Fletch: The Jane Doe Edition [Special Edition]

Director: Michael Ritchie Michael Ritchie

Overview

Fletch, Gregory McDonald's thrilling novel about an unorthodox secret agent with a penchant for elaborate disguises, was reshaped by the Hollywood know-alls into a standard Chevy Chase vehicle. Fletch (Chase) is on the trail of a vicious drug ring, but before the film is a third over he is embroiled in a deadly insurance-fraud scheme masterminded by aviation executive Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson). The plot bears traces of Orson Welles' Lady from Shanghai, with a few pinches of Hitchcock's 39 Steps and Chase's own earlier Foul Play thrown in. Not everyone was enchanted by Chevy Chase's bland, wise-guy performance in the title role; even so, Fletch ended up as one of the actor's few unqualified box-office successes, spawning a 1989 sequel.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/01/2007
UPC:	0025193289223
Original Release:	1985
Rating:	PG
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	44,999

Special Features

Interviews: ; Just charge it to the Underhills - Making and remembering Fletch: Relive the insanity of this comedy masterpiece through hilarious interviews with the cast and crew!; Behind the scenes: From John Cocktoastin to Harry S. Truman - The disguises: ; See how Chevy Chase's wild imagination and a few prosthetics created the wackiest characters of all time!; The Classics: ; Favorite Fletch moments - Relive the funniest Fletch moments!

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Chevy Chase	Irwin `Fletch' Fletcher
Joe Don Baker	Chief Karlin
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson	Gail Stanwyk
Richard Libertini	Frank Walker
Tim Matheson	Alan Stanwyk
M. Emmet Walsh	Dr. Dolan
George Wendt	Fat Sam
Kenneth Mars	Stanton Boyd
Geena Davis	Larry
Grace Gaynor	Mrs. Underhill
Bill Henderson	Speaker
William Traylor	Mr. Underhill
George Wyner	Gillet
Tony Longo	Detective
James Avery	Detective
Larry 'Flash' Jenkins	Gummy
Ralph Seymour	Creasy
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Himself
Reid Cruickshanks	Sergeant
Bruce French	Pathologist
Burton Gilliam	Bud
David Harper	Teenager
Chick Hearn	Himself
Alison LaPlaca	Pan Am Clerk
Joe Praml	Watchman
William Sanderson	Swarthout
Penny Santon	Velma Stanwyk
Robert Sorrells	Marvin Stanwyk,Surfer Cop
Beau Starr	Willy
Nico DeSilva	Waiter
Rick Garcia	Waiter
Peggy Doyle	Identification Nurse
Freeman King	Cop
Roger Ammann	Cop
Loraine Shields	Records Nurse
Henry Bleeker	Surfer Cop
Arnold Turner	Reporter
Darren Dublin	Reporter
Mary Battilana	Madeline Turner
Donald Chaffin	Banquet Guest
Kristine M. Grossman	Secretary
Irene Olga Lopez	Maid
Merv Maruyama	Chinese Busboy
Harold Faltermeyer	Composer

Technical Credits

Andrew Bergman

Jerry Belson

Phil Robinson

Michael Ritchie	Director
Peter Douglas	Producer
Alan Greisman	Producer
Dean Jeffries	Stunts
Cliff Wenger	Special Effects
Andrew Bergman	Screenwriter
Peter Vincent Douglas	Producer
Jerry Belson	Screenwriter
Phil Robinson	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Along with brethren like Animal House, Caddyshack, and Stripes, Fletch has earned its place among a choice few endlessly quotable movies, and not just among slacker cinephiles who think of it as their comedic Bible. In his only classic leading role (Clark Griswold from Vacation falls just short, and he's part of an ensemble in Caddyshack), Chevy Chase is such a genius wordsmith, talking circles around one befuddled character after another, that it reaches the sublime. The numerous wacky identities he assumes are really only a surface gimmick, not necessary with dialogue this snappy and smart. Chase makes it easy to understand why this guy would be both a riot to be around and a major source of exasperation. Director Michael Ritchie goes a little heavy on intrigue, using one too many synthesized suspense songs better suited to a movie like Beverly Hills Cop, but Chase's smarter-than-thou schtick delivers more than enough laughs to offset these gestures. The credentials of screenwriters Andrew Bergman (Blazing Saddles), Phil Alden Robinson (All of Me), and Jerry Belson (Smile) blend perfectly to create material that's just right for Chase's deadpan deliveries, as well as a plot that's sufficiently serpentine and genuinely interesting. Whether posing as a mattress-tag inspector or running up endless food orders on the bill of a country club prig, Chase is the smooth prankster we all wish we could be.