Fletch Lives (1989) User Reviews

They should have adapted another one of the books...

[dave13-1 · 5/10 · 6 January 2012]

This movie for me epitomizes the arrogance of Hollywood. The first Fletch movie was a hit, thanks in large part to the fact that it was a fairly faithful adaptation of the first book in the Fletch series by Gregory MacDonald. The book was a tightly woven, well-plotted mystery in which a smart character solved the crime by buffaloing less clued-in types. However, when time came to make a sequel, the studio decided that none of the other dozen or so Fletch novels would be suitable and Instead put together a generic comedy mystery with a plot right out of Scooby-Doo. This is dumbed down generic 80s action junk of the worst sort, partially saved by Chevy Chase's deadpan use of the trademark Fletch trick of disguising himself and impersonating people to get information. To be fair, Chase and the writers manage a few genuine laughs with this, so the gimmick still works, but it's in service of much inferior story, and this simply shouldn't be. A hit book series produces an original hit movie, so why mess with something that works? Simply put, Hollywood studios are staffed by people who think they know better but don't. A comedy-mystery, like any other hybrid, has to work effectively in both genres to be a success and the mystery plot line is just too weak to carry the film.

This movie for me was a special disappointment, as the Fletch series ended here, when Chase could easily have made a career out of starring as Fletch in adaptations of several books before Chase-as- Fletch wore out his welcome. It was a great fit of an actor to a role and should have gone on much longer.

One of Chevy Chase best !

[Ron-181 · 7/10 · 13 September 2001]

When Gregory McDonald created the character I. M. Fletcher "Fletch", he must have had Chevy Chase in mind. Both "Fletch Lives" and "Fletch" are perfect vehicles for Chevy's brand of dry humor. Snappy dialogue and amusing disguises by Chase make these two Fletch movies, his best film work. If you like Chevy Chase you'll love "Fletch Lives and "Fletch".

An Adequate Sequel and Nothing More

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 9 June 2014]

Fletch (Chevy Chase) is a reporter for a Los Angeles newspaper, but he acts more like a detective. When an obscure relative leaves him a Louisiana mansion in his will, Fletch is naturally curious.

The movie gained a mixed to negative reception, and I can understand why. While there is a certain level of fun with any classic Chevy Chase film, this one has almost none of what made the first one great. Much lighter on the antics, and much heavier on trying to play up southern stereotypes for cheap laughs.

Hal Holbrook and R. Lee Ermey make for some good supporting cast members, but they just are not enough to save this one. Entertaining, yes, but not the sequel it should have been.

I'm going to be in the minority but I like this one way more than the original.

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 18 March 2022]

Fletch Lives (1989) is a movie I recently rewatched after DVR'ing it off Retroplex. The storyline follows our friend, Fletch, who recently inherits some land from his family in the south. Unfortunately for him the house is run down and the land appears useless; however, for some reason this strange church wants to acquire his land. As he digs into why he uncovers unbelievable "demons" in the town that have been swept under the church's carpet.

This movie is directed by Michael Ritchie (The Golden Child) and stars Chevy Chase (National Lampoon's Vacation), R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket), Hal Holbrook (Creepshow), Julianne Phillips (Skin Deep), Cleavon Little (Blazing Saddles) and Geoffrey Lewis (The Night of the Comet).

I'm going to be in the minority but I like this one way more than the original. This cast is magnificent and Ermey was hilarious as the preacher. Chevy Chase was in classic form in this movie starting with an awesome butt-pinch office scene and continuing into some great "sinning" scenes with him and Ermey. Ermey and Chase had great chemistry throughout this film. The southern jokes throughout the film was tremendous and had me cracking up from beginning to end.

