*Originally written November 25th, 2016*
Bad Santa 2 is another one of those belated sequels that not many people had been asking for, well, they did, but that was 13 years ago when the first came out. 13 years later and the belated release of Bad Santa 2 is just another film to add to the list of sequels that were too much, far too late. It joins the 2016 list along with Zoolander 2 and Independence Day 2.
Taking place 13 years after the original, our protagonist hasn't changed much. He's still a foul-mouthed miserable alcoholic and a sex addict. It's just that all of the charm is gone by this point. Billy Bob Thornton still gives a game performance, but the character just feels charmless and unfunny this time.
We hit a lot of the same notes as the first, but in a more bitter, cynical and mean-spirited way. Think The Hangover: Part 2, which hits a lot of the same beats as the first, but ramps up the humour in a more nasty way. It tries far too hard with its political incorrectness, which should feel like a breath of fresh air in this oh-so politically correct and sensitive world we live in now, but it's not. It's just bitter and horrible.
It also feels very cheap. While the first was hardly a masterpiece of cinematography, it at least had some visual style and its own voice. This feels like it was directed by anybody and almost felt straight to DVD.
This time we're joined by Willie's toxic mother played by Kathy Bates, who is just a charmless racist. They attempt to shoehorn in the same time of heart with the first by bringing back Thurman (The Kid from the first), who is now in his 20's, but the cute naivety of the character is gone and this time it feels like they made him closer to mentally challenged than innocent. Christina Hendricks is here as the new love interest, although shes' completely wasted and degraded by this material, which is a shame as she's an actress capable of much better.
Everything here feels like it aims to offend. It's rampant in the nihilism that made the first so great, but it just doesn't work this time. From it's double suicide attempt opening to its predictable and by the numbers ending, it was all just a vapid and pointless exercise and just another piece of evidence that not all belated sequels work.
4/10 Dans
Bad Santa 2 is out now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK
Watch the trailer below:
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