Whooo! Bad Santa horrifies Disney execs!

From the commercials I've seen, it looks pretty damn funny. And since I loved Ghost World, I'm looking forward to seeing Bad Santa.

Also, didn't Miramax get in trouble with Disney because of the ultra violence in Kill Bill?

Sounds like hype from the Disney execs to me (meaning, mock outrage--not the description of the movie).

Is Bob Clark involved in any way (rhetorical question; I know he's not)? This sounds a lot like his Santa from Black Christmas. And, of course, we all know about his A Christmas Story Santa.

What nerve! Coke isn't complaining - and they invented him, so what's the big deal?

Glenn

A similar piece was posted at The Drudge Report.

Frankly I doubt the veracity of any "uproar" that occurs only TEN DAYS before the flick is set to open.

I've been told the movie is very vulgar and very funny, but for Disney to make a stink at this late date fairly reeks of 'reverse advertising'.

what about all the subliminal sex messages disney has in their movies. i bet those sick bastards really like that kind of stuff.

eric

Even if they were dumbstruck but what they saw, where the hell were they when they greenlighted picture? I am so sick and tired of studios that when a movie is done and ready to come out, then they decide to bitch about what is in the movie? Didn't they read the script? Weren't they ever present on the set maybe since they were funding it? Doesn't the title of the film say it all?

Sounds like totally BS and a great way to build business...but on the other hand, it is starting to get really hold...It is just like Universal and "House of A 1,000 Corpses." Take a look at the freaking title studio's and it should at least tell you the spirit of the movie.

Ditto! After all, the movie is titled "Bad Santa" and is directed by Terry Swigoff. I'm looking forward to seeing this movie.

I just saw "Ghost World" the other night for the first time and am absolutely enraged at myself for not seeing it sooner. I thought that it was one of the funniest things that I've seen in recent years.

The previews were funny. I loved Ghost World. It's one of John Ritter's last screen roles (it'll be great to see him and Billy Bob together again). Sounds like a winner to me.

As for "Santa being invented by Coke", not true according to snopes. Link below:


http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp

It's. Rated. R! R! R! R! R! R! R! R! R! R! R! R! R! R! R!

What is it rated? R!

Nothing but bullshit.

Saw the commercial last night looks like garbage. Sad to see John Ritter go out like this on the big screen.

Nothing Disney does anymore is "in the spirit of Walt Disney." Michael Eisner's "leadership" has probably sent dear old Walt spinning in his grave far more often than this movie ever could.

This "outrage" with Miramax is getting pretty old, too. Disney knew what Miramax was all about long before they partnered with them.

"I'm shocked, shocked to find bad behavior in a film entitled Bad Santa!"

"Your corporate dividends from Miramax, sir."

"Oh, thank you very much."

M.

MyY bad - made popular would have been a better choice of words.

Anyway, us usual, it looks like Disney's left *** doesn't know what the right one is doing.

Glenn

I saw it yesterday and it's very very vulgar and very very funny. I didn't expect much going in but I was extremely pleased with how darkly funny the film is.

It's a good anti-Christmas movie.

Well, I just went from not interested to quite curious. Wonder if we'll see Silent Night, Deadly Night-style picketing?

That sounded just about right!

Total marketing hype. Even if they really did feel this way, why the hell would they publicize it?

Did? . . .
Did you? . . . Nah.





Did you just wish death on Billy Bob Thornton?

j/k

The strange thing is that EVERY report I have read about this makes it seem like the film is about the real Santa behaving badly. It's not - it's a department store Santa.

This has nothing to do with Disney per se but is a transparent attempt from Drudge ( who started the "story") and his right-wing supporters to pressure entertainment corporations into avoiding material that they don't seem to feel people are adult enough to judge on their own. It's no coincidence it appeared right after their shockingly successful campaign ( fuelled by Drudge exposure ) to get "The Reagans" mini-series pulled from CBS.

They no doubt are emboldened by their recent success. I predict a consistent and unyielding barrage of attacks via the internet of any sort of creative projects that don't meet their standards of approval in the future.

This sounds like a lame PR stunt. Disney knew damn well what they were getting into when they bought Miramax. Every edgy Miramax film gets a similiar media plant on the cusp of it's release. It's getting rather tiresome.

OK, Disney execs, you convinced me. I won't go see your new movie, Bad Santa, or any other Disney movie for that matter.

Instead, I will spend my movie-going dollars on films put out by studios with more faith in their product.

There, happy now?

Rob

Michael,

nice one going with the Casablanca reference.

Somehow the tone of that scene does seem perfectly fitted to this "shock" by Disney. I thought the same thing many of you did when I first heard this.

A) Its called BAD Santa

B) Er, you did read the script? The treatment? At least the synopsis?

C) It's rated R and released by Miramax, it's not like you greenlighted a new Bad Santa ride at Disneyland here. The association with Walt and this film didn't exist until you made it exist.


Worst of all, it's not like this is the first time a film has been made based around a children's icon being bad or offensive. In that way Bad Santa has seemed like old news and not generated a lot of interest in seeing it for me. We've already had our Death to Smoochy and Shakes the Clown, not to mention Dan Akroyd as a drunken bum drug-planting Santa in Trading Places.


As everyone else has said "give me a break Disney, this is a huge non-event".

IMDB is now reporting Disney is denying this report.

Yes, and amusingly, the link that discredits the story is right below the one that originally told it. Nice journalism.

The trailer was hilarious, but Terry Zwigoff, like David Fincher, Terry Gilliam, or Steven Spielberg's direction... insures that I will be in the theatres the day of the release.

If you think the trailer is funny then you ain't seen nothing yet.

The trailer is about as clean as the film get's. Infact I think that's the only footage they could use in a trailer approved for all audiences.