Fatman

Absolutely everything I could want in a movie. Mel Gibson plays Chris Cringle in a gritty, dramatic, dark and wonderfully realistic version that fits today's America to a T. Would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a thrilling yet heartwarming action/christmas movie

This is another mediocre movie by Mel Gibson. He did a great job, but the story was kind of weak. It might be a good movie for kids. After they watched it, they will behave very well.

Not the worst somewhat "Christmas" themed Santa movie you'll ever see, certainly not the best. But a solid performance from the main actors on what was likely a low production budget outweighs the at times long-drawn and somewhat convoluted 97 Minutes with a pretty fulminant finale. I do have to admit I like Mel Gibson, and I do separate the actor Mel Gibson from why so many seem to "hate" him and would like to disavow him and even his more than solid past works. So, cancel culture aside, I do think he delivered a very solid performance as "Fatman", named "Chris Cringle" in this far-flung idea that, somehow, Santa does exist, has a government contract to fulfil his annual toy quota and to "keep up the spirit of Christmas" while he's working his Elfs in his Sweatshop. Walton Goggins as an adquately "villainized" character is up and about to get a contract from a very, very naughty child prodigy who's putting a hit out on old Santa for all the wrong reasons. To see how this plays out will be a somewhat boring affair likely for younger viewewers (let's call them Gen Z, shall we?) brought up on 5-20 second cut segments entertainment also thanks to TikTok and whatnot. This has long cuts. Loooong Cuts. Sprawling expositions. Unnecessary drawn-out segments are in there as well that add nothing to story but are interesting aspects of the characters portrayed. These failings are offset by as many lovable as unlovable characters who are all given adquate background set in a pretty interesting story. The only downside is that for the one big bogeyman, "Mr. Slim" (played Walton Goggins), this fails to set up his motivation. While giving him ample room to establish again and again he's a primo A-Hole and AAA Antagonist, we only get a slight glimpse into what might have brought about his miserable choice of profession through a very short scene I found a) too late and b) highly clichéd. Plus, prepare to wait a long time for the "Action" part here, as the movie draws out to full length before we get to that. But it'll be worth it I think if you're into slower-going drama/action and it definitely has some strong characters and ideas worked into it. Nevertheless, give this a berth if you're expecting an Action Fest (it's not) or a 10/10 story - it's more a 5/10 cinematography, 7/10 Story and 1/10 Action! Worth a look for a boring Sunday afternoon.

It’s fitting that Fatman is on Parmount+, the conservative fever dream network. Santa is played Mel Gibson and calls Elon Musk looking for work. Eventually he takes a job making control panels for fighter jets. At least he wasn’t making bombs to drop on Gaza City or drones for Russia. Anyway, this goes on for about 45 minutes until the real movie starts. The actual plot is about a naughty kid hiring a hitman as revenge for Santa giving him coal. This premise is nicely summed up in the 1 minute trailer for this movie and the painstakingly laid out for 45 minutes in the movie itself. Later, there is a fight, and Santa learns the moral that you have to frighten naughty kids as if that won’t lead to a lifetime of trauma. The only interesting part of this movie is Walter Goggins as the hitman. He is esoteric, ruthless, and hates Christmas. I would have enjoyed a whole movie about a hitman bumbling his way into finding the North Pole and dealing with a reality that includes elves, flying reindeer, and Christmas magic. Instead we get this guy driving around, killing postal workers, and somehow taking on the U.S. army. All in all this is a good movie to never watch and I’m sorry I did.

Je ne comprends pas à qui est destiné ce film : trop d'armes à feu et trop sanglant pour un jeune public, tout en présentant le père Noël et ses lutins comme vrais. Le père Noël connaît tout le monde par son prénom et a retenu toutes les lettres qu'on lui a écrit. L'humour de situation n'arrive pas à faire rire. L'histoire est ennuyeuse. L'action se fait attendre. Et quand l'action est là, elle n'est pas attrayante. Aucun personnage n'est attachant, pas même le père Noël qui est bougon. Un film que je déconseille.