Overall this is a gem that delivers classic 80s humor and is an absolute must see. I would score this a solid 7-7.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

Predictable mystery but fun for fans of Chevy

[ODDBear · 6/10 · 7 April 2006]

You had to a fan of Chevy Chase to fully enjoy the first installment but here you have to be a die hard devotee to get the most out of the sequel. The first one had a really good detective story that nearly got buried with wisecracks, but on subsequent viewings it really came alive and it ranks as one of the best movies Chevy Chase has been involved in.

Fletch Lives has Fletch moving to the South where he has inherited a mansion from his aunt. Continuing interest in buying the nearly worthless land for a huge amount of money evokes suspicions and our favorite reporter goes snooping around.

Fletch Lives is not nearly as well crafted or written as the first one, with a rather predictable mystery that doesn't seem to take itself seriously for one second. But it does have some fantastic comic sequences; such as Fletch impersonating a faith healer, Fletch encountering a mean biker gang, a memorable meeting with a fellow inmate and some one great one-liners delivered with style by the great comedian (as you might have guessed; I'm a big fan).

Supporting actors like Hal Holbrook and R. Lee Ermey add to the enjoyment and Chase delivers but when all is said and done Fletch Lives is for fans only who can overlook the shallowness of the film as a whole.

Chevy Chase = good times.

[namideo · 7/10 · 14 March 2010]

I liked the first movie a lot but hadn't heard much about this one, so I really had no idea what to expect. I was bracing myself for disappointment and was rewarded with a pretty fun movie. Even though the story isn't anywhere near as good, Fletch Lives is every bit as funny as the first movie. I've realized that Chevy Chase can make any movie work. If you're a Chevy Chase fan, this movie is worth checking out. My favorite part of these movies is actually the music, and Harold Faltermeyer does what might have been his last great synth score for this film. I just love that theme song. It really makes a huge difference to me, and in the end, it kinda made me sad that they didn't do more of these films. I'm a big fan of mystery/comedies, and the Fletch series is one that I think had a lot of potential that wasn't fully realized. Nevertheless, this one is enjoyable enough.

Chase's disguises carry the second Fletch film

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 31 May 2014]

"Fletch Lives" is a so-so comedy. It has a nice plot that keeps it somewhat interesting. But the humor is very spotty. The best of it comes in Chevy Chase's many disguises. His use of phony names – though of real people in history, was funny for one movie, but gets tiring and not too funny in this sequel. The script again has many wisecracks and cliché's – the latter are obviously intentional as a parody of other films and times. But, they just weren't all that funny.

As with the first film, this one has some unnecessary profanity that is a put off for some viewers, and makes the film not suitable for families. What's disappointing to me is that it lacks punch in the humor. With a good enough plot, I think some writers – and Chase in impromptu, could have come up with some newer funnies. Instead, we get much of the same insipid quips for humor that just don't tickle the funny bone.

Funny was apparently asking too much

[Mr-Fusion · 4/10 · 15 June 2023]

It's sequel time, and instead of adapting any of the pile of already published books, Universal decided to go a different way. "Fletch Lives" has Chevy Chase in Louisiana, dabbling in tired Southern cliches and dated gags. That's right, the simple rednecks, televangelists and swamp humor are all here; Chase even shows up in a Confederate general's uniform. Because of course he does.

I'm not out to excoriate, it's just that the quality drop-off from the first movie (in every aspect ) is severe; the writing in this movie is DOA.

Note to Future Me: yes you have seen this movie, and no you did not laugh. Even though you wanted to.

Not As Good as the First; Not As Bad as the Rep

[Michael_Elliott · 18 January 2010]

