character and performance-wise, as far as im concerned, is the young boy (he's unnamed in the movie, according to IMDB and I don't remember his name being mentioned in the movie) played by Brett Kelly.
For those who are aware of the movie drillbit taylor (which I've also reviewed, earlier this year), this actor and the movie in some parts/scenes reminded me quite alot of that movie, which is maybe a bit random but its my review so im adding it in, so there you go lol.
I think its ok as, like I say, an antidote to your overly saccharine sweet sentimental family Christmas movie, if you think of it as a fairly amusing novelty movie for adults where you get to see the previously unheard of - a potty mouthed Santa whos a drunk and doesn't have any interest in kids.
The ending is kind of funny, though you may feel kind of cheated by the outcome too but its hard to explain it without giving too much away.
- Would I Recommend It? -
This certainly isn't a movie for kids or otherwise to be shown as a family film, obviously. If your a fan of dark movies and you like something a bit different, if your the 'bah humbug' type this time of year and you think the concept/story would amuse you, then I'd recommend it I guess but its hardly a masterpiece movie by any real standards.
I thought it was just worth watching the once and I certainly wouldn't say its worth buying the DVD outright, not if it costs more than a few quid certainly but its diverting enough to watch once for an hour and a half or so, if you know what to expect.
I hope this review was useful to you and thanks, as ever, for any and all r/r/c's.
Also please be aware that this review, as about all my reviews will be, is posted on both Dooyoo and Ciao under my username which is the same name on both sites (IzzyS).
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Dec 14th, 2008
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