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Confess, Fletch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the original novel, see Confess, Fletch (novel).

Confess, Fletch
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGreg Mottola
Screenplay by
  • Greg Mottola
  • Zev Borow
Based onConfess, Fletch
by Gregory Mcdonald
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySam Levy
Edited byAndy Keir
Music byDavid Arnold
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures (uncredited)
Release date
  • September 16, 2022 (2022-09-16)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[1]
Box office$656,613[2][3]

Confess, Fletch is a 2022 American crime comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Zev Borow. Based on Gregory Mcdonald's 1976 novel of the same name, it stars Jon Hamm, Roy Wood Jr., Annie Mumolo, Ayden Mayeri, Lorenza Izzo, Kyle MacLachlan, and Marcia Gay Harden. It is the third installment in the Fletch series, following Fletch (1985) and Fletch Lives (1989), and the first not to star Chevy Chase.

Confess, Fletch was released in the United States in select theaters and on premium video on demand on September 16, 2022, before a Showtime premiere on October 28, 2022.[4] It received generally positive reviews.

Plot

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Irwin Maurice “Fletch” Fletcher used to work as a crime reporter and investigative journalist and is now a freelance writer. He is hired by a billionaire Italian count to investigate the whereabouts of his missing art collection. Fletch soon has a first lead; Boston art dealer Ronald Horan has sold two of the paintings. In Rome, Fletch meets Angela, the attractive daughter of his client, and a love affair develops between the two. Angela then receives news from the police that her father has apparently been kidnapped by organized criminals who are demanding a Picasso from the missing collection as ransom.

As Fletch arrives in a short-term rented townhouse in Boston, he finds a dead woman, subsequently identified as barista Laurel Goodwin. Despite being the one who called the police, Fletch becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Sergeant Inspector Monroe and Junior Detective Griz of the Boston Police Department begin tailing him.

Fletch meets with Horan under a fake name in an attempt to locate the paintings. He learns from his neighbor Eve that Owen, the townhouse owner, has a history of violence and drug abuse and an estranged spouse named Tatiana, who used to be his business partner. Fletch meets with Tatiana, again using a fake name, and suspects that she is the killer.

Meanwhile, the Countess, Angela's stepmother, invites herself to stay with Fletch. Angela is not happy with this development, as she suspects that the Countess and her brother kidnapped the Count. Angela arrives in Boston and initially appears to be friendly with the Countess.

At dinner that night, Fletch, the Countess, and Angela are visited by Owen, Tatiana, and Eve. Laurel's boyfriend arrives inebriated and tries to kill Fletch. When the boyfriend is distracted by Eve's dog, Fletch snatches his gun and learns that Angela knows and was in contact with Owen. She abruptly leaves in the middle of the evening.

Fletch follows Angela to a meeting with Horan on his sailboat, assuming that she stole the paintings and transferred them to Horan to sell. Horan reveals that he killed Laurel and framed Fletch to thwart his investigation. He then planned to deceive Angela and pay off his debts by selling the Count's art collection. Horan pulls a gun and tries to kill Fletch, but is shot dead by Griz.

The Count, who faked his kidnapping with Fletch's help as a test of his wife and daughter's love, returns and persuades Fletch to keep the paintings. From an undisclosed location in Central America, Fletch sends paintings to the Countess, Eve, his previous boss, and two street artists, and a large check to Laurel's boyfriend and her family.

Cast

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Production

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Following the release of Fletch (1985) and Fletch Lives (1989) starring Chevy Chase, attempts to reboot the series based on the Gregory Mcdonald novels frequently became mired in development hell. Names such as Kevin Smith and Jason Lee,[5] Bill Lawrence and Zach Braff,[6] and Jason Sudeikis[7] were previously attached to the property.

In July 2020, it was reported that Jon Hamm would star in and produce an adaptation of the Mcdonald novel Confess, Fletch directed by Greg Mottola.[8] In June 2021, Marcia Gay Harden, Kyle MacLachlan, Roy Wood Jr., and John Slattery joined the cast.[9] The following month, Ayden Mayeri, Lorenza Izzo, and Annie Mumolo were added to the cast.[10]

Principal photography began in Boston on June 28, 2021.[11] In early July, scenes were filmed in Worcester, Massachusetts, outside the local police department.[12] Since the film had a 27-day shooting schedule, Hamm and Mottola returned a portion of their salaries in order to secure an additional three days of filming.[13]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 129 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Shorter on wacky hijinks but still very funny, Confess, Fletch is a showcase for Jon Hamm's comedic chops that revives this long-dormant franchise with style."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]

Cancelled sequel

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Shortly after the film's release, Mottola said he had been hired to write a sequel based on the 1978 novel Fletch's Fortune, but said he was "not sure" if it would be produced.[1] In August 2024, Mottola said that the sequel was no longer in development, with the director attributing the setback to a change of leadership at Miramax and the film underperforming at the box office.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ryan, Mike (September 22, 2022). "Director Greg Mottola Hopes You've Noticed There's A New Fletch Movie Out That People Seem To Like". Uproxx. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "Confess, Fletch (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Confess, Fletch (2022)". The Numbers. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  4. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 13, 2022). "'Confess, Fletch' Heading For Showtime Berth; Miramax Sells Jon Hamm-Starrer To Paramount Global Content Distribution". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Drees, Rich (March 4, 2013). "Kevin Smith Tells Us How His FLETCH Relaunch Died In Development". FilmBuffOnline. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Baxter, Joseph (August 21, 2020). "Fletch Reboot Movie's Difficulties Explained by Former Director in Ted Lasso's Bill Lawrence". Den of Geek. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Giroux, Jack (August 16, 2019). "Jason Sudeikis Sees 'Fletch' as a Modern and Much-Needed Superhero". /Film. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 15, 2020). "'Fletch' Modern-Day Reboot In Works With Jon Hamm & Miramax". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 25, 2021). "'Confess, Fletch': Miramax Movie Starts Filming Monday, Adds Marcia Gay Harden, Kyle MacLachlan & Roy Wood Jr". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  10. ^ Vlessing, Etan (July 9, 2021). "John Slattery Reteams With Jon Hamm for Miramax's 'Fletch' Comedy Reboot". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  11. ^ Taliesin, Julia (June 28, 2021). "Jon Hamm is filming a reboot of 'Fletch' around Boston". Boston.com. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  12. ^ Semon, Craig S. (July 7, 2021). "Jon Hamm in Worcester again today to film 'Confess, Fletch' scenes outside police station". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  13. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (September 22, 2022). "Jon Hamm Gave Back '60 Percent' of His 'Confess, Fletch' Salary to Finish the Film". IndieWire.
  14. ^ "Confess, Fletch". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 8, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  15. ^ "Confess, Fletch". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (August 7, 2024). "'Confess, Fletch' Director Says Sequel Not Moving Forward: "I've Been Rather Depressed About It"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
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