Fletch Lives (1989)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Chevy Chase returns as Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher in this sequel to the 1985 flick. This time out Fletch inherits a Louisiana estate and on his first night there the woman who contacted him ends up dying. The reporter in Fletch comes and and he starts an investigation that leads him to a preacher (R. Lee Ermey) who might be hiding a few things. This movie seems to have been beaten to death when originally released and it's somewhat hard to find a positive review of it anywhere but I thought it was a lot better than its reputation. Sure, the movie isn't as smooth or as good as the first one but the most important thing is laughs and that's something I did quite a few times. The movie obviously cuts back on the various characters Chase plays as this is pretty much left to the final twenty-minutes but I didn't mind this too much. You could argue that the screenplay is lazy and just throwing him into a plot involving countless stereotypes but, again, I don't mind this because it made me laugh. The scenes with the KKK, the dumb cop with the termite in his ear and the raccoon hunt were full of stereotypes but they were all funny. Heck, we even get a spoof of SONG OF THE SOUTH. Chase isn't quite as great as in the original film but he's still good enough to keep everything moving and his various characters once again get plenty of laughs. Chase easily plays the role without any problems and even his narration can get some laughs. Ermey is good in his role as usual as is Hal Holbrook and Julianne Phillips. The one and only Randall 'Tex' Cobb does his usual tough character and gets some nice laughs. The film's actual mystery isn't all that interesting and the ending take a while to get to but I still feel this film manages to be a lot more entertaining than its rep would lead you to believe.

Not quite the first... which is not to say that it doesn't make for a fine viewing

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 6/10 · 21 May 2008]

Since I enjoyed the first, and this one also aired on TV, I gave it a chance, too. It defines itself very strongly as a sequel(in spite of not actually referencing the start of this series, at least as far as I could tell)... scenes and occurrences from the film it follows are redone with something of a step up... in intensity. It's perfectly clear from the start that this tries to outdo the other by making it all "bigger". It doesn't all work, and on the whole I'd go for Fletch before this. The gross-out comedy for example did not need to go that far... nor did the sexual material. To be entirely honest, I didn't particularly care for all the jabs at the South, either. But it still is funny, and I was into this, as well. The dry wit returns. The plot isn't bad, if the ending is a bit much. Pacing is pretty good, and some of the stuff that is of a larger scale than last time around is worthwhile. The acting is fairly solid, and Ermey does a nice job(and Chase). Hartman had far too little to do, for how entertaining he could be(R.I.P.), though I suppose fully unleashing him would compromise the style of humor(not to mention overshadow Chevy). The music is great. The mystery is interesting, and the script isn't bad(though the man behind it doesn't seem to have worked since... hmmm...). I recommend this to fans of the character, the movie that came before this, and/or Chevy Chase(people who like what he does, not the... man himself). 6/10

Not good sequel

[RNMorton · 4/10 · 12 January 2003]

The original Fletch was kinda silly but fresh and different. This is old, not original and - if possible in something this tired - offensive. Fletch goes South to family homestead only to get tangled in local shenanigans. Nothing special from the supporting cast, no memorable lines, no reason to watch, and no explanation for the horde of Imdb reviewers that actually praise this movie.

Chevy Chase = Fletch

[StarDragyn · 9/10 · 13 June 2005]

What a sad world it is when people can sit back and gripe about "Fletch Lives". Tsk, tsk, tsk! First of all, how can anyone pick up a video with this sort of picture of Chevy Chase on the front and expect it to not be stupid--in the best possible sense! Indeed, I admit, the movie is stupid, but that is wholly what I love about it. Sure, if you want a more realistic mystery story, watch the first one. But for purely enjoying Chevy Chase's ridiculous antics, this one surpasses it. Though I can't imagine any other actor who could have pulled this script off and made it anything worthwhile! I generally end up watching this movie at least every few months and have yet to grow tired of it. And yet I have only recently added the first movie to my private collection.

Chevy Chase is one of the best out-and-out comedy actors available in my opinion. And you can't expect him to be serious in a movie that was intended to be anything but.

I think the best part about Chevy Chase as Fletch, is that he lives out those crazy ideas we sometimes get (such as convincing someone of invisible squealing bugs, simply telling someone their house is on fire, and marching into a corporation like you own the place), and he gets away with it when most of us don't dare in the first place. Perhaps the people who can't enjoy him simply don't get the same temptations, and therefore can't see why he appeals to those of us who have to repress the desire to introduce yourself as a famous sixteenth-century astrologer.

