Fatman Movie Review – Boogie Woogie Santa Claus

Fatman Movie Review – Boogie Woogie Santa Claus

* I do understand the irony of posting this review on the feast of St. Nicholas 

Summary: A rowdy, unorthodox Santa Claus is fighting to save his declining business. Meanwhile, Billy, a neglected and precocious 12 year old, hires a hit man to kill Santa after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking.

Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy

Christmas movies. The mere mention of this phrase brings to mind the torture of the a thousand Hallmark movies about some big city girl who goes to a quiet back town on Christmas Eve to shutdown the local coffee shop/book store/tree farm only to be stopped by love. Well, think of the film Fatman as the men’s version of that timeless tradition. Not operating as a traditional Christmas movie, but rather using this time of the year to tell a story of the failings of modernity and how it can cause even the jolliest of us to become jaded and run down, the film seeks to mesh the genres of action/comedy/fantasy. I always go into films that try to check too many boxes, and in some ways Fatman does struggle to achieve these ends. However, when it is all said and done, for adults who are looking for a different film to satisfy the Christmas itch, it will do 

A Less Jolly Santa (Mel Gibson)

Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but he gives this film more heart and character in his performance of Chris Cringle than this film needs/deservers. There are a few scenes that your modern blocks of wood would not be able to emote half as much as Gibson can do with his eyes, and brings home more emotion than you would expect. Admitted he isn’t given a whole lot to work with. However, he hits the beats when they call for it. You feel how modernity has taken it’s toll on him and the struggle to continue on, which hits home especially in the times we find ourselves. It is a shame that he continues to be black-balled by the industry, but in the films he does come out in he still brings everything he has to these performances. Let’s just hope he doesn’t stray off into Nicholas Cage, Wesley Snipes territory just filling out costumes to pay the rent. 

The Rest of the Cast 

The two major players in film are Walton Goggins as the (Skinny Man) and Chance Hurstfield (Billy Wenan). It is nice to see Goggins not having to play into the “Southern Gentleman” typecast that seemed to dog in the last couple of projects that I have seen him in. His performance, which once again could have been fairly wooden, one note was filled a surprising amount of character. He is not a stone cold killer because and his reasons for accepting the job are more personal than you realize at first. Chance Hurstfield was perfect as a sniveling, spoiled, embodiment of modernity. He’s a brat, but only because he is an afterthought in his own family, with nothing but the comforts of the world to replace family. Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Mrs. Cringle), Eric Woolfe (#7) & Robert Bockstael (Captain Jacobs) round out a cast that put in the performances to carry the film. 

Plot & Pacing 

The plot satisfies the three act structure with actions causing reactions moving the movie along. Our first establishes our characters, their places in this world and the world itself well enough. The first act does go on a bit longer than I would have liked, and certain scenes were absolutely necessary, but it does not bog down the film too much. Once we get to our midpoint, the film moves a pretty steady pace. One thing I will say is that Chris is not the driving force of the story, in the end he is in one place and the Skinny Man is the one who is moving the plot along as we follow his journey to find “Santa”. It makes Chris a passive protagonist and that hampers the film. Chris waits around for the final action set piece, and after that he is renewed with a sense of purpose. It would have been nice to see this place out a little bit more. The military subplot is fine, it helps flesh out the backstory of some secondary characters, and once again gives everyone else something to do while they wait for the end of the film.

Overall

Mel Gibson is enjoyable in the male version of a Hallmark movie. However, like those Hallmark movies, Fatman is pretty forgettable once the credits start rolling. 

Score: 2.5 out of 4 briefcases

I am looking forward to Fatman 2: Rudolph Red Dot  

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