Fletch (1985) / Comedy-Mystery
MPAA Rated: PG for violence and language
Running Time: 98 min.Cast: Chevy Chase, Tim Matheson, Joe Don Baker, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
Director: Michael Ritchie
Screenplay: Andrew Bergman (based on the novel by Gregory McDonald)
Review published March 21, 1997
Chevy Chase plays a Los Angeles newspaper reporter named Fletch, based on the series of books by Gregory McDonald. While working undercover trying to uncover the secret to a beachside drug ring, he is approached by a wealthy business man who thinks he is a transient and makes him an offer of $200,000 to kill him. The story is that he has bone cancer and doesn't want to be around to enjoy the most painful aspects of the disease and wants his wife to get the insurance on it by getting killed. Sensing another scoop, Fletch agrees and soon learns that the two stories he is covering are almost one and the same.
This role is probably Chevy's best showcase of his often squandered talents, in which he has to undergo several different disguises in his efforts to get to the bottom of things. The film is entertaining and humorous, although the underlying murder plot is not very impressive. It's a fun film nonetheless, and must see for Chevy Chase fans.
©1997 Vince Leo
