 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Fletch
- Review Date: July 4, 2007
- PG
- Genre: Comedy
- 1985
Common Sense Media says
Chevy Chase at his very funniest. Teens OK.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
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.
What's the story?
In this classic 1980s crime caper, Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher (Chevy Chase), an investigative reporter who's a master of disguises, is getting nowhere on his latest assignment exposing a drug ring at a local L.A. 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, solve the crime, and write a Pulitzer Prize-winning series.
Is it any good?
The real humor isn't the story, which is fairly predictable, but the brilliance with which Chase 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.
What families can talk about
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?
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- Teens & kids
Kid, 12 years old
July 13, 2010
AGE
WT#???????????????????????????
why would they say "A**hole" on PG?? that word is only for rated PG-13 stuff.
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Kid, 12 years old
May 15, 2010
AGE
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why would they say "a**hole","a**face" and "b*tch" that's only for PG-13-rated stuff!
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AGE
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why would they say "a**hole","a**face" and "b*tch" that's only for PG-13-rated stuff!
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Kid, 11 years old
May 15, 2010
AGE
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why would they say "a**hole","a**face" and "b*tch" that's only for PG-13-rated stuff!
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AGE
It's actually pretty good.
My rating: PG for language, suggestive content, and violent references.
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AGE
Highly Recomended
Great movie.Great for anyone 10 & up.
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Kid, 12 years old
January 12, 2012
AGE
PG pushed to the limit
Great movie. The language is very strong though and one guy tries to kill his wife who kisses another man.
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| Topics: | book characters |
| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Michael Ritchie |
| Cast: | Chevy Chase, Joe Don Baker, Tim Matheson |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 98 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 31, 1985 |
| DVD release date: | May 1, 2007 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
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