The Rewatchables: ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan

Published 2020-06-16; 1:17:35 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “The Rewatchables (The Ringer)” and the episode “'Fletch' With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan”.

Hosts: Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan. Guests: none.

Subject films: Fletch (1985).

On the transcript: The Rewatchables format here has no Double Feature segment in the transcript, and the transcript ends before the hosts name one; recurring categories captured: most rewatchable scenes, what's aged best/worst, casting what-ifs, that-guy awards, recasting couch, pick nits, Apex Mountain, who won the movie. First 45 seconds are an ad (skipped).

Added from the extractor's memory, not said

Added Elizabeth Shue as the full name for 'Elizabeth Shu' (name expansion).
Added full names Joel McHale, William Traylor, Alison La Placa, M. Emmet Walsh, Kenneth Mars where transcript gave partial or garbled names.
Film years for films not stated were left out; the Chandler/Faulkner Big Sleep entry is only the Big Sleep story told on the show.

Awards and segments (67)

Most rewatchable scene

pick Fletch's physical with Dr. Dolan ('You used the whole fist, Doc')
“It's funny that there's not really a rewatchable scene for about 20 minutes and then Fletch goes to get a physical.”
Bill Simmons · 0:29:05
pick The Lakers dream sequence with Chick Hearn and Kareem
“the Lakers dream sequence is so goddamn enjoyable with Chick Kern, Kareem.”
Bill Simmons · 0:30:10
pick Fletch fixing airplanes as the buck-toothed mechanic (ball bearings)
“Next one, Fletch fixing airplanes with buck teeth.”
Bill Simmons · 0:30:22
pick The second tennis club visit: caviar twice, Dom Perignon, the towel, Mr. Underhill getting the bill
“The 2nd tennis club visit, which includes him ordering caviar twice.”
Bill Simmons · 0:31:22
pick Fletch steals the Alfa Romeo from the kid, then the Fred Dorfman lunch speech
“Next rewatchable scene, Fletch steals the kids off Romeo.”
Bill Simmons · 0:32:55
pick The ending on the beach with Gail, charging the vacation to Mr. Underhill's American Express
“I really like how it ended.”
Bill Simmons · 0:34:08
pick The Dr. Rosen Penis autopsy scene
“I broke mine down into Mr. Barbar, Dr. Rosen Penis, John Cocktoles, and Mr. Poon, and Igor Stravinsky.”
Chris Ryan · 0:34:36
pick The Mr. Poon scene with the SEC and Mr. Boyd getting in his face
“Um, I, you know, just the entire Mr. Poon scene, uh, with the SEC and him talking about Hammerhand, as you mentioned, and, uh, Mr. Boyd getting really up, up in his face, and, uh, I also had,”
Chris Ryan · 0:35:48
pick The motel in Utah where Fletch does different voices (Igor Stravinsky) for the desk clerk
“Yeah, I actually I actually liked like all the moments of him in the motel in Utah where he's just doing the different voices and the woman running the desk just keeps looking over at him.”
Chris Ryan · 0:36:02
pick The interrogation with Chief Carlin ('I like to be manhandled')
“I love the interrogation with Chief Carlin.”
unknown · 0:36:17
pick Fletch as the airplane mechanic
“I think my favorite, my favorite character that he plays is the, uh, the airplane uh, mechanic.”
unknown · 0:37:03
pick Dr. Dolan and Mr. Babar (one B)
“Definitely, uh, Dr. Dolan and Babar, 2 B's, one B, B, B, B, B.”
Sean Fennessey · 0:37:40
pick Dr. Rosen Rosen: every doctor is named Rosen on the way to the records room
“There's a really subtle one, though, when it leads to Dr. Rosa Penis, when he looks at the director and every doctor as Rosen.”
Sean Fennessey · 0:38:01

Ebert review · Bill reads Roger Ebert's review of Fletch; the hosts push back on it.

pick Fletch: Bill reads Ebert's review: 2.5 stars. Ebert says Chase's inflexible mask of cool detachment keeps us from identifying with him; the hosts think he missed the point.
“The problem is Chase's performance tends to reduce all the scenes to the same level.”
Bill Simmons · 0:27:32

