Reservoir Dogs (1992)Movies

What do you get when you blend “Bad Santa,” “Elf,” “Reservoir Dogs” and your average Hallmark holiday film?

“Fatman” is both sweet and sour, dark and uplifting, a movie with more personalities than ’90s era Madonna. None of them stick, and we’re left with a Christmas hodgepodge best left under the tree, unwrapped.

Mel Gibson stars as ol’ Chris Cringle, a wry bit of casting that works to perfection. His beard is a sooty shade of gray, and for good reason. Today’s kids are pretty terrible, and he’s doling out more coal than ever. Even the steady love of Mrs. Cringle (Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Broadchurch”) isn’t enough to assuage his surly streak.

Little does he know what’s lurking around...