T h e N o
t R e a d y F o r C y b e r t i
m e W e b S i t e
The Charge
Meet the only guy who changes his
identity more often than his underwear.
Opening
Statement
Chevy Chase, at the top of his
game, mixes smart-aleck, deadpan humor and serious suspense to
perfection in Fletch. Based on the best-selling character
from Gregory McDonald's series of books and sporting a fantastic
synth-pop soundtrack by Harold Faltermeyer (Beverly Hills Cop,
Top Gun
and The Running Man), Fletch is a favorite piece
of '80s entertainment. However, being one of Universal's earlier
releases, Fletch is somewhat lacking as a DVD.
The Evidence
Meet Jane Doe. Well, she's really
a he, by the name of Irwin Fletcher (a.k.a. Fletch) (Chevy
Chase), who writes an investigative expose column under that
alternate gender pseudonym for a Los Angeles paper. As Fletch
opens, Jane Doe poses as an "amiable, minor-league
junkie" as he looks into a drug distribution network on the
local beaches. He knows the main dealer, Fat Sam (George Wendt),
and figures that sad-sack beach bum Gummy (Larry Flash Jenkins)
is linked in somehow, but suddenly a stranger makes Fletch a
can't-refuse proposition.
Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson) wants Fletch to murder him. He
claims to have been spying on Fletch (in his junkie persona) for
several weeks, and has picked Fletch as suitable for the task.
Stanwyk says he has incurable bone cancer and wants both to end
his prospective suffering and to let his wife claim his life
insurance proceeds. He promises Fletch a guaranteed escape and
the princely sum of $50,000 cash for the murder. Having thus
stumbled into a grotesque plot, Fletch feigns interest as his
reporter's instincts kick into overdrive.
Dodging his nervous editor, 'Frank' Walker (Richard Libertini),
Fletch starts digging into Alan Stanwyk's file, learning that
his patron has married into the big money of Boyd Aviation.
Next, an uncomfortable trip to Stanwyk's internist (never, EVER,
complain of fake kidney pains!) and the records room at the
local hospital directly contradict Stanwyk's dire claims of his
poor health. With even more questions, Fletch adopts the persona
of one of Alan's fly-boy buddies to (ahem) pump the delectable
Mrs. Gail Stanwyk (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) for information,
while running up a huge lunch tab at the local country club at
the expense of an arrogant jerk, Mr. Underhill (William
Traylor). Further trips to Alan Stanwyk's father-in-law, Stanton
Boyd (as accident-prone SEC bureaucrat Mr. Poon), and to Provo,
Utah, to burglarize the office of Stanwyk's realtor, Jim
Swarthout (William Sanderson), supply more clues that Alan is up
to some sort of scam.
Upon his return from Utah, Fletch rudely learns that the local
police are none too happy to have learned of his undercover
beach investigation. Chief Karlin (Joe Don Baker) is deadly
serious when he tells Fletch to cease and desist, claiming a
danger to his own investigation on the beach. Having narrowly
escaped harm at Karlin's hands, Fletch invests 49 cents on
novelty teeth for a goofy invasion of Boyd Aviation to dig more
dirt before deciding on a heart to heart with Gail Stanwyk.
Somewhat disenchanted with her playboy husband, she is truly
shocked when Fletch sketches out Alan's shady behavior, but
seems willing to help when needed.
When surveillance of Alan Stanwyk yields links to Chief Karlin,
Fletch knows that he is swimming into treacherous, deep waters,
and is proven right when a horde of police pops up and is out
for his blood. Escaping by the narrowest of margins, Fletch uses
another trip to Utah to unearth the final facts of Stanwyk's
criminal enterprise, which also means a humiliating shock for
Gail Stanwyk. Now that all the "cards" are on the
table, Fletch solves the riddle of the beach drug investigation
and the mystery of Stanwyk's murderous proposition all in one
momentous evening.
In the end, Fletch is a reasonably intelligent crime
drama dressed up with patented Chevy Chase dry wit and nearly
absurd disguises, but without pushing over the line into
slapstick or parody. By no means is this a sophisticated sort of
humor, nor will you likely be rolling on the floor in gales of
laughter, but you may smile, chuckle, and roll your eyes from
start to finish. The best that I can say about any movie is that
it stands up, viewing after viewing, and Fletch falls in
that category.
1] BIT BY BIT
by Stephanie Mills
2] FLETCH, GET OUTTA TOWN
by Dan Hartman
3] RUNNING FOR LOVE
by John Farnham
4] NAME OF THE GAME
by Dan Hartman
5] FLETCH THEME
by Harold Faltermeyer
6] A LETTER TO BOTH SIDES
by The Fixx
7] IS IT OVER
by Kim Wilde
8] DIGGIN' IN
by Harold Faltermeyer
9] EXOTIC SKATES
by Harold Faltermeyer
10] RUNNING FOR LOVE (Instrumental)
by Harold Faltermeyer
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