Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this Chevy Chase classic came out just one year after the PG-13 rating was instituted, so although it's rated PG, today it would probably merit a PG-13 for its language ("bitch," "s--t," and many words starting with "ass"), sexual innuendo, and mild violence. As an investigative reporter, Fletch is a "master of disguise" who impersonates various people to gain information. The situations he gets himself into are funny and, for the most part, harmless.
Families can talk about whether it's OK to lie and pretend you're someone else if you're an undercover reporter. Should Fletch have told Alan's wife about his plan earlier? Which disguise of Fletch's is the funniest? How does Chevy Chase's comedy stylings compare with Will Ferrell's? What are the signs that this is an '80s comedy and not one from this decade? Which comedians are enjoyed by the whole family? Why?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sandie Angulo Chen
In the '80s, Saturday Night Live alum Chevy Chase was the Will Ferrell of his day, a goofy giant with a gift for physical comedy. One of the movies that solidified his decade-long high was FLETCH, a relatively small crime comedy about Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher, an investigative reporter in Los Angeles who's a master of disguises. The film became a cult classic and even spawned a sequel.
Fletch is getting nowhere on his latest assignment exposing a drug ring at a local beach. One day a rich businessman (Tim Matheson) offers Fletch a job: to kill him in one week so his wife can inherit his millions before an aggressive cancer takes his life. Smelling a new mystery to solve, he agrees to the contract killing but immediately starts digging into the man's life. Posing as a doctor, an airline mechanic, an insurance adjuster, and an old college chum -- to name just a few disguises -- Fletch manages to uncover enough secrets to write a Pulitzer Prize-winning series.
The real humor isn't the story, which is fairly predictable, but the brilliance with which Chase (who has a reputation for being a difficult, egotistical performer) uses his character's self confidence to wheedle himself into any situation. When at a country club trying to get close to Alan's gorgeous but ignored wife (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), he claims to be the guest of a cheapskate patron and promptly orders bottles of champagne, Beluga caviar, and filet mignon. The phrase: "Put it on the Underhills' bill" becomes one of the many running gags in the film. So simple, yet Chase's delivery makes it irresistibly quotable.
As any viewer familiar with suspense-filled comedies knows, Fletch not only gets his story but the girl, too. How he scores both is a series of memorable jokes in an otherwise formulaic comedy.
Families with teens will get a kick out of Chevy Chase's other comedies like Fletch 2, National Lampoon's Vacation, and Spies Like Us.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentFletch comes onto, propositions, and kisses a married woman. He makes remarks that make it clear he has slept with her. He says "nice piece of ass" and "pimp" and makes slightly lewd remark about his large "endowment." |
 |
 |
||
ViolenceFletch knees a guy in the groin. Someone hires Fletch to kill him. A character tries to kill his wife and Fletch. |
|
|
||
LanguagePG-13-level cursing: "bitch," "assface," "ass," "assh--e," "asswipe," "s--t," "crap," "hell," "Jesus H. Christ" |
|
|
||
Message |
|
|
||
Social BehaviorAs an investigative reporter, Fletch does some sneaky things, mostly impersonating others, to get information. On the other hand, he has the public's best interest (and his career) in mind. |
 |
 |
||
CommercialismLos Angeles Lakers and their merchandise are featured fairly prominently; also Coors beer and Miracle Whip in one scene. |
|
 |
||
Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoCharacters drink champagne, beer, and wine in a few scenes; Drugs are discussed and a drug dealer/supplier exposed. |
|
|
||
