150 Word Review: ‘Confess, Fletch’ (2022)
Go Hamm!
In the laid-back comic caper Confess, Fletch, Jon Hamm plays I.M. Fletch, a dopey, retired investigative journalist wrongly accused of murder. It‘s Hamm’s best role since Don Draper, the flawed 60s ad agency hotshot in the critically acclaimed TV drama Mad Men.
Smoothly directed by Greg Mottola, Confess, Fletch is an easygoing adaptation of Gregory Mcdonald’s second Fletch novel. The first, Fletch, became a 1985 cult classic starring Chevy Chase at his most self-satisfied. It’s mediocre despite being beloved.
Hamm is relaxed and rakish as Fletch, a perfect accidental gumshoe. Smart, but not too smart. The twisty mystery involves a dead woman, stolen art, and an inheritance. A quirky cast joins Hamm’s character, including Marcia Gay Harden as a cartoonish Italian Countess and Roy Wood Jr. as a gruff cop. Silver fox John Slattery has a small part as a grizzled newspaper editor. So there’s a Mad Men reunion too.
Haven't seen this but original Fletch is one of my all-time favorite comedies and is definitely one of the best of the 1980s. I also see a similarity to The Big Lebowski in how both were initially received. Panned by critics and fans, both went onto become not only cult classics but also regarded as quite possibly two of the most highly quoted movies.