“Fletch“https://www.rogerebert.com/”Fletch Lives“
There was a time, young readers, when Chevy Chase was one of the biggest stars in the world. His reputation as a notorious jerk has forever damaged the way a lot of people view his heyday. Still, the truth is that a lot of his ’70s and ’80s comedies have held up well, including films like “Foul Play,” “Vacation,” and 1985’s consistently clever “Fletch,” recently released in a special edition from Kino Lorber, and accompanied by the miserably bad 1989 sequel “Fletch Lives.” All but completists should skip the sequel, but “Fletch” still kinda rules, a perfect distillation of Chase’s smarmy charm and deft comic timing. In many ways, it’s the ultimate Chevy Chase movie.
Special Features (“Fletch”)
NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM AN INTERPOSITIVE
NEW Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
Just Charge it to the Underhills: Making and Remembering Fletch – 2007 Featurette with Actor M. Emmet Walsh, Actor Richard Libertini, Actor Tim Matheson, Screenwriter Andrew Bergman, Actor George Wyner, Actor Larry Flash Jenkins, Actress Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Producer Alan Greisman, Producer Peter Douglas, Editor Richard Harris, First Assistant Director Wolfgang Glattes, Associate Producer/Production Manager Gordon Webb and Featurette Producer Jason Hillhouse (26:32)
The Disguises: From John Cocktoaston to Harry S. Truman – 2007 Featurette with Makeup Artist Ken Chase, Hair Stylist Bunny Parker, Screenwriter Andrew Bergman, Actress Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Actor Tim Matheson, Actor Larry Flash Jenkins, Producer Peter Douglas, Producer Alan Greisman and Associate Producer/Production Manager Gordon Webb (4:53)
Favorite Fletch Moments – 2007 Featurette (2:35)
Chevy Chase: Reba Merrill Profile – 1985 Interview with Chevy Chase (3:41)
4 TV Spots
Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K)
Optional English Subtitles
“Girlfight” (Criterion)
It’s always fun to see a film that launches a new talent that one knows they’ll be watching for years to come. I vividly remember seeing “Heavenly Creatures” and feeling that way about Kate Winslet, for example. And while it didn’t have quite the same lightning strike sensation as that film, I remember marveling at the places Michele Rodriguez would go after seeing her film debut in Karyn Kusama‘s 2000 film “Girlfight,” just inducted into the Criterion Collection in a new 4K edition supervised by the director and D.P. Patrick Cady. It’s a powerful drama about a high school student who decides to become a boxer, anchored by strong direction from Kusama but truly coming to life through Rodriguez’s captivating, natural performance. While she’s consistently underrated and always understands the assignment, even in blockbusters like the “Fast & Furious” movies, she’s arguably never topped her nuanced work here.
