Fatman (2020) Saban Films/Action-Comedy RT: 100 minutes Rated R (bloody violence and language) Director: Eshom and Ian Nelms Screenplay: Eshom and Ian Nelms Music: Mondo Boys Cinematography: Johnny Derango Release date: November 13, 2020 (US) Cast: Mel Gibson, Walton Goggins, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Chance Hurstfield, Robert Bockastael, Eric Woolfe, Susanne Sutchy, Michael Dyson, Deborah Grover, Ellison Butler, Ekaterina Baker, Paulino Nunes, John Tokatlidis, Lynne Adams, Ronald Tang, Paul Whitney. Box Office: $1.7M (US)
Rating: ***
Ho, ho, ho gives way to woe, woe, woe in Fatman, a Christmas-themed movie that’s anything but jolly. It depicts Santa Claus as a jaded, grizzled sort who feels like his life’s work has been all for naught. The kids of the world keep getting worse. It’s affecting his business in a big way. He delivers more coal than toys. With business down, his subsidy from the government is substantially less. It’s gotten so bad; he’s forced to accept a contract with the military to build jet fighter control panels in his workshop during the off-season.
I suppose now’s a good a time as any to tell you Santa (mostly referred to as Chris Cringle) is played by Mel Gibson. That should tell you something about Fatman. It is one f***ed up Christmas movie! Wait until you hear the main plot. Sociopathic rich kid Billy (Hurstfield, Good Boys) puts out a hit on Santa after he deservedly receives a lump of coal instead of a gift. He’s a rotten kid. When he’s not stealing money from his ailing grandmother (Grover, The Gate), he’s threatening the classmate (Butler) who won first prize at his school’s science fair. Is it any wonder Billy made the naughty list?
To do the job, Billy hires a hitman (Goggins, The Hateful Eight) with a personal grudge against Santa. He just has to find him first. This is where Fatman deviates from the traditional Santa Claus legend. It turns out the big guy actually lives on an isolated farm just outside the small Alaskan town of North Peak. His workshop, which is more like a factory, is located under an old barn. He drives into town every few days to pick up his mail from his post office box. He then stops off at the local bar for a couple of drinks before heading back in his red Ford pick-up. At home, he receives support and encouragement from Mrs. Cringle (Baptiste, Secrets & Lies) who bakes a mean Christmas cookie. She can also handle a weapon like a pro. So can Mr. Cringle (first name, Chris) for that matter.
Written and directed by brothers Eshom and Ian Nelms (Small Town Crime), Fatman is an action-comedy in the darkest sense. It plays like a blend of Fargo, Northern Exposure and Twin Peaks with its collection of criminals and eccentric types in a slightly surreal setting. You have to laugh at the idea of casting Gibson as Father Christmas. The wild-eyed maniac, in both reel and real life, is an odd choice indeed. To be accurate, he doesn’t turn it up to 10 (well, maybe more like 8.5) until the very end. Before that, he’s a burned-out old guy who just happens to know everybody’s name and bio. He jumps into action mode in the third act when he comes face-to-face with the hitman. It’s a unique take on the role, but it kind of works. Think of Mel as an alt-universe Santa.
You won’t find a lot of Christmas magic in Fatman. You never get to see Cringle in action, riding the sleigh and squeezing his wide ass down chimneys. The workshop is the opposite of cheery while the elves are more like unhappy employees. North Peak is a depressing place in general. You’d never know it’s the home of you-know-who. This speaks to the movie’s biggest fault. It doesn’t lean into its wild, far out premise as much as it should. It’s a little too restrained for its own good. The Nelms brothers should have had a little more fun with the idea of a cynical Santa dealing with the worst kind of dissatisfied customer. They don’t even touch on the satirical possibilities inherent in the premise. There’s something to be said for greed and materialism around the holidays.
Goggins makes a great villain. He continues his lucky streak here playing a guy who collects toys made in Santa’s workshop. He has it out for the big guy for reasons all his own. Let’s just say it’s about more than always getting nothin’ for Christmas. He projects quiet menace in scenes like the one in the pet shop where he puts a persistent clerk in her place. In a strange sort of way, he’s kind of like Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men. Hurstfield absolutely looks the part of a spoiled, psycho brat who’s not accustomed to not getting what he wants. He’s the kind of kid who makes a strong argument for child abuse. Baptiste is very good as Mrs. Cringle, a most dutiful wife who keeps her hubby on track even if she can’t keep him on a diet.
It goes without saying Fatman isn’t everybody’s cup of eggnog. That is, unless said nog is laced with Xanax. It has its darkly funny moments and a neat shoot-out near the end. Mel looks more like the Unabomber’s brother than a symbol of Christmas. He doesn’t even wear a red suit or go “ho, ho, ho”. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s more likely to be seen with a can of beer than a bottle of Coke. It’s definitely a singular albeit not always successful holiday movie. Don’t get me wrong, I like Fatman well enough. It just falls short of what it could have been.
