When it comes to films from the 1980s, I thought I had seen all the ones worth seeing.  I had, of course, heard of Fletch(1985), but it is the one from that decade that had slipped through the proverbial cracks.  I know many people who like the movie, but for whatever reason, it has never interested me.  Perhaps it is my Catholic tendencies and what I have learned about Chevy Chase, who plays the title character, that have kept me away.  Still, any ill feelings I have for Chase are not Christian of me, and it is time for me to find out whether it is the classic I have been told.

What Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher is trying to find out about are the drug problem on California beaches.  He works for the Los Angeles Times as an investigative reporter, though most of what he writes are food columns under the name “Jane Doe.”  By the way, if you ever seen this movie, be prepared for him to use a lot of aliases, most of them of a humorous nature.  As he passes the time on the city’s coastline, he is watched by business executive Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson), vice president of Boyd Aviation.  He approaches Fletch, asking the reporter to come to his home, offering $1,000 just for showing up.  Not being one to pass up free money, Fletch goes with Alan.  Once at Alan’s home, he asks that Fletch come back in a few days and murder the executive.  To convince Fletch, Alan will give an additional $50,000 and a ticket to Rio de Janeiro.  Fletch is suspicious, but agrees to do it.  As to why Alan wants to end his life, it is because he has bone cancer and wants to take advantage of his company’s life insurance to help his wife, Gail Stanwyk (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson).  Immediately, he begins looking into Alan.  With the help of his assistant, Larry (Geena Davis), Fletch discovers some of Alan’s associates.  One-by-one, Fletch begins interviewing the people close to Alan, mainly because he suspects that there is a scam afoot.  In order to make his inquiries, he has to put off his editor, Frank Walker (Richard Libertini), who wants the story about the narcotics.  Fletch’s first stop is the hospital, where he learns that Alan’s diagnosis is fake.  Still, Fletch wants confirmation, so he turns to Gail, who eventually admits that her husband is not sick.  Alan is also not in town.  Rather, he is in Utah where he is supposedly overlooking land deals made on behalf of Gail.  However, Fletch travels to Utah where he uncovers the land deed for the transaction.  Instead of being the million-dollar transaction he promised, it is worth only a few thousand.  In other words, Alan has pocketed a large amount of his wife’s money.  Later, Fletch also pokes around Boyd Aviation, seeing the private planes that have compartments that can be used for smuggling.  It is the beginning of a solid case against Alan, but Fletch is distracted upon returning from Los Angeles by the demands of his original story.  Returning to the beach, he is there in time to see one of the locals he knows, Gummy (Larry Flash Jenkins), be picked up by the police.  Soon, the authorities are after him as well when they are informed about his reporting.  Following a chase sequence (no pun intended), he is arrested and taken to meet Chief Jerry Karlin (Joe Don Baker).  Chief Karlin tells Fletch that there are undercover cops all over the beach, and any media coverage will interrupt the operation.  To drive home his point, Chief Karlin threatens to kill Fletch.  Seemingly back to looking into Alan, Fletch decides it is time to let Gail in on the plot.  She is shocked that her husband has been lying to her, and Fletch earns her trust with this information.  She wants to go to the police, but he knows this is not the wisest move at the moment.  Such is confirmed when Fletch witnesses Alan and Chief Karlin exchange money.  Once again, Fletch is pursued by the police.  He is able to evade capture, going to the airport in an attempt to leave the country.  At the ticket desk, he is told of the ticket in his name to Rio, but also of a person who is supposed to be sitting next to him named Sally.  Going back to Utah, Fletch meets Alan’s parents, who tell him that Sally is Alan’s wife, not Gail.  Fletch asks for one more day before they try legal action against Alan.  In the meantime, Fletch returns to the beach where he tells Gummy and Fat Sam (George Wendt), another of the junkies Fletch had come to know, that they are part of a bigger scheme.  They are also able to link Alan to Chief Karlin, the former being the one to supply the latter by secretly bringing drugs up from South America. Fletch brings the two to the newspaper to get statements from them before heading to Alan’s estate.  Upon gaining entry to the office, Fletch is confronted by Alan, who has assumed the reporter’s identity and plans to kill Fletch.  Alan is checked by Gail’s arrival, then by Chief Karlin entering the room.  With some input by Fletch, Alan and Chief Karlin turn on each other, with Chief Karlin shooting Alan dead.  There is a struggle between Fletch and Chief Karlin, but the cop is subdued with some help from Gail.  With everything solved and stories printed, Fletch and Gail use the tickets to Rio and we close with them walking on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

Is it a little seedy that Fletch and Gail end up in the end?  Perhaps, but as is admitted in the movie, none of this should be taken too seriously.  That is practically a quote by Fletch, who spends most of the run time making jokes in even the most serious moments.  While I think certain situations need to be treated with some gravity, particularly in matters of Faith, I am not above making light of almost anything else.  Without levity, society becomes fractured.  I am sure we can all look to our present circumstances and agree with such a statement.  Further, God laughs with us, particularly when it is genuine, and some of my favorite images of Jesus are of Him full of mirth.  It is also better to smile at certain aspects of the film than to think about them too deeply.  Still, if there is anything to praise about the movie from a Christian perspective, it is the friends Fletch makes in Fat Sam and Gummy.  One of the troubles the Pharisees had with Jesus was that He did not consort with people like these leaders of the Jewish community.  Instead, He consorted with people like Fat Sam and Gummy.  Scripture bears this out.  Look at Peter.  When the two meet in Luke 5:8., Peter tells Jesus to “depart . . . for I am a sinful man.”  If you are the kind that is a practicing Christian, you might have had a similar experience.  People think of you as the “religious person,” and therefore are not always eager to invite you to certain events.  Jesus does not follow these kinds of social rules.  It would be silly to compare Fletch to Jesus, but there is something to be said for being willing to be in the company of junkies.

It is not a bad idea to be in the company of Fletch.  Remarkably, it is rated PG, but I doubt that it would have the same rating if it were re-released today.  What I mean is that there is some inappropriateness, but no foul language or nudity.  If you do watch it, pay attention for the quips, and they should make it a satisfying watch.