If this film proves anything it is this: there is only one Chevy Chase and Jon Hamm is no replacement. I read in the trivia notes that both Hamm, who co-produced, and director Greg Mottola had the script reworked because it read more like a third Fletch movie for Chevy Chase but would that have been such a bad thing? After all the comedy here is so underplayed there's barely a chuckle.
There are some comedic moments courtesy of the support cast, in particular Roy Wood Jr and Ayden Mayeri, as the cops investigating a series of murders where all the evidence points to Fletch being the prime suspect causing him to try to prove his innocence whilst on the trail of some missing paintings.
Hamm is a good actor and I wouldn't expect him to do an impression of Chase, and I understand that the intent here was to get closer in tone to the original book series by Gregory McDonald, but there's not enough of a clever plot to make this a serious thriller and not enough comedic moments to make this a comedy, it sits somewhere uncomfortably in between where the filmmakers are dipping their toes in the water but don't want to tread on the path previously walked on by Chase. This leaves the audience wanting and Fletch is rarely funny on his own, it's only when he interacts with other wacky characters that the film comes alive.
Sam Levy's underlit cinematography doesn't help matters either as it's difficult to see the characters faces at times while Mottola's direction is lacklustre and inconsistent. If you're a fan of the original you will be disappointed by this much delayed reboot which was stuck in development hell for decades, but if you haven't seen Fletch (1985) you might just succumb to Hamm's low energy and overly subtle interpretation.
There are some comedic moments courtesy of the support cast, in particular Roy Wood Jr and Ayden Mayeri, as the cops investigating a series of murders where all the evidence points to Fletch being the prime suspect causing him to try to prove his innocence whilst on the trail of some missing paintings.
Hamm is a good actor and I wouldn't expect him to do an impression of Chase, and I understand that the intent here was to get closer in tone to the original book series by Gregory McDonald, but there's not enough of a clever plot to make this a serious thriller and not enough comedic moments to make this a comedy, it sits somewhere uncomfortably in between where the filmmakers are dipping their toes in the water but don't want to tread on the path previously walked on by Chase. This leaves the audience wanting and Fletch is rarely funny on his own, it's only when he interacts with other wacky characters that the film comes alive.
Sam Levy's underlit cinematography doesn't help matters either as it's difficult to see the characters faces at times while Mottola's direction is lacklustre and inconsistent. If you're a fan of the original you will be disappointed by this much delayed reboot which was stuck in development hell for decades, but if you haven't seen Fletch (1985) you might just succumb to Hamm's low energy and overly subtle interpretation.