As far as unnecessary sequels go, Bad Santa 2 isn't awful even if those moments are present. It lacks the heart of the original and despite its willingness to provoke, still feels like the edges have been sanded off. However, thanks to an opening front loaded with the best jokes and the very smart choice to keep it around the 90 minute mark, it remains passable.
Billy Bob Thornton's jaded cynicism still works for this character even if it's probably just him doing it for the paycheck this time round. Kathy Bates as his mum is a fun casting choice she clearly has some fun with and it's so nice to see Brett Kelly as Thurman Merman again. He's the closest thing this film has to a heart and it's worth watching just for his cute performance.
Mark Waters was a very strange choice to direct this since he's somehow both over and under qualified for the material and yet he does an okay job. It's shot like a sitcom in an inoffensive fashion and it's more than happy to let the writing do basically all the heavy lifting for the comedy rather than utilising any clever visual gags.