What's aged the best · What about Fletch holds up best, as the hosts frame it.

pick Tim Matheson as Alan Stanwick, the villain, and the Animal House symmetry: Chevy Chase was supposed to be in Animal House and they wrote Otter for him; here Matheson plays the guy who looks like Chase.
“So Tim Matheson is cast as the villain, Alan Stanwick, who is trying to get Fletch in there so he can eventually murder Fletch and burn his body.”
Sean Fennessey · 0:38:18
pick William Traylor as Mr. Underhill: He rips the waiter to shreds, then the $400 bill: Jesus H. Christ.
“Two scenes.”
Sean Fennessey · 0:39:09
pick Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's IMDb page (Game of Death, Airplane, Fletch): Argues he has the oddest, best-looking IMDb run among athlete actors.
“Kareem's IMDb.”
Sean Fennessey · 0:39:43
pick The secretary: 'I'm Frida's boss. Who's Frida? My secretary.'
“The secretary going, I'm sorry, who are you again?”
unknown · 0:41:22
pick Harold Faltermeyer's score: Amazing 80s synth score, with a Thomas Dolby influence; Beverly Hills Cop sits right next to it.
“Music by Harold Faltimeyer.”
Bill Simmons · 0:42:50
pick Fletch's bachelor-pad apartment with the life-size Magic Johnson poster and basketball hoop: The perfect bachelor pad: sports stuff on the walls, still has a college sensibility.
“Yeah, I want to give a special shout out to Fletcher's apartment.”
unknown · 0:44:19
pick Fletch's faded purple Lakers jersey: The Lakers beat the Celtics in the 1985 finals; Bill recants his liking of the movie's Lakers fandom as a Celtics fan.
“I just really like his Lakers jersey in this, just that old school 80s.”
Bill Simmons · 0:44:54
pick Michael Ritchie, director: Points to his run: Downhill Racer, Bad News Bears, Semi-Tough, Fletch, Wildcats.
“This is the this is the all-time best sports movie director ever.”
Sean Fennessey · 0:45:59

What's aged the worst · What about Fletch has not held up, as the hosts frame it.

pick Alan Stanwick's plan to have Fletch shoot him and then burn Fletch's body: Makes little sense; a mid-70s idea that fails by 1985 with DNA and dental evidence.
“Alan Stanwick's plan.”
unknown · 0:47:01
pick Stephanie Mills, 'Bit by Bit,' over the opening/closing credits: Just let Faltermeyer cook; the song audibles into the credits.
“I, you know what? I don't like the Stephanie Mills bit by bit at the beginning.”
unknown · 0:48:00
pick Producer Craig's dislike of Fletch (dad jokes): A running joke about the producer on the Zoom, who isn't a fan.
“Craig's age. Craig's age the worst for his take of not liking Fletch.”
unknown · 0:48:36
pick Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Gail Stanwick: Bill likes her but says she is not a great actress in this; Chris defends her as the greatest hang of all time, Sean sides with Bill.
“I have a mild, what stage the worst.”
Bill Simmons · 0:50:03
pick Sally Ann Kavanaugh: Wants a Gail Stanwick versus Sally Ann Kavanaugh face-off; loves the airline counter scene.
“I would say, here's one of my what's age the worst is we don't get enough time getting to know Sally and Kavanaugh.”
unknown · 0:51:47

Worst clothes · Chevy Chase's wardrobe, folded into aged-worst talk.

pick Fletch's police-chief-scene outfit: wide-bottom jeans and a linen shirt with three buttons open: Terrible clothes that he somehow wears well, like Eddie Murphy; he looks amazing in Tim Matheson's suit.
“He looks like a clown.”
unknown · 0:49:15

Casting what ifs (and the recasting couch) · Who else might have played Fletch or other roles, and recasts.

