Movie Review: Fletch (1985)

The movie stars Chevy Chase, Joe Don Baker, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Geena Davis and Tim Matheson.

My yard work plans were ruined by cool temps and rain today and, since I need to be home for my sick daughter (flu), I decided to just have a lazy Sunday and watch some movies. I've seen the film "Fletch" before. But, I couldn't remember much about it and, because of that, decided to watch it again. Overall, I was happy with this choice.

As far as comedies go, this one does honestly lack something, at least in my opinion. I like Chevy Chase. But, a lot of his jokes seem to be used in all of his movies. Though, admittedly, I did like how he continued to torment a rude millionaire (William Traylor) throughout the film, just because he deserved it.

What I like about this film is the mystery. The millionaire that hires him (Matheson) is obviously up to something from the start. But, while he is definitely lying about why he is hiring Fletch (Chase), his motives aren't clear from the beginning. Plus, since Fletch is supposed to be investigating drug trade on the beach, it's not clear whether the millionaire is related to that or if it's a completely different investigation.

The fact he was constantly in danger from a corrupt police chief (Baker) also kept things interesting, especially since the chief was potentially willing to commit murder if needed. That threat made me wonder if Fletch would end up in jail or a body bag.

Adding to this was the way Fletch would find clues but often wouldn't give any hint about what they meant. This definitely added to the entertainment value of the film, especially since, again, there were potentially two different investigations and the clues could have been related to either one of them.

As I said, this movie wasn't quite as funny as I was hoping it would be. But, the film does offer quite a decent mystery and, if you haven't seen it, is worth watching as a result.

My Grade: B