Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Book-inspired short film has cartoon violence, mild insults.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday
What's the Story?
In THE BAD GUYS: A VERY BAD HOLIDAY, a gang of wannabe bad guys waits in anticipation for Christmas day, when store and bank closures offer a perfect occasion for a heist. But when Wolfie (voiced by Michael Godere), Snake (Chris Diamantopoulos), Webs (Mallory Low), Pirahna (Raul Ceballos), and Shark (Ezekiel Ajeigbe) cause a beloved Santa balloon to explode, it looks like Christmas won't happen -- and neither will their Holiday Heist-tacular. The gang does everything they can to bring Christmas back.
Is It Any Good?
This very funny short film has enough goofy dialogues to make you want to hit replay after its 25 minutes ends, just to see what you might have missed. There's a certain mature humor to The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday that also won't be lost on kids. A security guard with daddy issues, characters who want to be bad but are actually good deep down, and the shame the "bad guys" feel when Santa puts them on his nice list are all laughable scenarios. This action-packed tale lampoons the way people seem to have no resistance to feel-good Christmas tunes or a snowy holiday ambiance, but it does so in the spirit of an inside joke built around a warm familiarity. We're laughing at ourselves too, and that feels good.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the heist gang in The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday is actually bad. Why or why not? What are their plans?
Why are there so many Christmas movies but not as many films about other religious holidays?
What does Santa represent, in your opinion? How about in this film?
What do you think about short films like this -- did you want it to keep going, like a feature-length film, or was it the right length? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 30, 2023
- Cast : Michael Godere , Mallory Low , Zehra Fazal
- Director : Bret Haaland
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Indian/South Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Book Characters , Friendship , Holidays
- Run time : 25 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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