'Fatman' Review: Mel Gibson does justice as gun-toting and annoyed Santa Claus in quirky Christmas satire
'Fatman' offers a refreshing take on Christmas films. And this time around, Santa Claus isn't all ho ho ho, but rather a broody, annoyed and weary character who wouldn't think twice to give a s**t present if you weren't a good kid. This is a Santa who's miffed with the new generation of kids. Directors Eshom and Ian Nelms attempt to provide a picture of what Santa's life would be like and try to make him more human by completely transforming his good-natured personality into an irate man.
Such is Santa's life in Fatman. He grumbles his way to work, cannot afford to pay for the electricity bill and struggles to make his ends meet while everyone else has made ample use of his good name for fame and fortune. In short, Santa is a failing character in the real world, especially the present one. Mel Gibson's Chris Cringle/Santa Claus suffers to adapt to the ever-changing world. For him, Christmas time is more stressful and he fights it in his own way — shooting Christmas cans with a pistol.
Santa's life isn't fun according to the film. With the percentage of bad children on the rise, his funding from the government is considerably reduced, and to make ends meet, he and his elves have to help the US military build parts for fighter jets.
It's novel to have Santa portrayed in this manner and quite amusing thanks to the satire. 'Fatman' is more than Santa's life, there are people unhappy with the man too and one of them is a slob of a teen, Billy Wener (Chance Hurstfield). Wener is an absolute bully, insanely wealthy and spiteful. There's also a hitman (Walton Goggins) who's side profession is collecting toys that come straight from Santa's workshop. Billy receives a lump of coal as his Christmas present after he threatens to kill his classmate who betters him at the school science fair.
Which is perfect for a present. After all, he's been a bad boy. Wener now hires the hitman's services to kill Santa. That's payback and the rest of the film is all about the hitman who stops at no end to take down Cringle. Ultimately, the film ends with a violent standoff between the two. While we won't be the scrooges and ruin the ending for you, there are definitely some points that we felt should be talked about. There's no doubt the Nelms have put in a lot of thought to make Santa more human, but in the process, they have taken the spotlight away from the two major character arcs.
The hitman has a story to tell. His motives and the apparent hate for Santa is a story in itself. But with the focus on Santa, his hate just comes across as an unhappy man who's pretty frustrated with the way he's treated by Santa. And Wener, who was the very reason the hitman had the chance to settle his score, just fades into oblivion as the movie progresses. The cast is perfect and plays their parts to perfection. Cringle is married to Ruth, a woman who is loyal to his cause and tries her best to get him all cheered up and shed the grumpy side.
Gibson is fun to watch and this movie works in his favor in comparison to that horrible dud, 'Force of Nature'. While many would argue 'Fatman' could have been a lot more, the film does manage to walk the fine rope between a comedy and an action thriller. For now, this movie doesn't need intense critique. It's an experiment of sorts and does its job of giving the people a decent Christmas flick.
'Fatman' is available for viewing on VoD.