Back in the U.S. after traveling Europe writing about art, freelance journalist I.M. Fletcher (Jon Hamm) finds the dead body of a woman in his host's apartment. He calls the police, who only suspect him of murdering the woman.
I read Gregory Mcdonald's Fletch books in 1993, right after reading Robert B. Parker. I had seen and enjoyed Chevy Chase's Fletch movies, like I remembered TV's Spenser: For Hire fondly, but as soon as I read the books, the movies fell short. I realized Fletch had been turned into a goofy disguise clown to suit Chase's comedy, not portray the character from the books.
In the almost forty years since Chase's movies, there have been several movie attempts to reimagine Fletch, all of which I followed, none of which were made. When I heard Jon Hamm was attached and watched interviews with him about Confess, Fletch, I had new hope. He explained the discrepancy between Chase's movies and the books, that he was portraying the authentic character. Furthermore, the movie's synopsis followed the novel Confess, Fletch very closely.
I tracked the project through its filming and reshoots mid-COVID-19 pandemic. Its first trailer was released August 25, 2022, three weeks before its limited theatrical and streaming premiere September 16. The short promotion window disappointed me, but fellow Fletch fan Ace Atkins pointed out a theatrical release showed more faith than streaming-only.
Missing it in theaters, I skipped it on streaming, knowing its distributor Paramount was very committed to physical media. I tracked the release date and pre-ordered. I finally watched the Blu-ray yesterday and it's everything I hoped, a brisk, comedic caper with the insouciant Hamm/Fletch in the thick of it and scene-stealing performances around him. There's talk of a sequel, but Mattola adds it may never be made. So I appreciate even more that this was.
If you're interested, you can buy the Fletch books in trade paperback with retro-style cover art from Blackstone Publishing.
In the almost forty years since Chase's movies, there have been several movie attempts to reimagine Fletch, all of which I followed, none of which were made. When I heard Jon Hamm was attached and watched interviews with him about Confess, Fletch, I had new hope. He explained the discrepancy between Chase's movies and the books, that he was portraying the authentic character. Furthermore, the movie's synopsis followed the novel Confess, Fletch very closely.
I tracked the project through its filming and reshoots mid-COVID-19 pandemic. Its first trailer was released August 25, 2022, three weeks before its limited theatrical and streaming premiere September 16. The short promotion window disappointed me, but fellow Fletch fan Ace Atkins pointed out a theatrical release showed more faith than streaming-only.
Missing it in theaters, I skipped it on streaming, knowing its distributor Paramount was very committed to physical media. I tracked the release date and pre-ordered. I finally watched the Blu-ray yesterday and it's everything I hoped, a brisk, comedic caper with the insouciant Hamm/Fletch in the thick of it and scene-stealing performances around him. There's talk of a sequel, but Mattola adds it may never be made. So I appreciate even more that this was.
If you're interested, you can buy the Fletch books in trade paperback with retro-style cover art from Blackstone Publishing.
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