Confess, Fletch

There may be a movie here, but you won't be able to see it.

This is one of those movies where the advent of HDR had the crew go, "Well, let's turn off all the lights and fire the post-production crew."

In other words, it's impossible to see what's going on. Absolutely unwatchable.

"I.M. Fletcher" (John Hamm) arrives at a posh apartment procured for him by his aristocratic Italian girlfriend to discover the body of a strange young woman lying on the floor. He calls the cops and is soon the prime suspect of the laconically effective "Insp. Monroe" (Roy Wood Jr.) and his enthusiastic new sidekick "Griz" (Ayden Mayeri). It seems to "Fletch" that the only way he can prove his innocence is to use his legendary investigative journalism skills to get to the bottom of it all. Meantime, his gal at home is trying to fend off her grasping step-mother after her father is kidnapped and the ransom is a Picasso painting that is one of nine that was stolen from their home. Maybe the solution to these mysteries lies in finding the paintings? That trail introduces him to the rather germo-phobe art broker "Horan" (Kyle MacLachlan) and soon an intricate game of cat and mouse is afoot! Essentially this is all about Hamm, and for the first half hour he manages to amusingly, and quite deftly, bounce his character off the others - including the glamorous "Andi" (Lorenza Izzo); her lively nemesis "Countess Sylvia" (Marcia Gay Harden) and his rather flakey next door neighbour "Eve" (Annie Mulolo). That characterisation quickly starts to wear a bit thin, though, and the latter parts of this comedy are pretty derivative and well-travelled with a few set-piece comedy enterprises that start to look more and more like a few conjoined episodes of a television sitcom. Hamm has good timing with his delivery, and his one scene with the scatty Mumolo stands out for me, but otherwise we've seen this all before. Agatha Christie it isn't!

What an amazing film. Love the aesthetic.

I really enjoyed this film. It was funny and campy and Hamm was great. It was fun and didn't take itself too seriously.

**By: Louisa Moore / www.ScreenZealots.com**

I tend to be skeptical when it comes to a studio reboot of a film franchise, but “Confess, Fletch” breathes fresh, new life into the series. Based on the Gregory Mcdonald books, the movie sees Jon Hamm stepping into the role that was made famous in the mid-80s by Chevy Chase. The result is a sharp and clever elevated murder mystery for adults.

Investigative journalist Irwin Fletcher (Jon Hamm) is always getting himself into trouble. This time, he becomes the prime suspect in a murder case while searching for the truth behind a stolen multi-million dollar art collection. In order to prove his innocence to a veteran police detective (Roy Wood Jr.), Fletch must eliminate the long list of suspects. He uses his skills to seek out and question a missing playboy (John Behlmann), a Countess (Marcia Gay Harden), an eccentric germophobe art dealer (Kyle MacLachlan), a wacky bohemian neighbor (Annie Mumolo), and even his own Italian girlfriend (Lorenza Izzo) on his quest to uncover the real culprit.

Director Greg Mottola (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Zev Borrow) nails the tone of the original “Fletch” films without making his project feel like a cheap wannabe rip-off. Gone are the goofy disguises made so popular in the 80s films, and Hamm’s version of Fletch captures the charming arrogance of Mcdonald’s literary character. Fletch’s unorthodox methods are still in play, yet he’s not portrayed as a bumbling idiot.

In peak laid back mode, Hamm reaches near perfection in the lead role as the resourceful and witty reporter. It’s a performance that I want to see more of in the future, and that bodes well for subsequent sequels. Hamm’s charisma serves him well in his flawless delivery of the script’s one-line zingers, and his comedic timing is precise yet natural. Those who have a low tolerance for snarky, smart humor will likely be more annoyed than entertained, however.

I was surprised just how much I enjoyed “Confess, Fletch.” It’s so much better than anyone could have ever expected, the supporting cast is terrific, the mystery is entertaining (if ultimately predictable), and the humor is on point. In other words, it’s a lot of fun.

I really liked this movie. It went against my expectations right out of the gate. I don’t know if I would like the original Fletch film with ChevyChase as much as I did as a younger viewer, but I remember enough to say that it was all Fletch. Not so much here. Chevy’s Fletch dominated the story, perhaps every scene. I still remember his sarcastic Oh good, the police, when a corrupt cop showed up.

This Fletch movie is more mature, with more depth. Wisecracking Fletch is still at the center of it, of course, but mostly I enjoyed the scene-stealing cops. There is the exhausted new father, “Slow Motion” Maurice, who talked like a tough cop who disbelieved Fletch and reminded him more than once that he was the main suspect, but who had the patience to wait before arresting him. Perhaps really knew someone was setting him up. And the accident-probe, clumsy Griz, who bumbled around but who ultimately proved to be the brains of the detective team. They played off each other and Fletch well, and I would gladly watch a spin-off show just with them.

The plot is dense in a way, and a piece of critical information is hidden from us for most of the film, but it is all in fun so who really cares? What am I, reviewing for the New York Times or the like? No. Suffice to say that it was entertaining and I suspect I will watch it again someday.