HBO MaxBad Santa 2 (2016)
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Viewer Rating
Rating: 4.3
Overview
Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie Soke teams up with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve. Along for the ride is chubby and cheery Thurman Merman, a 250-pound ray of sunshine who brings out Willie's sliver of humanity. Issues arise when the pair are joined by Willie's horror story of a mother, who raises the bar for the gang's ambitions, while somehow lowering the standards of criminal behavior.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
HBO Max
Apple TV
Google PlayBias Dimensions
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Negative
Christianity: Negative
Overview
Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie Soke teams up with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve. Along for the ride is chubby and cheery Thurman Merman, a 250-pound ray of sunshine who brings out Willie's sliver of humanity. Issues arise when the pair are joined by Willie's horror story of a mother, who raises the bar for the gang's ambitions, while somehow lowering the standards of criminal behavior.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
HBO MaxApple TVGoogle PlayDetailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Primary
Bad Santa 2 is a dark comedy focused on criminal characters and their dysfunctional relationships, with themes of greed and cynicism. The film does not engage with political ideologies or offer societal critiques, focusing instead on character-driven humor and amoral antics.
The movie includes visible diversity in its main cast with a prominent Black character, though this casting does not involve explicit race or gender swaps of traditionally white roles. The narrative focuses on the characters' general human flaws and criminal behavior, without explicitly critiquing or positively framing traditional identities through a DEI lens.
Secondary
Bad Santa 2 features Marcus, a character whose ambiguous sexuality is often the subject of crude humor. The film includes a homophobic "not dropping the soap" joke in a prison scene. Overall, the portrayal uses implied queer identity for problematic gags and stereotypes rather than with dignity or complexity, resulting in a negative net impact.
The film uses the Christmas holiday as a cynical backdrop for crime and crude humor, satirizing its commercialism and the superficiality of its "spirit." It offers no affirming portrayal of Christian faith or its virtues, instead highlighting its exploitation by deeply flawed characters.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
Bad Santa 2 is a direct sequel to the 2003 film. All returning characters, such as Willie Soke, Marcus Skidmore, and Thurman Merman, maintain their established genders from the original movie. No previously established character is portrayed as a different gender.
Bad Santa 2 is a sequel where the main returning characters are portrayed by their original actors, maintaining their established races. New characters introduced in the film do not constitute race swaps.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
4.3
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
User Ratings
5.6
5.4
Critic Ratings
2.3
3.8
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