pick Ryan Gosling as Fletch (a 2020 version): Maybe too pretty but he nails the smart-assery, and his talk-show humor is close to Chase's.
“I think I would probably do Gosling.”
Chris Ryan · 0:24:08
pick Burt Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Mick Jagger and Barry Bostwick, considered for Fletch as Fletch: The author rejected Burt Reynolds and Mick Jagger.
“Burt Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Charles Groder, Mick Jagger, and Barry Bostwick were among those considered to play Fletch.”
Bill Simmons · 0:52:31
pick Richard Dreyfuss as Fletch
“Jonathan Burrows originally wanted Richard Dreyfus after Chevy Chase, who was this high school classmate, his managers rejected the part.”
Bill Simmons · 0:52:54
pick Flip Gina Davis and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson: Sean says the movie is better if the two actresses swap roles; Bill would flip them too.
“Yes.”
Sean Fennessey · 0:58:37
pick Flip Gina Davis and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson: Bill: I would flip them.
“So recasting catch.”
Bill Simmons · 0:59:33
pick Jason Lee as Fletch (Kevin Smith's remake)
“I thought Jason Lee was one of the last guys who did that archetype that we're talking about”
unknown · 1:15:30
pick Vince Vaughn as Fletch
“But Vince Vaughn as Fletch, I think could have made it.”
unknown · 1:16:00

Joey Pants Award · Best 'that guy' in the movie.

winner Richard Libertini as Frank, the newspaper editor
“Uh, let's give Richard Libertini, the that guy award, because he's just that guy from this movie.”
Bill Simmons · 0:56:35
nominee Larry Flash Jenkins as George Wendt
“Larry Flash Jenkins is George Went, the other guy, gummy, sort of drug addict.”
Bill Simmons · 0:54:02
winner Emmett Walsh as the doctor who gives Fletch the physical: Sean, who has the White Shadow DVD behind him, goes with him.
“Emmett Walsh, she's one of the all-time great that guys.”
Sean Fennessey · 0:54:47
nominee Kenneth Mars as Stanton Boyd
“Kenneth Mars, I feel like, is on the list too.”
unknown · 0:54:53
nominee Alison La Placa
“Alison LaPlaca as the person, she's the woman working at the airline at the airline desk.”
Bill Simmons · 0:55:12
nominee Joe Don Baker as Chief Karlin: The hosts agree he is a that guy to the three of them.
“Is Joe Don Baker Joe Don Baker?”
Bill Simmons · 0:55:22

Vincent Hanna Award · Best overacting.

nominee Richard Libertini as Frank
“It's a 2 man race between Richard Libertini and Joe Don Baker.”
Bill Simmons · 0:56:45
winner Joe Don Baker as Chief Karlin: Plays it like a 1970s exploitation movie.
“Joe Don, I don't know what movie he's in, but it's not the movie that we're watching.”
unknown · 0:57:02

Brandy Booth Award · Best performance by a pet.

winner The Doberman guard dog: Great jump through the window; 6 out of 10.
“The Brandy Booth Award for best performance by a pet, the Doberman guard dog.”
Bill Simmons · 0:57:20

Dion Waiters Award · Small role, big impact.

nominee Gina Davis as Larry
“Gina Davis, George Went.”
Bill Simmons · 0:57:32
nominee Larry Flash Jenkins as George Wendt
“Gina Davis, George Went.”
Bill Simmons · 0:57:32
nominee The autopsy guy
“Um, the guy the guy in the autopsy.”
Bill Simmons · 0:57:35
nominee Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Gail Stanwick: Only in 4 scenes.
“And I gotta say, Dana Wheeler Nicholson is eligible.”
Bill Simmons · 0:57:43
winner Geena Davis as Larry
“I'm giving it to I'm giving it to Gina because I find her to be just a delight in this movie.”
unknown · 0:57:47
winner William Traylor as Mr. Underhill: Another host goes Underhill over Larry; charge it to the Underhills has become a thing.
“Yeah, Mr. Underhill does bring the heat.”
unknown · 0:58:16

Apex Mountain · Where a person's career or peak sits relative to Fletch.