Reasonable

[safenoe · 6/10 · 26 January 2022]

I haven't seen Fletch but I did manage to catch Fletch Lives on VHS all those years ago, and it wasn't bad. It's hard to imagine Chevy Chase would enjoy a revival in his career over 20 years later with one of my favorite TV series of all time, Community.

I'd love for a Fletch reboot please.

A VERY inferior sequel - watchable , but nothing more

[Maziun · 5/10 · 7 November 2015]

I have to admit I hated this movie when I first saw it. After second viewing I realize I was too harsh for "Fletch lives". It ISN'T one of the crappiest sequels of all time. It's a rather lazy , uninspired , obligatory sequel to a hit movie , yet far from being truly terrible.

The 1985 "Fletch" movie was a hit and a really good movie in style of "Beverly Hills Cop" . It had Chase at is best as fast-talking quick witted reporter . It was funny movie with a solid , realistic detective story which was a quite faithful adaptation of the first book in the Fletch series by Gregory McDonald. A hit book series produces an original hit movie and there is enough material to use for new movie so the decision to make sequel seems logical , right ? It can't go wrong , right ?

WRONG. There were eight sequels and prequels written by Gregory McDonald that could have been used as the basis for the second "Fletch" movie at the time and yet Universal decided to write a completely new story. WHY ?! If something works ,don't fix it ! Also , why the original writer Andrew Bergman was replaced ? In the end "Fletch" and "Fletch lives" are like apple compared to orange - that different.

The mystery here is lame , rather predictable and silly stuff that could easily appear in Scooby Doo cartoon. Fletch moves to South and meets hillbillies, racists, and religious zealots . The movie is really just a string of stereotypes with a loose plot thrown in. The story is thin and the focus seems to have shifted to Fletch's disguises and gags rather than working on layers of mystery.

The other big problem here is that somehow Fletch is often irritating . He's very arrogant and doesn't seem to really like anyone .It is completely against the character we came to like in the first movie - he had big ego, sure , but he liked and helped other people. He was a charming character , here he is rather egoistic. The gags come way faster and more frequently in the original. The jokes sometimes are rather stupid and crude. Thankfully there are some good one liners here and there and funny situations (fat man healing scene). The music by Harold Faltermeyer is still fun with pretty cool new music theme that appears in the opening credits.

Chevy Chase carries this movie with his usual cynical wit and comedic timing. It's fun to watch him in various disguises . Good character actors like R. Lee Ermey ("Full metal jacket") , Randall "Tex" Cobb ("Raising Arizona") , Cleavon Little ("Blazzing saddles") offer decent support.

I give it 5/10. I can understand that some people really like this movie for being more crazy than original. If you don't get offended by the stereotypes (I wasn't) you might enjoy the obvious cartoonish style of "Fletch lives". I even somehow appreciate the fact that moviemakers tried a different approach here than in the original one. However in the end "Fletch lives" is a very shallow movie with no real intelligence or passion behind it. A "watch it and forget it the next day" type of movie. Shame that the Fletch series ended here, when Chase could easily have made a career starring in his own franchise for few next years. Oh , those stupid, arrogant Hollywood producers .They should have adapted another one of the books.

A bit of fun, but ham-acted by Chase

[canuckteach · 7/10 · 17 January 2022]

The FLETCH character was invented by an author who penned a series of decent books about the guy (see trivia for details), but Chase chose to have a new script penned. Too bad, since there were at least 8 other stories for Chevy to make, if he had simply taken the smart course (it's not like there were dozens of other film options waiting for him).

This one is just 'over-the-top'-and ended the Fletch character once and for all. Although funny in places, it is played in a ridiculous manner. To compare, the THIN MAN series in the 30's, 40's spawned 8 films and made William Powell, as the hard-boiled but suave private detective, a lot of money for himself AND the studio. Those stories could be whimsical, but the lead character (Nick, played by Powell) was endlessly watchable. Chevy's Fletch is like 5 helpings of cherry pie. You never want to see it again. 7/10.

