Customer Reviews

Fletch [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Irwin Fletcher "Fletch" is a newspaper reporter writing as Jane Joe that does what it takes to get the story. Many of his stories require him to go undercover, as his current assignment does. He is on a trail to expose those involved in a drug smuggling ring, but has learned some of the players are even part of the police department. While sniffing out leads, he is lead in another direction when a wealthy man approaches him mistaking Fletch for a transient. He tells Fletch that he is suffering from a terminal illness, and would like to hire Fletch to kill him. Since life insurance policies don't pay out in cases of suicide, he wants to make sure his wife is well provided for in the future. Fletch being the curious guy he is decides to investigate the millionaire's claim. When he discovers that his dying millionaire is not dying, but is in fact hiding a secret life as well as a second wife, the "chase" is on!

This is one of Chevy Chase's finest performances! He takes his comedic genius up a step for this film. The disguises, mannerisms, and funny dialogue showcase him perfectly. No one can slide those one-liners in like he can.

GET THIS MOVIE!!! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! Chevy Chase made a few bad movies when he got started but this ISN'T one of them. As an undercover investigative reporter, Irwin M. Fletcher looks into the local drug traffic, only to get caught up in insurance fraud, police corruption, embezzlement and another man's suit.

He's Baba au Rum - Holistic Teamster, Magic "Fletch" Christian - Los Angeles Lakers, Ted Nugent - Beach Bum, Igor Stravinsky - Real Estate Developer, Harry S. Truman - Insurance Agent, G. Gordon Liddy - Ajax Supervisor, and a host of of others.

Look for Larry "Flash" Jenkins ("Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), Joe Don Baker, Tim Matheson, and the beautiful Dana Wheeler-Nicholson. Plus Geena Davis, George Wendt ("Cheers"), Richard Libertini ("The In-Laws") and Tony Longo ("Eraser"). M. Emmett Wash is the rubber-gloved doctor who examines his patients VERY thoroughly. And there's William Sanderson of TV's "Newhart". And finally Burton Gilliam of "Blazing Saddles". Whew!!!

Chase's one-liners and trickery are so subtle that it probably confounds most professional movie critics. They're always tuned to either the person he's playing or the role he's fulfilling. The autopsy scene is not to be forgotten, but you may have to turn up the volume for the full effect (sorry about that!).

Learn the one-liners here and you'll have an automatic response for most everday situations. Excellent soundtrack as well.

Fletch is my personal favorite comedy and without a doubt, one of the funniest movies ever made. Chevy Chase is perfectly cast as Irwin Fletcher, a wise cracking newspaper reporter working undercover on a beach to expose a drug running operation. At the same time, he is mistaken for a junkie by shady millionare Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson) who asks Fletch to murder him. Fletch agrees but launches an investigation into finding out why this man wants to be killed. This isn't lowbrow humor, it's quick witted and very fast. Fletch requires a few viewings before one is able to grab all the jokes, but it's well worth it. I've seen this movie about 30 times and each and every time I watch, it remains as funny as the first time I saw it. If you've liked Chevy Chase in Caddyshack or National Lampoon's Vacation, than you'll love him here. The dialogue is witty and extremely quotable. Chase's Fletch often disguises himself as he investigates the two mysteries, his cheap disguises and alias' (Ted Nugent, Don Corleone, Dr. Rosenpenis) are hysterical, Chase is a master of deadpan wisecracks, this movie is a perfect showcase for his talent.Aside from the brilliance of Fletch as a comedy, Fletch functions perfectly as a well made mystery movie. I disagree with one reviewer who praised the movie as a comedy but said it wasn't a very good movie. Fletch is a very good movie and aside from Chevy Chase, there are many other reasons for the success of this classic. Screenwriter Andrew Bergman has written one of the trickiest scripts in Hollywood history, it manages to be flat out hilarious, and captivating in the same light. Whenever I watch this film with a new viewer, they are always surprised as to how much the storyline grabbed them. Another plus with this movie is Harold Faltermeyer's superb synthesizer score. It's similar to his earlier Beverly Hills Cop score, maybe even better, it helps set the tone of this movie perfectly. Last but not least, we have the direction, all under the sure hand of Michael Ritchie. He keeps things moving and maintains a comedic tone which occasionally borders on seriousness to help the story progress. Balancing tones isn't easy, in this film it's done so well, it's hardly even noticable.Fletch is all around, an excellent film, but before everything else, it's a VERY funny film. A true cult classic. For audiences whom have seen Beverly Hills Cop, think along those lines, I always thought it would be amusing to see what would happen if Chase's Fletch met with Eddie Murphy's Axel Foley of the Cop films. If you've seen those than you have a good idea of what to expect with Fletch, a film loaded with belly laughs as long as you're willing to pick up on them.

