Bad Santa (DVD)

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Commendably, Zwigoff is not afraid of taking his time. Where some younger directors might have been inclined toward a frenetic, quick-edited tempo, Zwigoff allows his story to unfold at a reasonably leisurely pace, maybe relying overmuch on alternating medium and close shots but generally building each scene in lifelike, incremental steps.

I also enjoyed the moviemakers' taste in music and wondered how much of a hand the Coens had in this regard. I mean, any film that uses Carlos Gardel's "Por Una Cabeza" can't be all bad (it's the tango that also ends Schwarzenegger's "True Lies"), although the tune is oddly unmentioned among the film's many musical credits. Anyhow, the soundtrack is an eclectic mix of singers and composers that includes Xavier Cugat, Frederic Chopin, Bobby Sherman, Eddie Arnold, Gioacchino Rossini, Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Peter Tchaikovsky, Boots Randolph, Andy Williams, Dimitri Shostakovich, Bing Crosby, Ricky Nelson, Giuseppe Verdi, Bunnygrunt, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I'd like to hear the soundtrack album.

If the film has any failing at all, it's a propensity for making Willie a little too venomous at times. Thornton's portrayal of the character is spot on, to be sure, and I can't imagine any other actor surpassing him in the role; yet his Willie can be so vile, we're caught wondering occasionally if this is a comedy after all. Plus, Willie is drunk almost constantly, which is humorous for a while but gets old rather fast.

With an open mind and a high tolerance for obscenity, "Bad Santa" can be a laugh-out-loud frolic. Thornton's crumb-bum character may be nasty and offensive, but he's ultimately sympathetic; and the film's action may be wildly uneven, but the end result is the viewer's being uplifted in a totally perverse sort of way. It's an unusual but very funny film. Just keep it on the top shelf and well away from the children.

Video:
The picture quality is fine, but it comes nowhere near the best available. The screen size is an average 1.85:1 ratio, rendered across a normal television at about 1.77:1, given a TV's propensity for overscanning and such. The bit rate is also average, but the picture is enhanced for widescreen televisions so it compensates a little. While the colors are bright enough, the definition is slightly blurry and fuzzy, and darker scenes can appear somewhat murky.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound does an excellent job across the front three speakers, evenly filling out a nice stereo spread. Still, not a lot of action occurs in the surround speakers beyond the expected ambiance enhancement for crowds scenes, music, and such. On the one occasion that strong bass is required, the sonics come through. What more can I say?

Extras:
There are not a lot of extras on the disc, but the few that are here are satisfying. We get, as advertised, the unrated version of the movie, for whatever that's worth. Then, there are three deleted or alternate scenes, at least one of which, the training room scene, should have been left in the film. A nine-minute behind-the-scenes special, "Not Your Typical Christmas Movie," follows, with the usual interviews and back patting. Finally, there are four minutes of outtakes; a minute-and-a-half "Badder Santa" gag reel; Sneak Peeks at other BV releases; nineteen scene selections, none of them telling us where the unrated material appears; and a chapter insert. English is the only spoken language offered and there are no subtitles, odd omissions for an important, new DVD release, but there are English captions for the hearing impaired.

Parting Thoughts:
It's not my job to second guess other people and their reactions to a movie, but if I were a betting man I'd wager that a decade from now viewers will be considering "Bad Santa" a Christmas classic for adults. That's a far cry from a traditional Christmas classic, understand. "Bad Santa" is a black comedy that Kubrick might have liked. It's daring, ready to take chances, and with few exceptions unwilling to cop out. Or the movie may be forgotten in ten years. Today's abrasive, cynical humor may be passé in no time. Who knows.

In any case, as I've said, it's not a movie for everyone. It's purposely designed to strike out at every cherished holiday belief possible, yet in the end it curiously conveys as much a true spirit of Christmas love as any conventional Christmas film you can name. In other words, it's a typically twisted Coen brothers product, even if they didn't direct it.