Directed By Greg Mottola

Starring – Jon Hamm, Marcia Gay Harden, Kyle MacLachlan

The Plot – After becoming the prime suspect in multiple murders, Fletch (Hamm) strives to prove his innocence while simultaneously searching for his fiancé’s (Lorenza Izzo) stolen art collection.

Rated R for adult language, some sexual content and drug use.

CONFESS, FLETCH | Official Trailer | Paramount Movies – YouTube

POSITIVES

Replacing Chevy Chase isn’t as easy as it seems, but Jon Hamm is a welcome addition to the character, supplanting his own unique personality and blunt deliveries, instead of enacting an impression of his heralded predecessor. Hamm’s Fletch has a distinct air of cynicism to balance his picture-perfect facial registries, making the most of the material in ways that make him a compelling protagonist, all the while affording him the opportunity to seamlessly overtake the character without chewing up the scenery as a distracting force, similar to Chase’s overzealousness in the original films. What’s most appealing here is that in this incarnation of Fletch, he is the self-aware one playing off of others incompetence, making for plenty of humbling from the intellectually superior Hamm, but also one that provides a unique dynamic in contrast to previous framing efforts. Adding to his benefit is an elating turn from Harden, who not only outduels the titular protagonist on eagerness for sex drive, but also steers the plot to silliness in ways that this new portrayal of Fletch simply won’t afford. Because of such, Harden is the breath of fresh air for traditionalists looking to reflect on how the franchise used to be, but not necessarily one that convolutes the efforts of the intention in front of us, instead feeling like a glorified cameo that instills energy and passion to the story’s forefront without downright kidnapping the film for her own taking. The two together appraise the best scenes of the film and benefit their resumes in ways that feel geared for this kind of tonal consistency. In addition to this, the dialogue and gags are quite effective, especially in the smooth-moving structure that occasionally echoes Aaron Sorkin levels of tempo. The humor itself is a consistency with influence, but never anything compromising to the integrity of the gritty mystery that it surrounds, providing a perfection in balance that continuously withers the storm of sedation, all the while garnering a unique element of influence from technical merits. It helps that the sleek precision of the editing plays into the carry through of the various punchlines, but the material itself would be nothing without Hamm’s commitment to it, making it easy to get lost in what is mostly a dialogue driven film, with plenty of memorable lines to quote alongside its predecessors. Beyond this, the scintillating jazz score from David Arnold is a classy homage to detective procedurals of the past, certifying the atmospheric range with an element of cool that nearly works in parody to Hamm’s awkwardness, but one that none the less maintains the curiosity of the investigation’s spotty movements, and the transitions frequently bless the engagement with a few fade-to-black transitions that were not only initially a staple of Fletch films, but also those of the aforementioned detective procedurals that blended developments seamlessly with the kind of necessary pause to interpret a scene’s devastating impact.

NEGATIVES

While the comedy transcribes memories and consistencies of the past, it’s the mystery itself that’s a bit lukewarm in the reheated leftovers it dishes out. Part of the problem is certainly in the fact that the investigation itself is heavily predictable in both culprit and in movements, leading to an entirety in experience that often left me five steps ahead of the investigation, but for my money the fact that there’s so few established characters make it an underwhelming exploration, offering so little room for the kind of twists and turns needed to prolong this mystery through a 93-minute run time. The pacing itself is fine enough through this duration, transitioning as smoothly as possible with the depth of material it’s given, but the motivations of the police in the film feel a bit outdated in ideals, making those in charge feel like cliches instead of characters, undercutting the tension in a big reveal with a climax that couldn’t have gone any other way. Beyond this, my only other real problem with the film is in a basic level of TV production that never attempts ambition or style to the surface. The presentation is often too dark in cinematography, directly inspiring obstruction in ways that often make scenes in the dark difficult to distinguish, and the corresponding shot choreography wastes away the ambition of visually making this its own unique installment to the series. In my opinion, the film would’ve benefited greatly from some more exploration of the angles, but especially in the establishing shots of the various story locations like L.A and Boston, which in dialogue often represents the disconnect between these two territories, but never showcases it in cohesively corresponding visuals that could provide something alluring for the interpretation, leaving us with basic instead of bold production values.

OVERALL
With a more sedated but spanning level of comedic gags, “Confess Fletch” is not only a showcase for welcome replacement Jon Hamm, but also one that wholeheartedly justifies the resurrection of the franchise thirty-three years after its previous installment. Mottola’s versatile direction lends itself to a snarky vehicle of its own, and one that doesn’t leave its success factor in a cloud of unresolved mystery.

My Grade: 7/10 or B