Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of September 12, 2022
Confess, Fletch
Rated R for drug use, some sexual content and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90% at time of writing
In theaters and available on demand
Based on the second book from the hit Fletch series by Gregory McDonald, Confess, Fletch stars Jon Hamm (Mad Men) as the former journalist turned goofy hero, all set in the modern day. As he returns from a trip to Italy back to the states, he finds himself to be the chief murder suspect when a girl is found dead in the apartment he is staying in. So in addition to investigating a stolen art collection for his new Italian girlfriend, he must now also try to solve the murder to get himself off the hook. If you are like me, you probably reflect fondly on the 1980’s Fletch films starring Chevy Chase. I don’t know if you’ve watched them lately, but while I loved them back in the day, now I wonder what the heck I was thinking. They really aren’t that great. So if you are worried about Jon Hamm carrying the torch – don’t be. He’s terrific in this film, and much better for the role than Chase ever was. The fact that he doesn’t try to turn on the comedy makes it that much funnier, and his turn at the iconic figure is kind of perfect. His style takes a second to get used to, but once you warm up to him, you really start to appreciate it. And when you add in Greg Motolla as writer/director (Superbad, Paul), along with the really well-cast group of supporting actors including Roy Woods, Jr., Kyle MacLachlan, Marcia Gay Harden and John Slattery, you get a whopper of a comedy. Newcomers Lorenza Izzo, Annie Mumolo and Ayden Mayeri also manage to steal every scene they are in, helping the ensemble to really shine. There are some moments when folks are trying too hard and a gag here and there might fail, but for the most part the movie is so quick and lovable that you forgive and forget easily. I really hope this film becomes a hit so that we might get to see more of what Hamm can do with McDonald’s multitude of Fletch novels. A-