Bad Santa
Dimension Films | Release Date: November 26, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
27
Mixed:
7
Negative:
4
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
I wanted to believe in Bad Santa. At least half of the time I did.
50
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Bad Santa is a one-joke film; to his credit, Thornton embodies that joke with vicious, vaguely insane conviction. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
A determinedly raunchy holiday comedy about a libidinous, larcenous and perpetually soused St. Nick with a nonstop potty mouth. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
Gets stuck in a rut. Hearing Santa say “f---” isn't nearly as funny the 50th time as it is the first 49. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Aspires to the devilish crudity and unfettered social commentary of South Park. But Zwigoff's direction lacks the exaggerated cartoonishness necessary. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Joel and Ethan Coen wrote the story, using the ancient gag of the toxic Santa as a vehicle for their patented brand of misanthropy; Zwigoff and company wring some laughs out of it, though the tone is uniformly mean and vulgar. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Perhaps for Zwigoff, directing someone else's script, this was just a job of work. If not, the talent who made "Crumb" and "Ghost World "has now made his first movie mistake. Read full review
More From This Movie

70 Critic Reviews

8.3 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL