Fletch Lives (1989)

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 (as Randall 'Tex' Cobb)
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:

Though there were eight sequels and prequels written by Gregory McDonald that could have been used as the basis for the second "Fletch" movie at the time, Universal decided to write a completely new story.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Fletch is being wheeled into the morgue by Calculus, Ben Dover removes Fletch's wristwatch and puts it on his right wrist. When Ben sits down at his desk, the watch is on his left wrist.

Quotes:

KKK Leader: Folks ain't home. Cross won't burn. Hell, it ain't like it used to be.

Movie Connections:

References "The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Chevy Chase = Fletch

What a sad world it is when people can sit back and gripe about "Fletch Lives". Tsk, tsk, tsk! First of all, how can anyone pick up a video with this sort of picture of Chevy Chase on the front and expect it to not be stupid--in the best possible sense! Indeed, I admit, the movie is stupid, but that is wholly what I love about it. Sure, if you want a more realistic mystery story, watch the first one. But for purely enjoying Chevy Chase's ridiculous antics, this one surpasses it. Though I can't imagine any other actor who could have pulled this script off and made it anything worthwhile! I generally end up watching this movie at least every few months and have yet to grow tired of it. And yet I have only recently added the first movie to my private collection.

Chevy Chase is one of the best out-and-out comedy actors available in my opinion. And you can't expect him to be serious in a movie that was intended to be anything but.

I think the best part about Chevy Chase as Fletch, is that he lives out those crazy ideas we sometimes get (such as convincing someone of invisible squealing bugs, simply telling someone their house is on fire, and marching into a corporation like you own the place), and he gets away with it when most of us don't dare in the first place. Perhaps the people who can't enjoy him simply don't get the same temptations, and therefore can't see why he appeals to those of us who have to repress the desire to introduce yourself as a famous sixteenth-century astrologer.