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Fatman (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Fatman' is a 2020 American black comedy action film written and directed by Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms and starring Mel Gibson, Walton Goggins and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. David Gordon Green and Danny McBride serve as executive producers of the film. The plot follows an unorthodox Santa Claus who must fight off an assassin sent by a vengeful naughty kid.
Filmed in Canada and released worldwide on November 13, 2020, the film received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
Chris Kringle lives with his wife Ruth and runs his Christmas present shop on a farm near the town of North Peak, Alaska. With his income on the decline because too many children are becoming too vicious, the United States government, who maintains an interest share in Chris' business, sends Captain Jacobs to propose a two-month contract for producing components for a new jet fighter for the US military. The liaison agents override Chris' misgivings by virtually threatening to withhold the government's subsidies, but Ruth manages to restore his spirits.
On Christmas Eve, spoiled rich boy Billy Wenan receives a lump of coal from Chris for his selfishness, and swearing revenge, he hires his personal hitman Jonathan Miller to kill Chris. After some futile first attempts, Miller coerces a Postal Service supervisor to tell him Chris' address from the letters he receives every year from children around the world. Making his way to North Peak, he trails Chris to the farm, infiltrates the compound and kills all the US Army guards. He is discovered by one of the elf workers; the alarm is raised, and Jacobs manages to evacuate the workers at the cost of his own life, just before Miller blows up the shop.
Chris faces off against Miller and gains the upper hand, but Miller first wounds Chris with a leg-mounted spring blade and then shoots him in the eye, apparently killing him. Ruth intervenes and shoots Miller dead, and because he is essentially immortal, Chris recovers from his injuries. Backtracking Miller's assignment, he and Ruth pay a visit to Billy, warning him that from now on Chris will come for him (and any other kids) if they ever turn against their fellow human beings again. Afterwards, Chris, Ruth and the elf crew start rebuilding their workshop with renewed confidence.
Cast
* Mel Gibson as Chris Kringle, who is frustrated with the world turning into an unruly place and not above wielding guns to defend himself
* Walton Goggins as Jonathan Miller (credited as "Skinny Man"), a hitman who works in a toy store and has a personal grudge against Chris for "letting him down" in his unhappy childhood
* Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Ruth Kringle, Chris' loving wife and moderating influence
* Chance Hurstfield as Billy Wenan, an amoral rich kid who is neglected by his father and cannot stand to lose
* Robert Bockstael as Captain Jacobs, the commander of the US Army guards assigned to Chris' workshop and his liaison to the US government
* Eric Woolfe as Elf 7, Chris' foreman in the workshop
* Susanne Sutchy as Sandy, a friend of Chris Kringle and barkeeper in North Peak
* Deborah Grover as Anne Marie, Billy's wealthy grandmother whose accounts are secretly fleeced by her grandson to finance his assignments for Miller
Production
Ian and Eshom Nelms originally wrote the screenplay for 'Fatman' in 2006, and had been shopping it around for over 10 years. On May 8, 2019, it was announced that Gibson would play Santa Claus in the film. On January 29, 2020, it was announced that Walton Goggins had joined the cast, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste joined the following month.
Principal photography occurred in the Ottawa Valley (Ontario and Quebec, Canada) and in the towns of Carleton Place and Mississippi Mills in February 2020. The climactic shootout sequence took four days to film, with the temperature hitting as low as 36 below zero Celsius.
Release
Saban Films acquired the film's United States distribution rights in September 2020. It was released in the United States in select theaters on November 13, 2020. It also received a limited release in Australia on November 19, 2020.
'Fatman' was released via digital download on November 17, 2020. It was also released on video-on-demand on November 24, 2020.
Reception
Box office and VOD
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $108,000 from 259 theaters. In its second weekend the film made $51,266 from 177 theaters, and was also the third-most rented film on FandangoNow, Spectrum, and Apple TV, and fourth on Google Play. It remained in the top four spots on all four platforms the following weekend, while also grossing $11,895 from 42 theaters.Critical response
On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 40 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "'Fatman' takes a surprisingly serious approach to a potentially ludicrous twist on the Santa Claus legend, aiming for edgy but mostly missing the mark."John DeFore of 'The Hollywood Reporter' gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Less gonzo than it sounds, for better and worse." Julian Roman of MovieWeb also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "'Fatman' reflects the worst instincts of modern times. It shows how selfishness and immorality can lead to violent outcomes." Hunter Lanier of 'Film Threat' gave the film a 7 out of 10. Chris Bumbray of JoBlo.com gave the film an 8 out of 10.
Bill Goodykoontz of 'The Arizona Republic' awarded the film two stars. Chuck Bowen of 'Slant Magazine' awarded the film one and a half stars out of four. Owen Gleiberman of 'Variety' gave the film a negative review and wrote, "Yet you get the distinct feeling that the Nelms brothers think this is all a lot funnier, crazier, and more resonant than it is."
Alonso Duralde of 'TheWrap' also gave the film a negative review and wrote, "It never makes it past the idea stage, unfortunately, since mixing these disparate genres together would require an absolute mastery of tone that the film can't quite muster." David Ehrlich of IndieWire graded the film a D, saying "Combining the crude spirit of 'Bad Santa' with the grittiness of a Zack Snyder film, 'Fatman' is worse than a lump of coal in your stocking."
References
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