Waiter: You a member of the club senor? Fletch: No I'm not I'm with the Underhills. Waiter: They already left senor? Fletch: That's all right, he'll be back, he went out for his urinalysis. Waiter: Would you like to order something senor I'll put it on the Underhill's bill? Fletch: Ahh, very good, I'll have a bloody mary, a steak sandwich, and..... a steak sandwich. Waiter: Thank you very much senor. Fletch: It's the nicest place...

If Chevy had a bright spot in his career, this is certainly one of them. Every line, every minute, all ad libbed, no script, no idea what he will say next, just Chevy doing what he does best. Christmas vacation, Vacation, CaddyShack, no comparison to the original Fletch. If you've never seen this movie, you absolutely have to and considering it's from 1985, where have you been? I think I've seen this movie 100 times and I think I'll watch it 100 more before I go the way of the dodo. If you're having a bad day at work, lost your job, lost a girlfriend or boyfriend or just want to smile, pop this DVD in and start laughing from start to finish. If you don't even chuckle while watching this zany farce, you might need mental help for sense of humor submission.

What a great moment in movie history when the Doctor asks Fletch to "drop your shorts and bend over Mister Babar" Moments later you hear Chevy hurl out the song "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOON River! Thank you doc, you ever serve time? Doctor: Breathe easy... Fletch: "you using the whole fist doc?"

Other good notables are the sweet acting of Tim Mattheson and Genna Davis. Tim Mattheson, most known for his lead role as head fraternity brother (Otter) in Animal House, does a 180 and tries for the evil husband with a financial darkside. This movie also makes for some great pickup lines for the single males. Try this one when you see a beautiful woman in a towel. "Can I borrow your towel for a sec, my car just hit a water buffalo." Cherish Fletch forever and enjoy Chevy when he knew how to make people laugh.

holy crap this is probablly one of the funniest movies Ive seen in my whole life. The actor Chevy Chase is at the top of his game in every scene. He is the Mona Lisa of comedians. Always looking serious but still managing to crack you up.He has a huge gallery of alter egos in this movie ranging from such names as Igor stravinsky, Ted Nugent, Arnold Babar, Dr.Rosenrosen(Rosenpenis) to only name a few.The scene where he sees himself on the Lakers is a classic but my favorite is the rollerskating guru.this one will be smoking till the end of all times!

Fletch must be the second most widely quoted movie, after Caddyshack. Chase plays a perfect Fletch in Andrew Bergman's adaptation of Greg McDonald's private dick novel. The screenplay does a decent job of cleaning up Fletch for the screen. The print character is a little seedier (smokes dope) and a little suaver with the ladies.

"Movie Fletch" plays up the undercover angle of the character to enhance Chase's strengths. Chevy has a great screen presence and can hold your attention in his many disguises. The excellent pace of the film leaves the viewer little time for distraction. How many times have you caught this on TV and only stopped watching because of a commercial break?

The Fletch books have recently been reprinted and are about as enjoyable and light as mystery/crime novels get. Pick an old one up .... Start with Fletch and move on from there if you dig it. The book character may not be as goofy as Chevy's but he still has plenty of charm and wit.

This DVD version could be a little cleaner and sharper. Not to mention the lack of "bonus material". Let's hope another version is coming down the pipe.
What kind of name is Poon anyway?

This DVD edition of "Fletch" features a pristine print of the film with great sound and that's the reason to buy it. The bonus features are a DVD producer appearing on camera, desperately trying to be funny and failing, whilst trying to disguise the fact that Chevy Chase didn't participate in this DVD release. It's too bad, as he provided extras for the release of "National Lampoon's Vacation." As studios reap huge rewards off having stars and others involved with their disc releases, it becomes more and more important for the talent to be compensated and my guess is perhaps they couldn't make a deal for Mr. Chase's valuable time. Still, if you love the film you'll love the transfer... but some DVD producers are best served staying behind the scenes. Way, way behind.

