The 2003 American Christmas black comedy crime film Bad Santa was directed by Terry Zwigoff and starred Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, and Lauren Graham. Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Tom, and John Ritter had supporting roles. Ritter made his final cinematic appearance before passing away in 2003. Executive producers are listed as the Coen brothers.
Professional thieves Willie T. Soke and his dwarf sidekick Marcus Skidmore operate in this field. Each year, Marcus and Willie work together as department store Santa Clauses and elves to rob malls on Christmas Eve. Marcus’s wife Lois serves as their getaway driver.
While Marcus takes his work seriously, Willie, an alcoholic with a sex addiction, is increasingly unable to work with children. Willie’s impoliteness surprises the prudish mall manager Bob Chipeska when they are hired at the Saguaro Square Mall in Phoenix.
Chipeska then brings them to the notice of security chief Gin Slagel. Thurman Merman, a nice but incredibly naive, dimwitted young boy who thinks he’s Santa and is bullied by a lot of kids, visits Willie at the mall.
Marcus finds Willie’s exploitation of Thurman offensive and disapproves of his addiction to sex. When Gin goes to see Roger, he unintentionally lets her know that Willie is living with Thurman illegally. He confronts Marcus and Willie and informs them that he has discovered their scheme and is extorting half the score in exchange for their silence.
Marcus and Willie’s relationship starts to deteriorate, which is made worse when Willie arrives at work intoxicated and ruins the Santa attraction. As he prepares to kill himself by breathing in car exhaust fumes, Willie gives Thurman a confession letter to the police detailing his transgressions and the Christmas Eve heist.
He gives up on his suicide attempt, though, after realizing Thurman has a black eye. He attacks the skateboarders’ leader and threatens to leave Thurman alone.
Marcus and Lois set a trap for Gin because they are angry about her blackmail. Pretending to require a jump start, Lois strikes Gin with the automobile before crushing him between the two cars to end his life. Sue helps Willie and Thurman get ready for the upcoming holiday.
Willie, Marcus, and Lois raid the mall on Christmas Eve, and despite some technical difficulties, Willie opens the safe. Thurman requests a pink plush elephant for Christmas, which he also receives in the interim. But Marcus, tired of Willie’s growing recklessness, tells him he plans to murder him. Just as he is about to put Willie to death, Willie’s letter to Thurman gives the police a tip, and they suddenly storm in.
Filming Locations
One noteworthy location in the SFV used for Bad Santa filming was Thurman and his grandmother’s house, which would subsequently be the residence of Willie T. Stokes. The address of the house, which also includes the interior, is 7211 Whitehall Lane, West Hills.
Chas Demster had already located this location; it was also discussed at IAMNOTSTALKER.com and Filming Locations in Chicago and Los Angeles. Spend a moment on Demster’s website to see the other locations in Los Angeles.
The entirety of “Bad Santa” was filmed in California, but the action is set in the Saguaro Square Mall in Phoenix, Arizona.
A wing of the Del Amo Fashion Centre in Torrance, California, served as the filming location for all scenes involving malls; the old Montgomery Ward was converted into Chamberlain’s, the movie’s store. In the end, the mall’s entire wing was empty, not just that particular store. Since then, it has been completely destroyed.
Del Amo Fashion Center – Hawthorne Boulevard & Carson Street, in Torrance, California, USA, appears in the movie as Saguaro Square Mall. The Long Beach, located in California, USA, was shot in the film as Miami Beach. Other filming locations for the movie include Santa Clarita, Monrovia, Long Beach, West Hills, Los Angeles, Torrance, and 7248 Rock Ridge Terrace, West Hills, California, USA.
California’s Del Amo Fashion Centre in Torrance: Enter the opulent hallways of Saguaro Square Mall, which have been revitalized by the Del Amo Fashion Centre. Particularly the old Montgomery Ward building that became the make-believe Chamberlain’s, this expansive mall in Torrance, California, provided the setting for Willie’s department store adventures.
West Hills, California: Thurman Merman’s lavish home was filmed in a private residence in West Hills, California, giving viewers a peek at his opulent lifestyle. Just picture Willie falling all over those elegant hallways and bringing havoc with him.
