A washed-up alcoholic conman named Willie (Billy-Bob Thornton) teams up every Christmas with his associate, a dwarf named Marcus (Tony Cox), to rob malls. They spend the season casing the joint as the mall Santa and his tiny elf, then break into the mall's vault and make off with their haul. But this year's heist runs into problems when an 8-yr old troubled kid latches onto Willie.
This film displays rock-bottom at its absolute worst. Willie spends the entire film so drunk he can barely function. He has no interest in anyone but himself, fights with his associate constantly, uses rude and foul language with children, and even attempts suicide when he's not drowning out his sorrows with booze.
Yet despite his repeated attempts to tell off an 8-yr old kid, he somehow finds himself staying at the kid's home, where the kid's alone with his senile grandma. As the movie goes on, Willie never truly becomes a "changed man," but he does have a few moments where he starts to think about others a little.
This movie is about as crude and crass as you can get without renting some degrading porn. It truly is a piece of work. But at the same time, I really like it because it gives you a glimpse into the life of a hopeless asshole. Sure, it doesn't have a solid message about love and goodwill toward others, like most Christmas-themed films. But it's nice to see even the worst dregs of society find a little humanity hidden in themselves. And despite Willie's behavior throughout the film, you find yourself kind of rooting for him by the very end. I'd recommend this to a VERY adult audience. Don't let your kiddies see this one!
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