The great thing about “Fletch” paired with weed is that you could be in a room full of high people, each doing different strains, and everyone would have something to dig into.
First, for the cerebral crowd, “Fletch” has a somewhat intricate plot full of twists, surprises and reversals. It’s not Ulysses by any means, but for a 1985 big-star (Chevy Chase) comedy, the storyline is a manageable little whodunit. The sarcastic and smart-alecky Fletch (Chase) is an investigative reporter (remember those?) for a Los Angeles newspaper (remember those?) who is trying to uncover the source of the city’s drug influx. When a wealthy businessman claiming to have cancer asks Fletch to murder him, Fletch opens his investigation even wider to uncover an intricate, sinister plan that involves him and implicates some of the most powerful people in the city. The clues Fletch pieces together along the way are surprising yet inevitable.
Second, for the giggling crowd, “Fletch” is hilarious, perhaps Chevy Chase at his comedic best. Fletch is drawn to comic disguises to get the information he needs, posing as a doctor (“I thought that body was my dead brother.”) and a patient (“Ah, you using the whole fist, Doc?”), an airplane mechanic (“It’s all ball bearings nowadays.”), a country club member (“I’ll have a bloody mary, and a steak sandwich, and … a steak sandwich, please.”), a driving instructor (“Hey Freddie, how’s the herpes? Does it hurt?”), a high-ranking politician (“Probably that pederast Hannoran.”) and more. Many involve goofy wigs, costumes, teeth and funny voices. Fletch has his share of uncomfortable, awkward or violent encounters, and each time he weasels out, often with winking-at-the-audience humor. If you have already seen “Fletch,” you will be reciting lines along with Chase, as there are about 567 quotable phrases from the movie.
And for those who want to sink into the couch for some mindless entertainment, there’s your share of high-speed car chases, guard dog chases, guns fired, police brutality, murder threatened, screaming editors and a bit of soft romance here and there.
— DGO staff
