Rating: PG
Starring:
Chevy Chase as Irwin ‘Fletch’ Fletcher
Joe Don Baker as Chief Jerry Karlin
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Gail Stanwyk
Richard Libertini as Frank Walker
Tim Matheson as Alan Stanwyk
M. Emmet Walsh as Dr. Joseph Dolan
George Wendt as Fat Sam
Kenneth Mars as Stanton Boyd
Geena Davis as Larry
Bill Henderson as Speaker
William Traylor as Ted Underhill
George Wyner as Marvin Gillet
Tony Longo as Detective #1
Larry Flash Jenkins as Gummy
Ralph Seymour as Creasy
Special Features:
Interviews with cast and crew
Behind-the-scenes: The Disguises
The Classics: Favorite Fletch moments
Digitally remastered picture
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French Language
Spanish and French Subtitles
Running Time: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Chevy Chase is at his hilarious best in this suspense-packed comedy thriller based on Gregory McDonald’s best-seller. Irwin Fletch, a.k.a. Fletch (Chase), is an investigative reporter who’s constantly changing his identity. While working on a drug expose, Fletch attracts the attention of a strange businessman (Tim Matheson) who wants him to be killed so his wife will inherit more insurance. The wily Fletch senses a scam, and soon he’s up byline in frame-ups, murder, police corruption and forbidden romance. It’ll be the story of the year, if he can stay alive to meet his deadline!”
Fletch: The Jane Doe Edition is rated PG.
Mini-Review:
“Fletch” definitely qualifies as a modern comedy classic. It had a great plot, memorable music, and fantastic improvisation by Chevy Chase. This is definitely one of the highlights of his career and showed that he was capable of playing something more than a goofball. Many of the lines from the film are still classic “Can I borrow your towel for a sec? My car just hit a water buffalo.”
If you thought Chevy Chase would take part in bonus features on a “Fletch” DVD well, you’d be wrong. Despite almost every other cast member taking part in a funny retrospective, Chase is nowhere to be found. (The DVD creator makes a joke that he forgot to interview Chase, but it’s immediately apparent that Chevy was having a diva moment.) Chevy’s glaring absence makes him look like a first class jerk. That being said, it is fun to see the other cast members look back on the experience with fondness. Besides the retrospective, there’s a featurette on the disguises used in the film. Rounding things out is the inexplicable inclusion of a series of clips from the film. Why not just watch the movie?
If you’ve never seen “Fletch,” you’ll definitely want to get your hands on this edition. You’ll be amazed to see Chevy Chase was actually funny once.