Fletch (1985)
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75% of critics liked it
(28 reviews) -
77% of users liked it
(44,103 ratings)
Chevy Chase added a classic comic hero to the film landscape with Fletch, one of his few truly popular star vehicles in a famously misguided post-Saturday Night Live career. Chase plays Irwin M. Fletcher, known to everyone as Fletch, a Los Angeles Lakers-loving investigative reporter with a gleeful… More Chevy Chase added a classic comic hero to the film landscape with Fletch, one of his few truly popular star vehicles in a famously misguided post-Saturday Night Live career. Chase plays Irwin M. Fletcher, known to everyone as Fletch, a Los Angeles Lakers-loving investigative reporter with a gleeful disdain for deadlines and a knack for pushing the buttons of his frustrated editor (Richard Libertini). He's also known for donning numerous disguises and assuming zany false identities to help gain information. While pursuing an ongoing story about a powerful drug dealer who operates from Venice Beach, he comes across an intriguing offshoot in which he becomes intimately involved. Aviation executive Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson) has an unusual proposition for Fletch: If Fletch agrees to an elaborate plan to kill him, for reasons Stanwyk refuses to divulge beyond explaining that he has bone cancer, Fletch will walk away with a healthy sum of money and a plane ticket to Brazil. Curious yet suspicious by profession, Fletch begins investigating Stanwyk's true motives, which leads him through numerous misadventures. Among them are a visit to a stuffy country club; a high-speed car chase with an unwitting passenger; repeat encounters with Stanwyk's wife (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), although she may not be his only one; and a trip to Provo -- that's Utah, not Spain. Inspired by a novel of the same name by Gregory McDonald, Fletch went from thriller to comedy as it was adapted into a vehicle for Chase. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi
- Directed By
- Michael Ritchie
- Genres
- Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1985 Wide
- Studio
- MCA Universal Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
A breezy, peppy frolic and a tour de force for Chase.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Michael Ritchie's 1985 mystery comedy has the pleasant, modest feel of a Fox B picture from the 30s.
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, Time Out
This could be Bob Hope material c1942 and Chase does acquit himself well (though with cool reserve) in the gags-to-plot transitions. What dulls the enterprise is that Ritchie so keeps his distance from every character.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Whenever the move threatens to work, there's Chevy Chase with his monotone, deadpan cynicism, distancing himself from the material.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
A lightweight, breezy experience that, by never pretending to be anything more than what it is, disarms criticism.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Chevy Chase
as I.M. Fletcher
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Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
as Gail Stanwyk
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Tim Matheson
as Alan Stanwyck
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Joe Don Baker
as Chief Karlin
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Richard Libertini
as 'Frank' Walker
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George Wendt
as Fat Sam
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Geena Davis
as Larry
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M. Emmet Walsh
as Dr. Dolan
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Kenneth Mars
as Stanton Boyd
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Larry Flash Jenkins
as Gummy
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Ralph Seymour
as Creasy
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
as Himself
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James Avery
as Detective
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Reid Cruickshanks
as Sergeant
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Nico de Silva
as Waiter
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Bruce French
as Pathologist
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Rick Garcia
as Waiter
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Grace Gaynor
as Mrs. Underhill
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Burton Gilliam
as Bud
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David W. Harper
as Teenager
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Chick Hearn
as Himself
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Bill Henderson
as Speaker
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Freeman King
as Cop #1
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Alison La Placa
as Pan Am Clerk
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Tony Longo
as Detective
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Irene Olga Lopez
as Maid
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William Sanderson
as Swarthout
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Penny Santon
as Velma Stanwyk
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Beau Starr
as Willy
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William Traylor
as Mr. Underhill
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George Wyner
as Gillet
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Joe Praml
as Watchman
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Mary Battilana
as Madeline Turner
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Darren Dublin
as Reporter
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Donald Chaffin
as Banquet Guest
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Bill Sorrells
as Surfer Cop
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Robert Sorrells
as Marvin Stanwyk
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Arnold Turner
as Reporter