pick Chevy Chase: Two apexes: SNL, then around 1985-86 when he reclaims A-list stardom.
“Center live, clearly apex.”
unknown · 1:02:22
pick Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
“For Chris, her apex has been going for 35 years.”
unknown · 1:02:53
pick Harold Faltermeyer
“So I would say here, this leads to Top Gun.”
unknown · 1:03:12
pick Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Another host argues 1980 is the real apex.
“I think this year, and this era is maybe his apex.”
unknown · 1:04:21
pick Chick Hearn as Arnold J. Pants, Esquire
“Fletch pushed it over the top.”
unknown · 1:05:34
pick Cans of Coors
“My only other apex mountain here is cans of cores.”
unknown · 1:05:59
pick Investigative newspaper reporting
“Apex Mountain for investigative reporting?”
unknown · 1:06:10

Picking Nits · Nitpicks about a movie they love.

pick Why was Gail Stanwick so bad at tennis?
“Why was Gail Stenwick so bad at tennis?”
unknown · 1:06:16
pick Mrs. Stanwick seeming completely unfazed when Fletch told her everything
“Um, and then Mrs. Stanwick seeming completely on phase when Fletch told her everything.”
unknown · 1:07:26
pick Fletch, an LA sports fan, punching Tommy Lasorda pictures
“No, it's mostly the Dodgers thing that anybody obsessed with the Lakers like that wouldn't be punching pictures of Tommy Lasorda”
unknown · 1:07:34
pick Alan Stanwick's plan is not bulletproof
“I, I could take some issues with um, with Alan Stanwick's plan.”
unknown · 1:07:43
pick A big LA Times photo of a second marriage that nobody noticed
“I also want to know how somebody has a 2nd marriage that's covered extensively in the LA Times”
unknown · 1:08:08

Unanswered questions · Open questions the movie leaves.

pick What is the correct spelling of John Cocktoston?: Bill has struggled with it in his column; IMDb says one thing, the hosts argue.
“What is the correct spelling of John cocktail stone?”
Bill Simmons · 1:08:35
pick Did Fletch retire from the LA Times at the end?
“Did you think Fletch actually retired from the LA Times at the end of this movie?”
unknown · 1:09:28
pick Did Fletch Lives happen?: The hosts say it was a letdown; the series should have been like Pink Panther.
“Did Fletch 2 happen?”
unknown · 1:09:37

Who won the movie · Who came out ahead in the movie.

winner Chevy Chase as Fletch
“Chevy Chase is the obvious answer.”
unknown · 1:10:39
nominee Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Gail Stanwick
“And Dana Wheeler Nickerson's second.”
unknown · 1:10:43

Films that came up

Claims (43)

