Fatman

R13

2020

100 mins

Directed by Ian Nelms, Eshom Nelms
44%
84%
Comedy

Mel Gibson is Santa in this anti-festive black comedy, forced to contend with a hitman hired by a disgruntled 12-year-old... More

Mel Gibson is Santa in this anti-festive black comedy, forced to contend with a hitman hired by a disgruntled 12-year-old who received a lump of coal for Christmas. Co-stars Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (In Fabric).

Spoiled, rich kid, 12-year-old, Billy Wenan lives with his ailing grandmother and pines for attention from his absentee father. He rules the house with an iron fist and shows no remorse when being cruel to the hired help. On Christmas morning, after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking, Billy decides to hire a hitman, known only as Skinny Man (Goggins), to kill Santa.

Santa (Gibson), also known as Chris Cringle, is in the middle of a financial struggle. The rising number of naughty has caused his government subsidy to slide below his current budget. Working along-side his faithful and pragmatic wife, Ruth (Jean-Baptiste), together, they fight to keep the lights on in the workshop and the elves employed. Reaching the end of their rope, they're forced to enter a two-month contract with the U.S. military. As Skinny Man makes his way toward Chris, we realize he harbors a twisted personal vendetta of his own. And when their two world's collide, Chris must rise to the occasion to keep the Christman spirit - and himself - alive.

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Where to watch Fatman

Fatman is available to stream in New Zealand now on... More YouTube and Google TV and Apple TV Store and Academy On Demand and AroVision.

There is no screening information for this title.

Fatman | Ratings & Reviews

44_%117 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
84_%32 reviews
Audience score rating

"You get the distinct feeling that the Nelms brothers think this is all a lot funnier, crazier, and more resonant than it is."

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Variety

"Waffling between anger and pathos, dry humor and dead-eyed violence... feels tonally befuddled"

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The New York Times

"Fatman is so enamored of its central idea that it forgets to take that idea any further."

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Vulture

"It's clear [the filmmakers] were keen on making a dark comedy to rival Billy Bob Thornton's Bad Santa. Unfortunately, it lacks the same wit and invention"

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Stuff

"Less gonzo than it sounds, for better and worse."

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Hollywood Reporter

"If it weren't so airless, it'd be easier to appreciate the film as a character study of Santa's midlife woes."

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Slant Magazine

"All Fatman comes down to is how well it can maintain a straight face and slip in the laughs without ever breaking character. For the most part, it's successful."

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Film Threat

"Tonally, it seems to be striving for the comedy hijinks of Bad Santa, but the script just isn’t up to the task. It just isn’t as funny or edgy as it needs to be."

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