Billy Bob Thornton’s dark A Simple Plan.

Thornton’s most noteworthy early roles indeed placed him on a darkly dramatic path. The star soon veered into the comedy realm, however, with roles that showed his inherently edgy and brooding qualities being adapted to funny material. Thornton went for offbeat chuckles in the black comedy Pushing Tin, the dramedy Bandits and the Coen Brothers’ romantic farce Intolerable Cruelty. He also went for somewhat more broadly-appealing guffaws in the remake of The Bad News Bears, as well as Mr. Woodcock and School for Scoundrels.

Thornton’s Bad Santa And Bad Santa 2 Are Climbing Up Paramount+’s Streaming Charts

Willie Soke Might Be Thornton's Greatest Character

Thornton’s unrelentingly grouchy and acerbic comedic persona came to full flower in 2003, when he played the lead in the anti-holiday comedy Bad Santa. Starring as a cranky thief posing as a mall Santa, Thornton helped drive the outrageous laughfest to a worldwide gross of $76 million on a budget of $23 million. 13 years later, Thornton reprised his funniest role for the delayed sequel Bad Santa 2, which flopped at the box office with only $24 million in grosses against a budget of $26 million.

The Bad Santa sequel may not have been a holiday smash, but it’s proving a hit on streaming, as both it and the original Bad Santa find themselves in Paramount+’s top 10 streaming movies. As of this publishing, Bad Santa is at #5 and Bad Santa 2 is at #8.

Our Take On Bad Santa And Bad Santa 2 Being Streaming Hits

Thornton's Comedies Are A BItter Antidote To Holiday Sweetness

Christmas movies naturally dominate streaming services during December, as subscribers look for wholesome holiday favorites to watch along with the whole family. But those who have a more cynical bent may veer away from the typical fare, seeking out titles that deliver something other than the warm-and-fuzzy feelings served up by most Christmastime films.

Bad Santa was originally developed by the Coen Brothers, with James Gandolfini intended to star

Bad Santa was indeed marketed as an alternative to the usual jolly, sentimental Christmas movie, and folks back in 2003 were hungry enough for such counter-programming that they made the film a hit. Bad Santa 2 might have been a hit as well, had it come out right after the original, but 13 years was too long to wait to put Thornton back in a Santa suit, and the downbeat comedy felt forced.

Though Bad Santa is over 20 years old, it remains a perfect non-traditional Christmas movie, a refreshingly sardonic jolt for those who can't stomach Hallmark-style holiday schmaltz-fests, nostalgic stop-motion fables or gooey, sentimental seasonal classics. Thornton’s pair of Bad Santa movies rising into the top 10 on Paramount+ shows there are still plenty of folks looking for relief from the season’s feel-good vibes, and not enough new titles around to satisfy their twisted, anti-holiday craving.

Source: Paramount+