Fatman is one of those films that makes you think it's going to get better but doesn't. After an intriguing-enough start, it fizzles out in plot (I mean, I like a good irreverent comedy, but this sure didn't cut it), the action doesn't exactly instill interest and a decent ensemble is left to fend for themselves given the lackluster screenplay. Tackled right, Fatman could have been disgraced actor Mel Gibson's comeback flick (by no means, endorsing what he did or his attitude). He plays a Santa that isn't cheery, spreading smiles and distributing wrapped presents around the world. This version of Chris Cringle is often drunk, bruised, and totally devoid of the Christmas spirit. Quite certainly, what keeps him going is the resilience shown by his wife Ruth (played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste), with whom he shares believable chemistry.
An angry kid orders a hit on Santa: this is Fatman's one-liner. While that may sound pretty enticing on paper, it doesn't hold your interest for 95 minutes as the treatment is a tad formulaic. The showdown between Santa (apparently, a mind-reader) and the assassin (played to generic effect by Walton Goggins) is restricted to the film's final 15 minutes or so, and it gets over so quickly that you forget what went down, along with the rest of the film. The scenes solely featuring Gibson and Jean-Baptiste are probably the only thing worth salvaging here. And oh, the one time I chuckled was when an army man learns how Santa's elves operate and refers to it as "a hell of a way to run a crew".
An angry kid orders a hit on Santa: this is Fatman's one-liner. While that may sound pretty enticing on paper, it doesn't hold your interest for 95 minutes as the treatment is a tad formulaic. The showdown between Santa (apparently, a mind-reader) and the assassin (played to generic effect by Walton Goggins) is restricted to the film's final 15 minutes or so, and it gets over so quickly that you forget what went down, along with the rest of the film. The scenes solely featuring Gibson and Jean-Baptiste are probably the only thing worth salvaging here. And oh, the one time I chuckled was when an army man learns how Santa's elves operate and refers to it as "a hell of a way to run a crew".