Fletch

Even the car chase in Fletch is witty and believable and something an adult can attend without flinching. As the adolescent revels of summer wear on, that alone could make it a movie to cherish.

Admittedly, the storyline weaves all over the place, but no matter — Chase's performance and a plethora of daft and witty situations carry it past some structural rough spots.

Director Michael Ritchie refreshingly shows no reverence for film noir. And screenwriter Andrew Bergman, who co-wrote "Blazing Saddles," shows no mercy in what turns out to be a good mystery as well as comedy. [31 May 1985, p.25]

Fast-paced and witty, this is Chase's best solo venture to date, and will hold almost anyone's attention for its well-edited 98 minutes. Chase underplays his wackier moments to great effect, though he isn't always quite as funny as he thinks he is. (He also isn't the next Cary Grant, which he seems to believe as well.)

An enjoyable paperback of a film, a lightweight, breezy experience that, by never pretending to be anything more than what it is, disarms criticism.

Fletch needed an actor more interested in playing the character than in playing himself.

Such soft fare that it makes your eyes feel gummy. Andrew Bergman's script has no comic tension and no thrills. [3 June 1985, p.65]

One of the more frustrating 80's comedies I've ever seen, as "Fletch" is not only quotable, engrossing, and fun, it features probably one of the best performances from Chevy Chase this side of "Caddyshack." My problems with "Fletch" lie within the tonal inconsistencies that I found all throughout though. Again, it's hilarious at times, with riotous dialogue delivered through expert deadpan. It also features a really compelling mystery that kept me interested and wanting more. But the more and more I thought about the two sides of this "Fletch" coin, the more and more I realized that - like a coin - I could never actually see both sides at the same time. The two tones never really meshed as well as I would have liked. But, with that said, it's still an underrated comedic feat that should be appreciated by more.

It’s telling that Chevy Chase still considers Fletch a personal favorite, given that the script (which “allowed me to be myself”) largely presents him as a smarmy, below-the-belt a-hole. He’s only the hero of this story because the other lowlifes kicking around its ugly rendition of mid ‘80s Los Angeles - twisted cops, cantankerous editors and white-collar criminals - are even bigger jerks than he is. Yet, regardless of how much of a reach this role may (not) have been for the famously **** SNL alum, there’s no question he makes it his own. Fletch’s rambling, lackadaisical personality is an ideal fit for its star, who lankily jaunts through a large number of wardrobe changes and sticky situations, only to get serious at the last possible moment and frantically ad-lib his way to safety. He constantly gets to play the smartest/wittiest guy in the room, he bags both girls, the production always finds time for a few extra physical Chevy-isms... no wonder he enjoyed himself! The plot revolves around a one-man murder contract. Working undercover as a hobo, LA Times columnist Fletch is mistaken for the genuine article and recruited to help a CEO commit suicide without triggering the disclaimers on his life insurance policy. Easier to get away with this, I guess, if the perp is a complete nobody. On the surface, the whole scheme is presented as a busy, shadowy conspiracy, but as we get closer to the point, everything becomes very loose and convenient. The complications only exist so Chase has a reason to don a disguise and launch a fat-fingered fishing expedition in various locations. That continuous dress-up act sometimes bears fruit (the prostate exam is particularly funny) but more often plays as forced and unimaginative. Maybe if we put him in a *different* silly hat, the audience will be distracted from how redundant this scene is! At the end of the day, Fletch offers a few good riffs and a remarkably of-its-time soundtrack by Harold Faltermeyer, but very little heart or purpose. I kept waiting for this to find a higher gear, but it was content to putz around at or below the speed limit for a hundred minutes.

Fletch is an alright movie. The movie's got an alright story, good acting, great dialogue, terrible pacing and some very hit and miss humour.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]