Fatman
Saban Films | Release Date: November 13, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
11
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
55
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeNov 9, 2020
The goals of Fatman exceed its grasp; it wants to be funny but also grim but also realistic but also about Santa Claus. Had the film moved a few degrees in either direction, upping the dark humor or concentrating more on minimalist despair and brutal action, the Nelms brothers might have been onto something. Read full review
50
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottDec 17, 2020
There’s more than enough deranged originality there — and Christmas spirit, when all is said and done — that it gets the job done, in a cheap thrills, guilty pleasure kind of way. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comMark DujsikNov 13, 2020
Gruff and always on the cusp of irate, Gibson is fine as this twist on Santa, but his performance, like the whole of the movie, simply rides on a single, warped idea. The slightly clever gimmick and simple plot are the true stars of Fatman, a movie that misses out on a whole lot of what could have been. Read full review
50
VarietyOwen GleibermanNov 12, 2020
This, in other words, is not your father’s grungy one-joke yuletide action comedy. It’s “The Santa Clause” meets “Magnum Claus,” and it’s pitched to the Gibson faithful with the idea that they’ll follow him anywhere (which they probably will). Read full review
50
The PlaylistAndrew CrumpNov 11, 2020
As it stands, Gibson and Goggins carry the show and the Nelms stick to their stern tone without wavering. Whatever other marks the film misses, at least it has conviction. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonNov 9, 2020
Fatman has its wicked charms, but ultimately this cheeky action-comedy is a lot of buildup without sufficient payoff. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeNov 9, 2020
As it moves toward a climax that will require Santa to connect with his inner action hero, the film works better than it should without being as enjoyable as its predecessor, the brothers' much less ambitious Small Town Crime. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNov 13, 2020
There’s nothing wrong with subtle or contextual humor, of course, but here, frankly, it feels like a waste of a pretty great concept. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesGlenn WhippNov 12, 2020
Fatman isn’t a lump of coal. More like a fruitcake your neighbor dropped off in early December that’s left on the counter through the new year, its red and green cherries hardening into buckshot before being hauled out to the curb with the Christmas tree. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisNov 12, 2020
Waffling between anger and pathos, dry humor and dead-eyed violence, Fatman feels tonally befuddled. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzNov 9, 2020
At times it’s a learn-your-lesson story. At times it’s a shoot-’em-up that does not skimp on the gore. Whatever trope it dips into, it does so without much originality. Read full review
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