theme (persona aspiration): Chevy Chase → Cary Grant. Early on Chase seemed to think he was Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart in lighthearted mystery and mix-up movies, a miscasting of himself.
“It kind of seems like he thinks he's like Carrie Grant or Jimmy Stewart”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:04:57 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
theme (character echo): Fletch → Caddyshack. Fletch is essentially Ty Webb, though Webb is richer and a side character while Fletch is in every shot.
“Fletch's basically Thai Webb?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:07:28 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (precursor): Seems Like Old Times → The Rom-com era of the 90s. Seems Like Old Times has held up as an early version of the 90s rom-com.
“I think seems like old times has held up in a lot of ways as kind of the precursor to the rom-com era that comes in the 90s”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:08:06 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (influence): Vacation (National Lampoon's) → Appatow-era comedies. Vacation is called the father of later Apatow and Todd Phillips comedies.
“I think is directly the, like the father of some of the appatau era comedies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:09:26 · Bill Simmons (0.40 sure it was them)
theme (genre revival): Deal of the Century → War Dogs. Deal of the Century and Best Defense killed the arms-dealer comedy until War Dogs brought it back.
“that movie and best defense quickly ended the arms dealer comedy genre that it was for some reason developing, just ended.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:10:20 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
career (chain: SNL comeback): Fletch → Lorne Michaels. Chase's mid-80s comeback with Three Amigos reunited him with Lorne Michaels and Spies Like Us with Dan Aykroyd.
“The 3 amigos get some back with Lorne Michaels, which is huge.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:10:54 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
what-if (career what-if): Chevy Chase → Johnny Carson. A sideways comment about not wanting a nightly TV job and Carson's jab back may have cost Chase the Tonight Show path; a Carson clip shows tension between them.
“you can sense that Johnny just thinks that Chevy Chase is an asshole”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:13:43 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career parallel): Chevy Chase → Bill Murray. Chase and Murray were the 70s guys who navigated into the Letterman sarcasm era; Chase was neck and neck with Murray in the mid 80s.
“I think him and Bo Murray specifically were able to navigate what came next with the Letterman era, the sarcasm era, basically.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:20:47 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (archetype successor): Pete Davidson → Chevy Chase. Davidson in his Staten Island movie plays the 2020 version of the wisecracking, can't-be-serious Chase archetype.
“He's basically doing 2020 Chevy Chase in a lot of ways in that movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:22:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (failed remake): Fletch → Kevin Smith. Kevin Smith spent years trying to remake Fletch with Jason Lee; Weinstein said Lee was not a big enough name, Affleck entered, then Bill Lawrence, and it died.
“Harvey Weinstein's like he's not a big enough name.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:23:15 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (imitation): Joel McHale → Chevy Chase. Among people trying to do Chevy on TV, McHale on Community does Chase opposite Chase himself.
“Joel McCale is doing Chevy Chase in community with Chevy Chase in the show.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:23:51 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): Ryan Gosling → Chevy Chase. Chris would cast Gosling as 2020 Fletch because his talk-show humor is close to Chase's.
“he's actually way closer to like Chevy Chase's sense of humor in his talk show appearances than he is in the movies that he's in.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:24:13 · Chris Ryan (0.80 sure it was them)
theme (persona parallel): Michael Keaton → Night Shift. Keaton was the other 80s wiseass; in Night Shift he is a cocky shithead, and Night Shift is a forgotten movie like Seems Like Old Times.
“But I'm saying like when he, like he's in night shift, that guy's just like a cocky shithead, basically.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:24:38 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (source material): Fletch → Gregory McDonald. Fletch adapts the McDonald novels; the noir voiceover feels like the book, the ad-libbed scenes deviate.
“So it's a Gregory McDonald novel”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:25:35 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
people (producer rescue): Michael Douglas → Fletch. After eight years of studio rejection, Michael Douglas got it over the finish line as producer.
“Michael Douglas. Was the one who got it over the finish line as a producer”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:26:11 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
unmapped (critic split): Gene Siskel → Roger Ebert. Siskel understood Chase's detached persona was the point of Fletch; Ebert gave 2.5 stars and wanted a character to invest in.
“Siskel nailed it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:28:14 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
unmapped (mocked expectation): Roger Ebert → The Killing Fields. Mock-Ebert asks why Fletch is not like serious dramas such as The Killing Fields or Chariots of Fire.
“Why isn't this like the killing field?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:28:53 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
people (casting symmetry): Tim Matheson → Animal House. Otter was written for Chase, so Matheson's Animal House turn is a Chase impression; in Fletch Matheson hunts a lookalike to kill.
“So then when you watch Animal House, Tim Matheson is just doing a Chevy Chase impersonation, it's not actually Chevy Chase.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:38:49 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
career (filmography): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar → Airplane!. Kareem's IMDb run: Game of Death, Airplane, and Fletch; later Mighty Ducks D2.
“which inexplicably has that Bruce Lee movie, Airplane, and Fletch.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:39:45 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
people (athlete-actor contender): Jim Brown → The Dirty Dozen. Brown offered as most successful athlete-actor: Mars Attacks, Any Given Sunday, Running Man, Dirty Dozen.
“Dirty dozen was like an actual real role in a great movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:40:49 · Bill Simmons (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (sonic influence): Harold Faltermeyer → Thomas Dolby. Faltermeyer's Fletch score starts one way then shows Thomas Dolby influence.
