Bad Santa 2 (2016)

Directed by Mark Waters. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Christina Hendricks, Jenny Zigrino, Ryan Hansen, Jeff Skowron. [R]

Because of the demands for a sequel, Thornton’s safecracker Willie reluctantly teams up with his back-stabbing ex-partner (Cox) and his own estranged, misanthropic mother (Bates) to rip off a Chicago charity during the holiday season. Plenty raunchy, misogynistic, and foul-mouthed, but Santa isn’t especially bad anymore, just grouchy and occasionally deviant; even the organization he’s robbing is corrupted, making him only about the fourth worst person involved in this lazy con-job/heist. The plot goes through the motions, climaxing with a scenario that anyone could have seen coming far in advance, and in spite of the softer approach, it can’t even squeeze out any of the same few morsels of heart the original carried under the Santa suit. Kelly also returns as the childlike simpleton Thurman Merman (“the Kid”), all grown up but still (vaguely) believing in Santa and oblivious to all forms of derisive social cues—strange how what was weird and funny when he was a kid becomes weird and creepy when he’s an adult. What few laughs do emerge surprisingly come from sarcastic remarks and oblique reactions instead of the filthy material, which often feels forced for the sake of oneupmanship shock value. Octavia Spenser reprises her minor role from the first film in a cameo.

37/100