Fletch

1985 "Meet the only guy who changes his identity more often than his underwear."
6.9| 1h38m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 31 May 1985 Released
Producted By: Universal Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

When investigative reporter Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher goes undercover to write a piece on the drug trade at a local beach, he's approached by wealthy businessman Alan Stanwyk, who offers him $50,000 to murder him. With sarcastic wit and a knack for disguises, Fletch sets out to uncover Stanwyk's story.

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Reviews

GazerRise Fantastic!
Dorathen Better Late Then Never
SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Rainey Dawn Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher (Chase) is the best journalist reporter around. He's got all the best disguises, all his passports up to date, and is just as good as any police detective in his comedic investigations. And little does Fletch know he would also make a great comedian - he's that funny. Yes the movie Fletch is a great mystery-crime comedy that is worth viewing. The movie has a feeling of being a comedic police film so if you like that type then give Fletch a viewing.If you liked movies like: "The Naked Gun", "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid", "Spies Like Us", "Turner and Hooch" or Chevy Chase's famous film "Vacation" then you will most likely enjoy the movie "Fletch".8.5/10
SimonJack "Fletch" has a decent script and interesting plot that makes for enjoyable watching. And Chevy Chase's nice disguises with different characters make this an entertaining farce. The film has some unnecessary profanity, so it's not suitable for families and won't be to the taste of some viewers. I'd like to be able to give this a higher rating – somehow I think Chevy Chase is better than seven stars. But even with a decent script, the film just isn't that funny throughout. It has its moments, and those are mostly with the disguises. Chase's heyday in movies was in the 1980s when he made almost 25 percent of more than 70 movies, including the only ones that were at all good. He only had a couple big hits ("Vacation" and "Christmas Vacation") with just a few other good films such as "Fletch." But, for every one of those successful films, he has had half a dozen or more real bombs.
Mr-Fusion Adapting a series of hard-boiled novels and then refashioning them into a Chevy Chase vehicle just seems like a bad idea waiting to happen. And that's the real surprise here: it works. "Fletch" is a movie that caters directly to Chase's droll wit and detached persona; so much so, that I can't imagine anyone else saying his dialogue. It's not only very watchable, but this script fires off one-liners like crazy (indeed, some of my favorite movie lines can be found here). Tim Matheson looks his cinematic best, while the fetching Dana Wheeler- Nicholson is smokin' hot in that tennis skirt (hell, even just standing there saying her lines). And there's even room for Joe Don Baker (Mitchell!), playing a corrupt cop; he really does fit that role. And say what you will about the music (very, very '80s ... but that ain't a crime), Faltermeyer's theme is catchy as hell. Everything just seemed to come together with this movie, and it capitalized on Chase's stardom with ease.8/10
Scott LeBrun Chevy Chase makes the most of what is one of his best ever roles, in this adaptation of the comedy / mystery novel by Gregory McDonald, scripted by Andrew Bergman. Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher is a hot shot investigative reporter whose curiosity is aroused when smooth rich man Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson) approaches him with a proposition: murder Stanwyk for a nice five figure sum. Stanwyk claims to be already dying of bone cancer, but Fletch rightly senses something suspicious and snoops around, despite the fact that he was supposed to be working on an expose of the drug traffic at a beach. There is a certain kinship between "Fletch" and "Beverly Hills Cop" in that they feature unflappable main characters who often manufacture scams in order to get what they need from other characters; in Fletch's case, he takes it a step further and dons various disguises as well. You have to hand it to Fletch - this is a guy who rarely loses his cool, even when guns are being pointed at him. Chase knows this is a fun role and is clearly just having a blast, firing off wise ass one liners left and right. As a result, the dialogue is often quite funny and the movie does have a certain energy to it, moving along quite nicely. The supporting cast is great, including Joe Don Baker as the police chief, the lovely and appealing Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as the leading lady (she easily could have had an even better career in film), Richard Libertini as Fletch's long suffering editor, M. Emmet Walsh as a cheerful doctor, George Wendt as beach bum / drug pusher Fat Sam, Kenneth Mars as Stanton Boyd, Geena Davis in a perky early career film appearance as Fletch's co-worker Larry (!), and William Traylor as the unfortunate Mr. Underhill, with a bunch of familiar faces in small parts: George Wyner, Tony Longo, James Avery, Burton Gilliam, William Sanderson, Bill Henderson, Beau Starr, and Ralph Seymour; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's cameo role as himself is actually quite fleeting. Comic highlights include Fletch's visit to Dr. Dolan (Walsh), wherein he gets a rectal exam, the mystery element of the movie works pretty well, and there's some good action to boot, with an impressive climactic car chase. The aliases are hysterical, as Fletch will refer to himself as Ted Nugent, John Cocktoastin, and Arnold Babar, among other names. For fans of Chase and director Michael Ritchie ("Downhill Racer", "The Bad News Bears", "The Golden Child"), this rollicking movie really does deliver the goods, maintaining interest for a solidly entertaining 99 minutes. Rent or buy this movie and be prepared for some hearty laughs.And feel free to go ahead and charge it to the Underhills.Eight out of 10.