“You can hear the Thomas Dolby influence.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:43:18 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (marketing context): Fletch → Beverly Hills Cop. Once Beverly Hills Cop hit, Fletch could be sold as an action comedy with Faltermeyer music and two action sequences.
“as soon as Beverly Hills cop hit, this movie made a lot more sense because you could put 2 big action sequences in it”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:43:48 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
people (director filmography): Michael Ritchie → Downhill Racer. Ritchie is called the best sports-movie director ever on the strength of Downhill Racer, Bad News Bears, Semi-Tough, Wildcats and Diggstown.
“This is the this is the all-time best sports movie director ever.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:45:59 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
programming (recommendation): Michael Ritchie → The Candidate. Another Ritchie film, rewatched and still great, streaming everywhere.
“I watched a candidate 2 months ago and it's still great.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:46:51 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (noir plotting): Fletch → Raymond Chandler. Alan Stanwick's incoherent plan is Raymond Chandler style; Faulkner famously could not get the plot of The Big Sleep out of Chandler.
“It's very Raymond Chandler”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:47:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Harold Faltermeyer → Stephanie Mills. Speaker prefers Faltermeyer's score to the Stephanie Mills theme song 'Bit by Bit' that opens Fletch.
“I don't like the Stephanie Mills bit by bit at the beginning.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:48:01 · Sean Fennessey (0.35 sure it was them)
unmapped (wardrobe knack): Chevy Chase → Eddie Murphy. Both could wear terrible 80s clothes and look cool, Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop, Chase in Fletch.
“him and Eddie Murphy had a real knack for being able to wear absolute dog shit clothes and make them look really cool.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:49:27 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (recast what-if): Dana Wheeler-Nicholson → Elizabeth Shue. Sean says casting Elizabeth Shue or Sharon Stone as Gail Stanwick would make Fletch a thousand times better.
“if you just put Elizabeth Shu or Sharon Stone in this movie, it's a 1000 times better.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:51:37 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (career origin): Joe Don Baker → Walking Tall. Baker is recognized by people 35 and over from Walking Tall, and later roasted in the MST3K episode Mitchell.
“Yeah, walking tall was kind of a borderline phenomenon when it came out.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:55:42 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (mocked on MST3K): Joe Don Baker → Mitchell (the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode). Bill's favorite MST3K episode, Mitchell, mocks Baker's heavy breathing.
“They do Mitchell, and it was my favorite one out of all of them.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:56:24 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (tonal mismatch): Joe Don Baker → Fletch. Baker plays Chief Carlin as a 1970s exploitation movie villain, apparently unaware it is a comedy.
“he's playing it as like a 1970s exploitation movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:57:08 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (recast what-if): Geena Davis → Dana Wheeler-Nicholson. The hosts say Fletch improves if Davis and Wheeler-Nicholson swap parts.
“Is this a better movie if they just flip Gina Davis and Dana Wheeler Nicholson?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:58:33 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
people (typecasting): Dana Wheeler-Nicholson → The Fly. Six-foot Wheeler-Nicholson was always cast opposite tall leading men such as Goldblum in The Fly.
“She always played against really tall leading men, you know, like opposite Goldbloom and the fly.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:59:05 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (future Rewatchables pick): Geena Davis → A League of Their Own. Davis in A League of Their Own is where she marshals her power; a possible future episode.
“I think a league of their own.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:59:25 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (shared location): Fletch → The Godfather. Alan Stanwick's house is the same house as the horse-head scene in The Godfather.
“The godfather, when Jack Waltz finds the horse head in his bed”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:00:32 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
people (composer trajectory): Harold Faltermeyer → Top Gun. Faltermeyer scored Beverly Hills Cop then Fletch; the sky is the limit after, literally with Top Gun.
“So he's got cop and then this movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:03:04 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (what a sequel could be): Beverly Hills Cop II → Fletch Lives. Chris cites Beverly Hills Cop 2 as a sequel better than its original; Fletch Lives joins 48 Hrs 2, Godfather 3 and Caddy Shack 2 as disappointing late-80s sequels.
“a really good example is Beverly Hills Cop 2, which is better than Beverly Hills Cop one.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:11:17 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (series model): Fletch → The Pink Panther. Fletch should have become a Pink Panther style detective series with a new case each time rather than a coherent saga.
“It's the Pink Panther.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:11:29 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
theme (disguise motif): The Saint → Fletch. Both Fletch and The Saint are movies where the lead loves disguises.
“That's a thing we're learning. Based on this movie and the Saint.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:13:17 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (Noyce quality gap): The Saint → Sliver. Hosts joke the two best Noyce films are The Saint and Sliver; Sean says Sliver is bad.
“Sliver is bad.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:13:53 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
people (director filmography): Philip Noyce → Clear and Present Danger. Noyce directed The Saint, Sliver and Clear and Present Danger; Bill wants to rewatch Clear and Present Danger.
“I'd love to do clear and present danger on this podcast.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:13:57 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (persona successor): Ryan Reynolds → Fletch. Reynolds stole the Chevy Chase playbook; Deadpool is Fletch.
“Deadpool is Fletch.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:15:11 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (casting what-if): Vince Vaughn → Fletch. Vaughn, a tall motor-mouth, could have made a parody-ish Fletch.
“But Vince Vaughn as Fletch, I think could have made it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:16:00 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Fun items (25)

