Verdict
Summary
Based on the books by Gregory McDonald and adapted by Andrew Bergman, Fletch from director Michael Ritchie is a real zinger of a film with hilarious comedy bits by Chase, who keeps himself low key but with truly outstanding comedic timing and delivery.
Plot:
An investigative journalist finds himself at the center of a murder plot and a conspiracy that could implicate the Los Angeles police department.
Review:
Irwin Fletcher (Chevy Chase) is great at his job, but sometimes he’s very slow and methodical in getting the heart of the story. His latest story involves drugs being dealt on the beach, and by a fluke, he’s offered 50K by a wealthy man (Tim Matheson) to “murder” him in a few days. The man says he’s dying of cancer and needs to be murdered so that his wife (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) can inherit on his life insurance policy. Fletch agrees, but does some investigating, which involves him going undercover and taking on all sorts of disguises. He soon learns some alarming things: First, the man he’s been hired by is not dying at all, and in fact is somehow connected to the drugs being sold on the beach, which is also connected to the Los Angeles police chief (Joe Don Baker), who is a very dangerous and unhinged man indeed. There are more surprises along the way for Fletch and the audience, and by the time Fletch has solved all the mysteries, the film firmly deposits itself in the annals of near-classic comedies.
Based on the books by Gregory McDonald and adapted by Andrew Bergman, Fletch from director Michael Ritchie is a real zinger of a film with hilarious comedy bits by Chase, who keeps himself low key but with truly outstanding comedic timing and delivery. The movie has a fantastic car chase in the middle as well, leading to one of the most inspired moments where Chase finds himself being cornered by a bunch of cops at a Mason Lodge meeting that had me laughing pretty hard. I love this movie, and it never gets old. Harold Faltemeyer’s synth score is really cool too and should remind people of his theme for Beverly Hills Cop.
Kino Lorber brings Fletch (and Fletch Lives) to Blu-ray in an outstanding new HD edition with a new transfer, plus a swathe of bonus features, including a new audio commentary, a handful of featurettes, including a making of, and the trailer and TV spots. There is also a slipcover.
