Confess, Fletch

I didn't even know it existed until a week or so before its release.  There's a new FLETCH movie?!  Talk about a marketing fail!  Shame on you Paramount and Miramax!  There was no publicity, nothing  in the media about this series finally (after years of abortive attempts by the likes of Kevin Smith and others) getting rebooted.  I received a YouTube alert one morning for its trailer.  Huh.  John Hamm is stepping into the shoes (if he actually wore any) of I.M. Fletcher, the sardonic investigative reporter from John M. McDonald's novels.  The role made famous in 1985 by Chevy Chase, who returned a few years later for a less celebrated sequel.  Did anyone boycott this year's CONFESS, FLETCH because for them Chevy was Fletch? 

Too bad for them if they did, as Hamm is just about perfect here.  Really inspired casting.  We all knew he had solid comic chops, and if those Progressive commercials didn't convince you, this should.  

Based on McDonald's 1976 novel, the second in the long running series, CONFESS, FLETCH concerns the not unrelated events of art theft, a kidnapped Italian tycoon, and a dead woman Fletch finds in his rented town house the night he returns from Italy.  Even though Fletch calls in the murder, he is immediately suspected by Inspector Monroe (Roy Wood Jr.) and his green partner, junior detective Griz (Ayden Mayeri).  His near nonstop wisecracks (and a particular talent for elusiveness) don't help matters, and are just as amusing as ever.

Other characters in this story are the tycoon's daughter/Fletch's girlfriend Angela (Lorenza Izzo), an art dealer named Horan (Kyle MacLachlan), the townhouse's owner Owen (John Behlmann), the tycoon's wife The Countess (Marcia Gay Harden, who all but steals the movie),  and Annie Mumolo as Eve, Owen's very talkative and haphazard neighbor.  The scene with Fletch in her kitchen provided some of the biggest laughs I've had with a movie in some time.

As a bonus, Hamm's old Mad Men co-star John Slattery appears as Fletch's old newspaper boss Frank Jaffe.  A real crust.

Co-writer (with Zev Borow)/director Greg Mottola admirably keeps his movie low key.  Really old school in terms of comic set-ups and the overall pace.  He even supplies some digs at 21st century life (Ubers, the pandemic, Millenials, etc.).  Despite some of his earlier filmography, he does not succumb to that painfully self-aware brand of 21st century comedy we've suffered for years (the closest thing to that might be the pathetic yacht club security dude).  He also does not have Fletch donning an array of silly disguises, which was a nice change.  The humor here is quieter, mostly avoiding easy vernacular.  There's also a smile inducing repeating of a line from the '85 movie during the climax.

And the supporting cast gets to shine.  As much as I love the original FLETCH, in the end it was a Star Vehicle, with everyone at Chase's disposal.  CONFESS, FLETCH feels almost like a an ensemble piece at times.   While it is most certainly a disposable affair (and not quite "five stars"), I'll watch a hundred of these if this series finds its legs.  And gets a little advance notice please?