FLETCH is a comedy for long-forgotten 1980s star Chevy Chase, who had a string of hits to his name in that decade before being consigned to history by the onset of the 1990s. It's a surprisingly funny little movie in which the star plays an inept investigative reporter who finds himself involved in a bizarre case of drug smuggling after a wealthy man asks to be murdered! I thought I'd be on for a dumb, lowbrow comedy throughout, and while some of the humour is indeed in the gutter, at other times this is a witty and intelligent movie. As with most films of this ilk (like THE JERK, etc.) much of the fun comes from seeing the central character getting into various mishaps and attempting to extricate his way out of them. Chase is in his element and his enthusiasm rubs off on the viewer; the cast of the cast effectively plays it straight, highlighting the main character's inanity. It's a solid film, and one I enjoyed.

Irwin Fletcher (Chevy Chase) is a smart-mouthed L.A. investigative reporter with pen name Jane Doe. He's infiltrating the drug trade at the beach when he's approached by Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson). He wants the supposed bum Fletch to shoot him because he has bone cancer. He's willing to pay $50k. Fletch's editor Frank Walker is hounding him for his drug story on Fat Sam selling drugs on the beach. Larry (Geena Davis) is his helpful sidekick. His investigation reveals that Alan isn't actually sick. He flirts with Alan's wife Gail. There's a land deal in Utah. Meanwhile his drug friend Gummy is kidnapped by the cops. Police Chief Jerry Karlin (Joe Don Baker) threatens him as the corrupt cops are after the reporter.The wise-cracking Chevy Chase is marginally funny. What is most surprising is that there are a couple suspenseful investigation going on in this movie. I'm more invested in the story than actually laugh at Chevy. I'm not quite as impressed with the way Fletch handled Alan in the climatic scene. He's basically explaining the story while being the only guy without a gun. The disguises and the quick dialog are generally fun. It kind of reminds me of 'Beverly Hills Cop' except not quite as good.

Watched this last weekend at home with family, where Chevy Chase plays an investigative journalist with a passion for clever disguises.We see Fletch going from place to place making up interesting characters with a great presence of mind to turn every situation into his favour and solving the mystery. The car chase, the hospital scenes as a kidney pain patient and subsequently as a doctor were absolutely hilarious.Chevy acts with absolute ease and is completely into this role keeping the audience laughing from beginning to end. Michael Ritchie is a good director supported by good screenplay from Andrew Bergman.

It takes a strong central lead in the role of a movie like Michael Ritchie's Fletch to make the end product one of a worthy status and, thankfully, Chevy Chase capably handles the task at hand, playing the title character, who is a typical journalist, penning articles under the pen-name "Jane Doe" by day, and a crafty disguise artist by night, carrying his deadpan cynicism with him like a lawyer and his briefcase.While Fletch is undercover one day he runs into Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson), who gives him a generous offer; $50,000 if he would be willing to murder him. He states to Fletch that he is suffering from inoperable bone cancer that will slowly eat away at him like a virus and desperately wants out of this misery. Suicide will nullify his insurance, while murder would give his family the whole package. Fletch accepts the job, but can't help but sense there is something shady here, so he conducts an investigation on Stanwyk and discovers his connections with drug trafficking, as well as local police chief Jerry Karlin's (Joe Don Baker) involvement run a mile deep. This leads Fletch to pose as a number of disguises to get where he needs to be.Director Michael Ritchie directs this picture with the kind of energy it needs, and screenwriter Andrew Bergman (who would write the fabulous It Could Happen to You roughly a decade later) drums up several different sketches that never seem to tread the line of strenuous parodies or a compilation of something resembling Saturday Night Live skits; one of the biggest problems that could've plagued this project as a whole.Yet it's easy to say that if a viewer is searching for Chevy Chase's best performance, they may have found it. Chase is a master at deadpanning humor, and nearly every few seconds, spouts off a shamelessly cynical one-liner that would live on in the hearts and minds of Fletch cultists everywhere. To see him relaxed and confident on screen is one of the many pleasures of the picture, and it gives me reassurance of his possibilities after, not long ago, watching the dry and scarcely funny Three Amigos, which totally shoved his character to the background, where he was lucky enough to get a smile in.Fletch works in large part because of Chase's incredibly sophisticated energy, but is sustainable because not only is it an enjoyable piece of comedy, but also a devilishly entertaining crime drama, that sports a simple, yet effectively handled mystery that one could call fulfilling and worthwhile. Composed of its inherently basic material, delivered in a fittingly unassuming way, with a terrific central performance, a script efficiently written by an underrated comedic talent, direction that stays alive, and a supporting cast (comprised of people like Tim Matheson and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) that work well with the Chase's detached title character, as a quick and spontaneous romp, this one carefully constructs its entire setup to make for favorable entertainment.Starring: Chevy Chase, Tim Matheson, and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson. Directed by: Michael Ritchie.