Fletch (film)

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Fletch

Directed by	Michael Ritchie
Produced by	Peter Douglas Alan Greisman Gordon A. Webb
Written by	Gregory Mcdonald (novel) Andrew Bergman (screenplay)
Starring	Chevy Chase Joe Don Baker Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	May 31, 1985
Running time	98 min.
Language	English
Followed by	Fletch Lives (1989)
IMDb profile

Fletch is a 1985 comedy film about a wisecracking investigative newspaper reporter, Irwin Fletcher (Chevy Chase, at the height of his popularity), who writes under the name of Jane Doe. The film was based on the popular Gregory Mcdonald novels and the screenplay was written by Andrew Bergman. The film was directed by Michael Ritchie and released by Universal Pictures in 1985. The theme song, "Bit by Bit" was sung by Stephanie Mills with music by Beverly Hills Cop composer Harold Faltermeyer. It was one of three films Chevy Chase starred in that year, alongside Spies Like Us and National Lampoon's European Vacation, which together garned over $155 million at the box office.

Since its release, Fletch has had a strong following of fans as well as having achieved cult status; it is considered to be one of Chase's best films.

1 Plot
2 Origins
3 Cast
4 Legacy
5 Sequel and prequel
6 Audio sample
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film opens with one of Fletch's many, often humorous, monologues. The drug trade is Fletch's latest story, and while investigating undercover as a beach wanderer one day he is approached by a well-groomed man, Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson). Stanwyk says he wants Fletch to murder him because he has inoperable cancer, this way his family will receive his life insurance. Unaware that Fletch is actually an undercover reporter, Stanwyk thinks he would be the perfect man for the job, as he is a recluse and can just disappear after the shooting. Fletch agrees to kill Stanwyk when offered a considerable sum of money, but is suspicious of Stanwyk's motives. Fletch starts to dig and uncovers a story much greater than his exposé of small-time drug dealers. As he uncovers the lurid truth about Stanwyk, he also discovers that a sinister police chief (Joe Don Baker) is behind the drug trafficking on Los Angeles' beaches.

[edit] Origins

Gregory Mcdonald's novel was very successful and soon Hollywood came calling. His Fletch books were optioned around the mid to late 1970s but the author had the option of approving the actor cast to play Fletch. He rejected the likes of Burt Reynolds and Mick Jagger. When the studio mentioned Chevy Chase as Fletch, Mcdonald (even though he had never really seen Chase in anything) agreed.

Chase enjoyed success early on in his film career with hits like Foul Play (1978) and Caddyshack (1980), but then hit a rut with Under the Rainbow (1981) and Deal of the Century (1983). By the time he did Fletch, Chase had bounced back with the massive commercial success of National Lampoon's Vacation (1983).

Andrew Bergman was hired to adapt Mcdonald's book into screenplay form. Bergman remembers that he wrote the screenplay “very fast – I did the first draft in four weeks...Then there was a certain amount of improv, and something that we used to call dial-a-joke."^[1]

[edit] Cast

Chevy Chase - Irwin M. "Fletch" Fletcher
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson - Gail Stanwyk
Joe Don Baker - Chief Jerry Karlin
Richard Libertini - Frank Walker
Tim Matheson - Alan Stanwyk
M. Emmet Walsh - Dr. Joseph Dolan
George Wendt - Fat Sam
Kenneth Mars - Stanton Boyd
Geena Davis - Larry
George Wyner - Marvin Gillet (aka Arnold T. Pants, esq.)

[edit] Legacy

Fletch has become a cult film. In an interview for the New York Post, Bergman tries to explain its appeal. “It’s so bizarre, but Fletch strikes a chord. There’s a group of movies like that in the ‘80s, like Caddyshack, too, that captured a certain wise-ass thing.” Chevy Chase also looks back on the film with fondness. “It was at the height of my career in film, and it was as close to me as a person as any part I’d played.” Perhaps the most meaningful praise comes from Mcdonald himself: "I watched it recently, and I think Chevy and Michael Ritchie did a good job with it." ^[2]

[edit] Sequel and prequel

This article or section contains information about one or more scheduled or expected films. The content may change as the film's release approaches and more information becomes available.

The film was followed by a 1989 sequel, Fletch Lives which didn't perform as well at the box office.

A prequel based on the novel Fletch Won has been discussed for a number of years. According to TheMovieBlog.net, Kevin Smith was set to write and direct the new Fletch movie. The word was that he wanted My Name Is Earl star Jason Lee, while some studio suits wanted Zach Braff. Kevin Smith left the project, stating on The Howard Stern Show that a studio executive told him that studios "weren't in the 'Chevy Chase' business any more." ^{[citation needed]}

Smith has been replaced by former Scrubs producer Bill Lawrence, and Scrubs star Zach Braff will play the lead role. ^[3]