Never saw the first movie

[Merkal · 6/10 · 6 March 2001]

This is one of those movies where you think if you seen one you saw them all. Their good to watch on T.V. when you don't want to do anything else but watch T.V. and laugh. I'm not going to lay out the plot again that has been done. If you're a fan of Disney movies you have too watch the Zipdie-do-da cameo with the animated bird and dog. There's another Disney reference later in when Fletch is in the office spying at the maquete of the new 'theme' park.

Amusing, but not funny

[Crowbot-2 · 26 March 2000]

This movie is amusing, but I can't believe someone would call this a laugh riot. Yes, I can watch it more than once... at two o'clock in the morning after my fourth cup of moca late and I have nothing better to do. Yes, this movie will keep you entertained, but in the end, it's what every movie historian fears the most, typical eighties humor.

Flesh Eating Termites Rule... EEEEEEEE!

[CharlestonNole · 7/10 · 12 September 2003]

Chevy Chase a master comedian. Er, well maybe not. But Fletch Lives has endeared itself too me because of its wild antics and crazy scenarios.

While not as good as the original, you still wouldn't want to miss this for: (POSSIBLE Spoilers): Flesh eating termite scene, the uproarious scum, scum, scum go back to where your from scene, and so much more. R. Lee Ermey steals every scene he is in as Rev. Farnsworth, oh be healed. And never forget Randall "Tex" Cobb as a well just watch it.

Big Fun, 7/10!

A good sequel...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 16 September 2022]

The 1989 comedy movie "Fletch Lives" is a nice sequel to the 1985 comedy movie "Fletch". And this 1989 sequel from writer Leon Capetanos and director Michael Ritchie does continue on in the spirit of the original movie and adds upon the character and the silly shenanigans.

For a sequel, then I will say that "Fletch Lives" is almost as good as the original "Fletch" movie.

The storyline in "Fletch Lives" is just as whacky and hilarious as it was back in "Fletch" in 1985, so writer Leon Capetanos definitely stepped up to the line and delivered a movie that is enjoyable, entertaining and most importantly funny.

"Fletch Lives" is filled with many wonderful and memorable characters, whom are brought to life mostly by the comedy talent of Chevy Chase.

This 1989 comedy has a great and memorable cast ensemble, with the likes of Chevy Chase, Hal Holbrook, Julianne Phillips, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Libertini, Randall 'Tex' Cobb, Geoffrey Lewis and others. They had put together a great cast ensemble to flesh out the character gallery in the movie. But of course this is a movie that is carried primarily by Chevy Chase and all of his crazy characters.

If you enjoy comedy, then "Fletch Lives" is definitely a movie to watch. Especially so, since it has that traditional and archetypical late 1980s vibe to it.

My rating of "Fletch Lives" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Forced comedy

[gridoon · 5/10 · 26 July 1999]

Forced, sometimes funny comedy. It contains more laughs than the original, but relies too much on the stupidity of the supporting characters to set up the jokes.I also found Chase's character too arrogant and often irritating.

Unnecessary but entertaining enough

[rivertam26 · 6/10 · 14 April 2020]

Not as good as the first but it's still an entertaining watch. Handsome Chevy Chase is charasmatic as ever as Fletch. This time around he inherits a mansion and a woman he meets turns up dead. There are more hits than misses joke wise but it all feels so by the numbers. It's definitely an unnecessary sequel which is sad because the original had some real franchise potential.

Budget:$8m Domestic Box Office: $35m Worldwide Box Office: $39m

3/5

Major disappointment. The typical inferior sequel which asks "Why did they bother"

[policy134 · 2/10 · 2 August 2005]

Fletch is at again. But this time the premise is extremely worn out and the wisecracks are very tired and sometimes downright stupid.