fun, about Chevy Chase: Chase nearly died during Modern Problems when airplane landing lights on his costume malfunctioned and passed an electric current through his arm, back and neck.
“An electric current passes through his arm back and neck muscles and he almost dies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:08:55 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Lorne Michaels: Michaels's drug advice recalled in a Chase oral history: rotate them, and coke is God's way of telling you that you have too much money.
“Lauren used to say that coke was God's way of telling you that you have too much money.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:19:46 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: Fletch runs an hour 37, almost the perfect length for cable with commercials, and there are no bad scenes in the movie.
“It's almost like they made the absolute perfect length of a movie to have commercials.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:22:52 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: Producer rights were bought July 1976, every studio passed for 8 years, then Michael Douglas pushed it through; $8M budget, $59M gross, $24.4M in video rentals.
“Uh, $8000000 budget, made 59000000 bucks.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:26:21 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch / Roger Ebert: Ebert gave Fletch 2.5 stars saying Chase's detached mask prevents identification; hosts mock him, saying Siskel got it and Ebert wanted a drama.
“Fletch needed an actor more interested in playing the character than in playing himself.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:27:49 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: Scene: Fletch at the physical, the doctor snaps on a glove and Fletch asks if he used the whole fist, Doc; Bill's son stayed stone-faced.
“You used the whole fist, Doc.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:29:53 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: Rewatchable scene: Fletch as the buck-toothed airplane mechanic demanding a set of 30 weight ball bearings; Chris's favorite character.
“It's all ball bearings these days.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:30:57 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: The second tennis club visit: Fletch orders caviar twice and champagne to Cabana One on Underhill's tab; Sean's single favorite 6 minutes.
“Bring two bottles of, uh, Dom Perignon to Cabana One.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:31:40 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: Fletch steals the Alfa Romeo, fakes a Smart Patrol emissions stop, then crashes Fred Dorfman's luncheon and gives a speech; probably Chase's best 90 seconds.
“Probably Chase's best 90 seconds of the movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:33:24 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: The ending: Fletch on the beach charges the entire vacation to Mr. Underhill's American Express card; movie ends on it.
“By the way, I changed the entire I charge the entire vacation to Mr. Underhill's American Express card, want the number.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:34:18 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: Chris notes the autopsy scene with the camera tight on the doctor's face, and the Rosen, Rosen, Rosen doctor gag; Sean loves Dr. Dolan and the Babar spelling bit.
“Boy, you never get used to the smell, do you?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:35:11 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: The full list of Fletch's pseudonyms, from Ted Nugent to Harry S. Truman.
“Fletch, Fletch, Ted Nugent, Arnold Babar, Dr. Rosen Penis, Dr. Rosenbosen, John Cocktail Stone, Mr. Poon, Igor Stravinsky, Gordon Liddy, John Levinstein, Donc Corleone, and Harry S. Truman.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:41:39 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (what's aged best): Fletch's apartment: life-size poster and hoop on the wall; the perfect divorced-guy bachelor pad.
“The perfect bachelor pad.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:44:29 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (what's aged worst): Alan Stanwick's plan is ridiculous: scout a lookalike, have him shoot you, kill and burn him, with no DNA or dental checking.
“there's no such thing as DNA or dental evidence yet.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:47:20 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (what's aged worst): Producer Craig, who joined the Zoom, doesn't like Fletch and calls the jokes dad jokes; hosts call it the most tension ever on the show.