I have a somewhat modified rating system. There are movies that suck; those are one star. There are mediocre movies; those get two stars. There are good movies; those get three stars. There are movies which you watch and suspect you'll watch again; those get four. And then, of course, there's the movies you watch for the first time -- and then, on the way home, still laughing, go to the store, buy, wake up your wife, and force her to watch, but of course she doesn't really get it, and is mostly irritated at you, but you don't regret it because man, it's really just that funny, and you skip work the next day and watch it a couple more times, and by the end of the week you and all of your buddies telling a waiter "I'll have a steak sandwich and... a steak sandwich" and giggling. Monty Python's "Holy Grail" is the, well, the grail shaped beacon of these movies; "A Fish Called Wanda", perhaps "There's Something About Mary." These are comedies with staying power; humor which uses more than shock and vulgarity, motivated by the lunacy of the human condition.

If you haven't seen "Fletch", well, frankly, I'm jealous. I'll never get to see it for the first time again, and there just aren't that many treasures like this out there.

And if you have seen it, you know you want to see it again, and you'll end up watching enough times to justify the cost, and, what the heck. Charge it to the Underhills.

It has been a long time coming, but this Chevy Chase masterpiece makes its return to DVD. For some time now, you could only find this DVD on ebay or used sites for extravagant ammounts of money. However, you can't keep a good man down. I.M. Fletcher that is. While some critics lump this movie in with alot of other 80's garbage that seems to all blend together, Fletch is different. Besides being a cult classic, it showcases Chevy Chase's talents in a way that only a few movies ever have, and is genuinely funny. It was the character he was born to play, and he does so flawlessly. Whether he is Fletch, or one of his many alter-ego's, Chevy Chase will leave you rolling on the floor with laughter, and wanting more. Fletch is BACK on DVD, and thats good news for everybody.

When I was about eight years old, Fletch was released in the movie theaters. And I absolutely loved it. Everything about it was cool, from the dorky tall guy humor, to the car chase in the Alfa, to the Harold Faltermeyer soundtrack. Indeed, it sat at the top of my list (along with Beverly Hills Cop (Special Collector's Edition), another detective-who-impersonates-people-with-hilarious-results flick with a Faltermeyer score) of Movies To Live By, for many years. I used lines such as, "Can I borrow your towel? I just hit a water buffalo" with my classmates, but all I drew were blank stares and comments like, "you're weird." Such was third grade.

Many years later, I made the mistake of selling my VHS copy of Fletch in a bulk auction with about thirty-three other tapes. I was moving, so it made sense, but I regretted losing my only copy -- and there was no DVD available to replace it!

So now the movie has been released on DVD (a second time after a gap of a few years) in the "Jane Doe Edition," so named for Irwin Fletcher's by-line. And now that I am married, and my wife has seen the movie with me, I am aware of the movie's shortcomings. In fact, if you don't like Chevy Chase, you might think this movie is just downright dumb. But I find it so easy to identify with a character who uses his wits to get himself out of trouble that I can easily overlook some less-than-credible plot elements and the use of Geena Davis as a doormat.

Here's how the story goes: Fletch is an investigative reporter pretending to be a junkie, blending in on the LA beach with many who are the real thing. He is trying to find out the source behind the drugs so that he can make headlines in the newspaper he works for. At the same time, he is offered $50,000 and a foolproof escape plan to kill a wealthy man named Alan Stanwyk, who says he is dying of bone cancer.

Much of the story revolves around Fletch pretending to be other people while he gently pries information out of gullible and confused bystanders. In a typical scene, Fletch passes for a government messenger (Mr. Poon) who has to collect information on allegations about the company Stanwyk has married into. He interviews the CEO of Boyd Aviation, who also happens to be Alan Stanwyk's father-in-law, and finds out all kinds of information that helps get to the bottom of the unusual proposition. Whether this seems credible or not is beside the point. The characters Chase comes up with take center stage, as he wriggles his way into any subculture he pleases by using a few props and a quick wit.

The "Jane Doe Edition" does have a few extras, of course, besides the external sleeve that reveals various Fletch identities, depending on perspective. In the Special Features you will find a chuckleworthy mockumentary in which an amateur filmmaker does some interviews with people who worked on the movie. There is also a brief bit in which the make-up artists and producers talk about the many disguises Fletch uses. Besides the obligatory trailer, you will also find a clever montage piecing together some of the funniest moments of the movie, grouped loosely by category: foreign phrases, noises made with the mouth, et cetera. It's fun for long-time fans in particular.

One of my only misgivings about the DVD is the lack of any new Chevy Chase material. There are no interviews with him, no commentaries, nothing more recent than what he did in the original movie. His career is not exactly red-hot these days; would it have been so difficult to get him on board? My guess is that his asking price was a bit too high, but there are legions of twenty- and thirty-something American men who make this movie a part of their own personal philosophy and religion. It is this cult following which should keep the "Jane Doe Edition" sales strong for years to come.