[.ca] Fletch: The Jane Doe Edition

From Amazon.com:
Gregory McDonald's lightweight mystery novel about an undercover newspaper reporter cracking a police drug ring is transformed by screenwriter Andrew Bergman (Blazing Saddles, and writer/director of The Freshman and Honeymoon in Vegas) into a fairly sarcastic and occasionally very funny Chevy Chase vehicle. Enjoyment of the film pivots on whether you find Chase's flippant, smart-ass brand of verbal humor funny, or merely egocentric. If you don't like Chase, there's really no one else worth watching (Geena Davis is sadly underused). Chase seems born to play I.M. "Fletch" Fletcher, a disillusioned investigative reporter whose cynicism and detached view on life mirrors the actor's understated approach to comedy. Fletcher offers Chase the opportunity to adopt numerous personas, as his job requires numerous (bad) physical disguises, and much of film's humor centers on the ridiculous idea that any of these phony accents or bad hairpieces could fool anyone. These not-so-clever disguises are put to use when Fletch becomes involved in the film's smart but continually self-mocking two-part mystery. As well as trying to gather drug-smuggling evidence against the LAPD for a long-overdue newspaper story, a rich and apparently terminally ill stranger also offers Fletch a large payoff to kill him. While the film does a fairly good job juggling both of these plots, not to mention tossing in a love interest as well, it's subservient, for better or worse, to Chase's memorable one-liners and disguises. Followed by two forgettable sequels that lack both the original's wit and Chase's attention span. The DVD version includes production notes and a theatrical trailer, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85 to 1. --Dave McCoy

The F in Fletch is also for Funny:
Chevy Chase stars as I.M Fletcher in the 1985 screen adaptation of Gregory McDonald's mystery series Fletch. Fletch is an undercover journalist investigating drug trafficking and the L.A.P.D, when he's approached by a stranger who asks to be killed for money. As the movie progresses, Fletch discovers that there's a connection between the man and the drugs, and the entire ordeal is very funny. The film relies entirely on the comedic styles of Chevy Chase, as it's he that brings the sarcastic and witty Fletch to life. Through out the film, Fletch incorporates a variety of poor disguises and often introduces himself as different people, such as when he's a drug addict named Ted Nugent. Another highlight is when Fletch fanaticizes about himself playing professional basketball while wearing a giant Afro-wig. The synthesizer sound track is not as memorable as Beverly Hills Cop's, "Axel F", but it complements the film nicely. Cinematography and directing are usually not aspects focused on in comedies, but in Fletch the two are as high quality as the writing. Fletch is rated PG and relies on clever humor and sight gags rather than raunchy jokes, which makes the comedy smart and inoffensive, unlike recent comedies such as National Lampoons' Van Wilder. The most important aspect of comedy is the jokes, and the ones in Fletch are great, but its Chase's delivery that makes them fantastic. Whether its Fletch's one-liners, such as distracting a Doberman Pincher with, "Look, defenseless babies!" or instances such as when he claims to be real estate developer Harry S. Truman, the whole movie is outstanding. From start to finish, Chase delivers a performance that's sure to bring a smile to one's face and fill the room with laughter.

Retch:
The movie is just plain bad, not horrendously so. Chevy Chase has less talent then Anna Kournikova. What plummets this to One Star is that it somehow has gained cult status. Maybe the government is putting doping agents in our water, for whatever reason hundreds or more think this is legendary cinema. They are wrong and I am right.

2 Paws Up!!!:
I watched this with my master today, and boy did he laugh a lot. I like when he laughs because that means he is happy and then he pets me more. The movie had a lot of action, and a lot of humor too! I was a little scared of the Doberman guarding the realtor's office. Those dogs mean business, let me tell you!!! They could easily tear a dog like me in half, so I keep my distance. But yeah, great movie!!!

Meet Fletch. He's intelligent. cool. charming. and on DVD.:
Irwin Fletcher (Chevy Chase), or Fletch, as he is known to his friends, is an investigative reporter who wirtes under the name of Jane Doe ("Hey, it's better than Irwin"). While working a drug story at the beach, he is propositioned by Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson), a wealthy buisnessman, to kill him for fifty grand, claiming he is dying of cancer. Sensing a scam, Fletch goes undercover to find clues, and gets help from fellow journalist Larry (Geena Davis), in order to crack the case. He winds up in trouble with the police, finding the drug source, fiding out Stanwyk's motives, and in another man's suit. The 80's Chase classic, with Chase in top form as Fletch. Matheson is great as Stanwyk, and everyone else does a great job. Direction by the late Michael Ritchie and writing by Andrew Bergman are excellent. The disc comes in widescreen, with very little grain. The sound is in Dolby Surround 2.0, and sounds great for a movie this old. The extras are lacking, with production notes, cast and crew bios, and a trailer. Not much, where's the SPECIAL EDITION? FLETCH (1985, PG) Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher: Chevy Chase Chief Karlin: Joe Don Baker Gail Stanwyk: Dana Wheeler-Nicholson Frank Walker: Richard Libertini Alan Stanwyk: Tim Matheson Dr. Dolan: M. Emmet Walsh Director: Michael Ritchie Writers: Gregory McDonald (novel), Andrew Bergman MOVIE: 5 VIDEO: 4.5 AUDIO: 5 EXTRAS: 3 MENUS: 3 OVERALL: 4

Love This Movie:
This is Chevy Chase at his best. The fast one liners are perfect and he manages to have one for every conceivable occasion. Yes, he does have a cynical and detached view of the world, but that sort of humor suits me. It's not everybody's cup cup of tea, but Chase at his best reminds me of (upcoming blashemy) Groucho Marx.