50 Fun Facts About Bad Santa

Who plays Willie T. Soke, the drunken thief in the title role?

Several bigger names were considered for the part before it went to Thornton, who won a Golden Globe nomination for it.

Which actor plays Marcus Skidmore, the brains of the safe-cracking duo?

Cox had earlier played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi and the Preacher in Beetlejuice.

Who plays Thurman Merman, the gullible boy who believes Willie is really Santa?

The Coens had originally tailored the part for Two and a Half Men's Angus T. Jones.

While Willie works as a department-store Santa, what costume role does Marcus take for the heists?

Marcus takes the job seriously; Willie, an alcoholic, is steadily unable to perform around children.

In which city is the mall where Willie and Marcus take their jobs?

The pair had worked a Milwaukee mall the previous year, which is where the film's opening robbery is set.

What is the name of the fictional shopping centre where most of the film takes place?

The mall scenes were shot in a vacant wing of a real Southern California shopping centre.

Who plays Sue, the bartender who takes a shine to Willie?

Graham was in the middle of her run on Gilmore Girls when the film came out.

Who plays Bob Chipeska, the prudish mall manager?

The film was dedicated to his memory; he died before it reached theatres.

Which comedian plays Gin Slagel, the mall's security chief?

Mac was starring in his own Fox sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show, at the time.

Who directed the film?

It was his fourth feature, following the documentaries Louie Bluie and Crumb and the fiction film Ghost World.

Which writing duo wrote the screenplay?

The pair met at Pratt Institute and had previously written Cats & Dogs.

The screenwriting duo later directed which 2011 romantic comedy starring Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling?

Their directing debut had been I Love You Phillip Morris in 2009.

Which filmmaking siblings developed the concept and are credited as executive producers?

They came up with the story of an alcoholic mall Santa before hiring writers to flesh it out.

The executive producers wanted the film to be as funny as which 1976 baseball comedy?

The same screenwriters would later write the 2005 remake of that film, directed by Richard Linklater.

Which studio rejected the final script as the foulest, most anti-Christmas thing it could imagine?

That reaction was exactly what persuaded Miramax to give it the green light.

The role of Willie was originally tailored for which Sopranos star?

The Coens had just worked with him on The Man Who Wasn't There.

Which veteran Hollywood star auditioned for the role of Marcus?

The Coens' own choice was Danny Woodburn, and the director's eventual pick caused friction with the producers.

The mall scenes were filmed in a vacant wing of which real Southern California shopping centre?

The wing has since been demolished and replaced by an open-air lifestyle centre.

The mall's fictional anchor store, Chamberlain's, was a former branch of which real retailer?

The store and the entire wing were vacant at the time of filming.

The film opened in North America on November 26 of which year?

It was screened out of competition at Cannes the following spring.

What was the film's production budget?

It grossed more than three times that worldwide.

Roughly how much did the film gross worldwide?

More than $60 million of that came from the domestic box office.

What is the film's approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes?

The site's consensus calls it a gloriously rude comedy that grinches will find uproariously funny.

What rating out of four did critic Roger Ebert give the film?

He called it a demented, twisted and unreasonably funny work of comic kamikaze style.

A Washington Times editorial called the film the evil twin of which Christmas classic?

The editorial also chided Disney for letting a subsidiary trash Santa Claus.

Under what title was the unrated version released on DVD and Blu-ray?

The unrated cut is about ten minutes longer than the director's own preferred version.

The director's cut is how many minutes shorter than the theatrical version?

It also carries an audio commentary with the director and the film's editor.

The lead actor was nominated for a Golden Globe for the role but lost to whom?

The winner took the prize for Lost in Translation; the other nominees were Depp, Black and Nicholson.

What present does Willie grab for Thurman during the Christmas Eve heist?

Willie leads police on a chase to Thurman's house just to deliver it, and is shot on the porch.

Thurman says his father is out exploring the mountains. Where is he really?

Willie helps himself to the absent father's safe and his BMW.

Which Oscar-winning actress plays Thurman's senile grandmother?

The next year she was SAG-nominated for playing another boozy grandmother in Spanglish.

Which actress plays Opal in both the original film and its sequel?

Hers is a small role in the 2003 film, years before she became an Oscar winner.

In the epilogue, Willie says the police have hired him in what role?

Shooting an unarmed Santa had embarrassed the department enough to clear him of the robbery.

Thurman is constantly bullied by a teenage gang of what?

In the final scene Thurman finally stands up to their leader on his bike.

Who directed Bad Santa 2?

He had directed Freaky Friday and Mean Girls with Lindsay Lohan.

In the sequel, what is the name of Willie's estranged mother, who turns out to be Marcus's contact?

The character was originally written as Willie's father, Earl, until the writers decided a terrible mother was funnier.

The sequel's heist targets a charity in which city?

The city was chosen as the setting, though the film was shot in Canada.

The sequel is set how many years after the original?

Thurman has just turned 21 and works at a sandwich shop.

In the sequel, Thurman works at a sandwich shop with what name?

He arrives at Willie's door carrying a package of cash from Marcus.

Principal photography on the sequel took place in which city?

Filming took place on Saint Catherine Street and Saint-Alexandre, starting in January 2016.

The sequel opened the same weekend as which Disney animated film?

It finished seventh, with about $9 million over its first five days against a $26 million budget.

Thurman's actor turned up as a contestant on which game show in October 2024?

He finished third, ending Double Jeopardy with zero dollars.

The lead actor has admitted to doing what on the set of the film?

He later said casting directors call him whenever they need someone unpleasant.

How do the police learn about the Christmas Eve heist?

Willie wrote it as a confession before a suicide attempt he abandoned to defend Thurman.

Which Oscar-winning actress joined the sequel as Willie's foul-mouthed mother?

The character was originally written as Willie's father, Earl, until the writers decided a terrible mother was funnier.

Which Mad Men star plays Diane, the head of the charity in the sequel?

Her character bails Willie out of jail and makes him attend AA meetings.

Which festival screened Bad Santa out of competition in 2004?

Miramax released the film in North America while Columbia handled the rest of the world.

John Ritter's role as Bob Chipeska was notable for what reason?

Ritter died on September 11, 2003, two months before the film opened.

The film's opening Miami sequence was actually shot in which California city?

Thurman's house scenes were filmed in West Hills, and the mall was a vacant wing of Del Amo Fashion Center.

What grade did audiences polled by CinemaScore give Bad Santa?

Critics were warmer: Metacritic scored it 70 out of 100 from 38 reviews.