httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgegJL_UZ7c
Photo In the hall of fame of ill-tempered comic characters, between wax works of W. C. Fields and Larry David, t ought to be a monument to Billy Bob Thornton’s work as Willie, the alcoholic safecracker of “Bad Santa.” As much as Terry Zwigoff’s 2003 film relied on the spectacle of Mr. Thornton soiling himself in a Santa suit or saying unspeakable things to children, the performance was a master class in timing and sly reaction shots.
Now comes a belated sequel, “Bad Santa 2,” directed by Mark Waters, whose pitch meeting seems to have proceeded from two unnecessary questions: What if bad Santa weren’t as bad as all that? And what if he had an estranged mother whose conduct is at least as foul as his?
When we re-meet Willie, he is working as a valet parking attendant, a job that goes south after he is distracted by a breast-feeding mother.
Following our reunion with Thurman Merman – Willie has promised to get the kid deflowered for his 21st birthday, which leads to a mortifying interlude with a prostitute – Willie accompanies his former partner to a prospective robbery in Chicago.
Dismayed about ripping off do-gooders – mawkishness is the only aspect in which “Bad Santa 2” outpaces its predecessor – Willie is not above beating up a street Santa who gets into a dispute with him over a spot to stand.
Diane, a target for Willie’s lewd advances, takes up the function of Lauren Graham’s character in the first film.
If “Bad Santa 2” has anything new to offer, it’s the spectacle of Kathy Bates as Willie’s mom, whom Willie resents.