Buried beneath a pile of hillbilly inelegance is a pretty solid performance by Robin Wright as a burnt-out junkie mom. Beyond that, there’s isn’t much to recommend “Devil’s Peak” (2023). Billy Bob Thornton basically plays himself as Appalachian Walter White whose kinfolk traded moonshine for meth at some point. Wright’s son in blood and acetate is set to inherit this backwoods kingdom, but Hopper Penn plays the role as if both he and the character don’t want to be there. The suspense over whether the teen gets out or is dragged down is formulaic trashy tragedy, but better than nothing.
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It doesn’t take an effing genius to figure out “Bad Santa 2” (2016) wouldn’t be as good as the original because Bernie Mac is effing dead, so is John Ritter, and Heather Graham must have been too effing busy to answer the phone. Half the main characters (Santa-suited safe cracker Billy Bob Thornton, elf Tony Cox, clueless Brett Kelly) are back, but that’s just not enough. There was something about the original that made its degenerate nature a guilty pleasure. This one has too much dirty and not enough whimsy. Like a 21-year-old Thurman Merman, the effing innocence is gone.
Holiday movies always make me a little nostalgic. Take “Bad Santa” (2003), where Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox are a felonious Kris Kringle and elfin accessory. I miss the comedic talents of the late Bernie Mac and John Ritter, who ably played supporting roles. It’s also where I first met Lauren Graham. I’m not the target demographic for “Gilmore Girls,” so witnessing her sweet flakiness as a kinky bartender was like a partially unwrapped present just for me. Memories. If you’re not smitten by her, the film’s subversively sharp writing will suffice. You’ll have a hilariously blue (language) Christmas.
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