The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Arriving thirteen years after its predecessor, Bad Santa 2 takes on the same anti-holiday black comedy approach as the first film, which received generally positive reviews for its quirkiness and elatedly offensive nature. The sequel, however, is crude, rude and shamelessly vulgar with very little story to bite into. Suffering from extreme repetitiveness, lack of characterisation and a generally we-don’t-have-a-clue-where-to-take-the-story-to kind of a feel, the result is a tedious and painfully unexciting watch.

Taking place thirteen years after the happenings of the first movie, Willie Sokes (Thornton doing his thing) is still finding it hard to keep his life in line. Broke and completely miserable, his romance with girlfriend Sue is no longer in play though, Thurman Merman (Kelly) is still very much a part of his life, with the naïve little boy – who has now grown up into a naïve young man  – still following him around thinking he’s God.

After failing to commit suicide, Willie is once again contacted by his ex-partner-in-crime Marcus Skidmore (Cox) with a new job prospect. After sorting out their personal differences, Willie soon agrees to accompany Marcus to Chicago where they plan to rob a children’s charity on Christmas Eve. Things take an unexpected turn when Willie finds out that his mother, Sunny (Bates), is also in on the scheme and he starts fooling around with charity head Diane Hastings (Hendricks), while Thurman, who is desperate to find Willie in time for Christmas, journeys to Chicago to find him.

While the presence of one Billy Bob Thornton – the actor has no trouble in slipping back into his role – is a definite plus, the movie doesn’t come across as a well thought-out and a carefully developed idea. Trying to balance out several storylines at once, the end-result feels unfocused, while the raunchy jokes fail more often than they land.

Surprisingly, amidst all of the coarseness and vulgarity, there are several moments of genuine tenderness, with Kelly’s Thurman, a sensitive young man who longs for a family of his own, deserving of most the praise. However, it’s the bad that outweighs the good for Bad Santa 2 which seems to be more interested in spitting out dirty jokes instead of finding a real story to work with.