It started so promising. When Fletch finds out that he has inherited an estate in the deep south from an aunt he hardly knew, we get a wicked satire of "Song of the South", complete with animation and a singing Chevy. When the scenery changes from L.A. to Lousiana we get every southern stereotype known to man. The Klan is apparently back in action and tries to get Fletch to leave the estate which turns out to be not what it's cracked up to be. We also get southern beauties who present themselves with three names like "Amanda Ray Ross" and "Becky Ann Culpepper" and you just know that the first thing Fletch does is make a rather suggestive remark that the women find irresistible and they immediately jump in the sack with him. The "Amanda Ray" character is not so lively the next morning and looks sort of like she was in the deep freeze for the entire night. Can this be a comment on Fletch's abilities in the sack or is there foul play involved. If you think it is the second answer you are absolutely right.

So next we meet a lawyer who seems to wanna help Fletch (do they do that?) and we also meet a ranch hand who serves as Fletch's only friend among hostile citizens. An amusing, but not quite funny bit involves a TV evangelist played by the great R. Lee Ermey but he doesn't seem sleazy enough to generate much suspicion towards him so the real culprit must be the most unlikely. Have I given too much away? Doesn't matter. The plot is not why we go to see this movie but the laughs are not there this time. A shame since I was looking forward to seeing this. You can only hope that there won't be another sequel.

Ed Harley, Harley Davidson Motorcycle

[amck89 · 8/10 · 26 July 2007]

Another classic Chevy Chase film. This film is only just better than the previous movie. There are plenty of wise-cracks and smart remarks to keep you laughing. A must see for Chevy Chase fans and comedy fans in general. This film is very similar to the original. Irwin Fletcher has inherited a mansion from his Aunt who has passed away. Soon enough Fletch finds that his land is worth more than he expected, around lets say $250,000. Remember this is back in 1989 and that was a hell of a lot of money back then! Soon enough Fletch discovers that whoever wants his land, will not hesitate to rid him as well. I don't want to give away too much information, it will be better for you to discover it for yourself. Pros - Entertaining Story, many hilarious jokes, Chevy Chase. Cons - Last Fletch film starring Chevy Chase, not quite a satisfying ending for the two films Overall a must see and a guaranteed laugh. Heres a tip, invite a few mates over your place, order some pizza and you are set for a night of entertainment. Movies don't get much better than this.

Bitter/Bad Sequel

[skullislandsurferdotcom · 1/10 · 24 March 2011]

Fletch is back, and he's angry, irritable, and not funny. Too bad because the first FLETCH is Chevy Chase's best, and funniest, film.

Unlike the previous plot-line, which had interesting villains connected to a nifty Film Noir plot, this takes place down South where Fletch takes on hillbillies, racists, and religious zealots: all the same in Hollywood standards.

His disguises range from a white haired cleaning lady to a televangelist: all impossible to imagine anyone falling for.

And before moving South (where his dead aunt left him a decapitated yet sought-after mansion), Fletch crosses paths with his ex-wife's lawyer (George Wyner) and newspaper editor (Richard Libertini); and this time around his glib indifference is bitter and downright aggressive.

By far one of the crappiest sequels of all time.

Avoid at all cost, even if you liked the original

[heisenberg83 · 2/10 · 2 May 2011]

I absolutely love the original Fletch movie. Chevy is nonstop hilarious in it, and I like the hard boiled detective style.

Fletch Lives sucks.

Chevy seems tired and bored in it.

Also the character feels different. He is less warm and caring towards others. His reactions to some of the bad stuff happening around him is weird. In the first film he wants to do good and help everyone.

Nothing like his fast-talking quick witted character from the first movie. The gags come WAY faster and more frequently in the original. Something happened to Chevy from this movie onwards - he always seemed tired and less quick-fire from this movie onwards.

The original Fletch and Vacation were Chevy at his utter peak!