“The biggest the most tension we've ever had on a rewatchables.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:48:43 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (casting what-ifs): Considered for Fletch: Burt Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Mick Jagger, Barry Bostwick; the author rejected Reynolds and Jagger; the producer first wanted Richard Dreyfuss, whom Chris imitated.
“The author had rejection rights.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:52:38 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Joe Don Baker: Joe Don Baker is the Joey Pants award for best That Guy; hosts debate overacting between Baker and Libertini.
“Joe Don, I don't know what movie he's in, but it's not the movie that we're watching.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:57:02 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (Brandy Booth award): Best performance by a pet: the Doberman guard dog that jumps through the window; scored 6 out of 10.
“The Brandy Booth Award for best performance by a pet, the Doberman guard dog.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:57:20 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (cut scenes): Original posters showed Fletch as a hockey player; a cut fantasy had him pitching in the World Series until Lasorda pulls him, explaining his later grudge against Lasorda.
“There's another fantasy moment that was cut where he pitches in the World Series and Lasorda pulls him from the game.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:01:14 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (Apex Mountain): Apex Mountain: Chevy's apex is SNL or the 85-86 comeback; Harold Faltermeyer's is Beverly Hills Cop into this into Top Gun; Kareem's is 1980 or 1985.
“Kareem Abdul Jabbar.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:03:15 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch: Lakers jersey, the Magic-Bird poster in the apartment, and the faded purple; Fletch jersey became a thing people wore; Chick Hearn's street named maybe because of Fletch.
“Fletch pushed it over the top.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:05:34 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (pick nits): Why was Gail Stanwick so bad at tennis, and why would an LA sports fan punch Lasorda pictures in glass frames.
“Why was Gail Stenwick so bad at tennis?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:06:18 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (alias spelling): Hosts argue whether John Cocktoston has a C or a K; IMDb says Cocktoston and all three claim dyslexia.
“What is the correct spelling of John cocktail stone?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:08:35 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Fletch (who won the movie): Chevy Chase wins the movie, with Dana Wheeler-Nicholson second.
“Chevy Chase is the obvious answer.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:10:39 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Val Kilmer / The Saint: Bill's love of The Saint (budget 70M, grossed 169.4M, great Moby/Chemical Brothers soundtrack) becomes a running joke ending with power rankings of who cares.
“Number one, obviously Val Kilmer.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:12:50 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Bill Simmons (host): Loves 80s cable comedies that wear you down on rewatch, Lakers lore, and character-actor trivia. Defends The Saint and Val Kilmer against everyone. Can't stand misses of what a movie is trying to be; a sucker for sports detail and Mystery Science Theater.
Sean Fennessey (host): Critic-minded and history-minded: loves the real SNL oral histories, Siskel, Ritchie and Chandler-style noir. Cannot stand weak acting, especially Dana Wheeler-Nicholson here, and defends Siskel over Ebert. A sucker for HBO Max old movies.
Chris Ryan (host): Loves Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Gail Stanwick, Ryan Gosling's smart-assery, and wiseass movie stars with a whole aura. Doesn't like Fletch Lives and thinks the franchise squandered its chance as a series. Sucker for the Pink Panther model and Joel McHale-style imitators.

The show's recurring bits

Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.

Names the transcriber got wrong

Shot Fantasy / Sean Fantasy = Sean Fennessey
Carrie Grant = Cary Grant
Thai Webb = Ty Webb
appatau = Apatow
Michael Richie = Michael Ritchie
Dickstown = Diggstown
Faltimeyer = Harold Faltermeyer
Dana Wheeler Nicholson/Nickerson/DWN = Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
Gina Davis = Geena Davis
Alpha Romeo = Alfa Romeo
Jim Varney (Jim Barney/Vardney) correct; market corrected = Mark Corrected? unclear
Jack Waltz = Jack Woltz
Raj/Rog = Roger Ebert
Cisco = Gene Siskel
John Cocktail Stone/cocktailstoy = John Cocktoston
Philip Noise = Phillip Noyce
Tom and the Sword = Tommy Lasorda
Larry Flash Jenkins is correct
Vudu rendered as Voodoo
Dion waiters used as a basketball-stat joke
Hammerhand = Hammer hand, a line from the movie intro