Fletch Lives (1989)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Michael Ritchie

Writers (WGA):

Gregory McDonald (character)
Leon Capetanos (written by)

Release Date:

17 March 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Crime

Tagline:

When there's more trouble than one man can handle...there's more than one man for the job.

Plot:

Fletch is a reporter for a Los Angeles newspaper, but he acts more like a detective. When an obscure...

Plot Keywords:

Fletch | Louisiana | Mansion | Prison | Toxic Waste

Cast

Chevy Chase	...	Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher
Hal Holbrook	...	Hamilton "Ham" Johnson
Julianne Phillips	...	Becky Culpepper
R. Lee Ermey	...	Jimmy Lee Farnsworth
Richard Libertini	...	Frank Walker
Randall 'Tex' Cobb	...	Ben Dover
Cleavon Little	...	Calculus Entropy
George Wyner	...	Marvin Gillet
Patricia Kalember	...	Amanda Ray Ross
Geoffrey Lewis	...	KKK Leader
Richard Belzer	...	Phil
Phil Hartman	...	Bly Manager
Titos Vandis	...	Uncle Kakakis
Don Hood	...	Tom Barbour
Dennis Burkley	...	Joe Jack

Also Known As:

Fletch Saved (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Spain:T | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

"Flash Flood" Ride, Universal Studios Theme Park, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Fletch dreams about a Song of the South (1946) re-enactment. Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold mentioned the theme song "Zippedie Doo Dah", having an outburst in Vacation (1983). National Lampoon, in turn, spoofed Disney Pictures: owner of "South".

Goofs:

Continuity: Fletch attends two different tapings of the Jimmy Lee Farnsworth television show, but the announcer introduces both of them as the "4,323rd edition" of the show.

Quotes:

Doorman: Name?
Fletch: Ah... Irwin M Fletcher. Irwin Mahatma Fletcher.
Doorman: Address?
Fletch: 7.

Movie Connections:

References Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Predictable mystery but fun for fans of Chevy

You had to a fan of Chevy Chase to fully enjoy the first installment but here you have to be a die hard devotee to get the most out of the sequel. The first one had a really good detective story that nearly got buried with wisecracks, but on subsequent viewings it really came alive and it ranks as one of the best movies Chevy Chase has been involved in.

Fletch Lives has Fletch moving to the South where he has inherited a mansion from his aunt. Continuing interest in buying the nearly worthless land for a huge amount of money evokes suspicions and our favorite reporter goes snooping around.

Fletch Lives is not nearly as well crafted or written as the first one, with a rather predictable mystery that doesn't seem to take itself seriously for one second. But it does have some fantastic comic sequences; such as Fletch impersonating a faith healer, Fletch encountering a mean biker gang, a memorable meeting with a fellow inmate and some one great one-liners delivered with style by the great comedian (as you might have guessed; I'm a big fan).

Supporting actors like Hal Holbrook and R. Lee Ermey add to the enjoyment and Chase delivers but when all is said and done Fletch Lives is for fans only who can overlook the shallowness of the film as a whole.