Fletch (1985)

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Wikidata Q1428153, film, IMDb tt0089155, TMDB 9749: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by the only film by that title; 3 more episodes agree.

What a model would be handed about it, for corpus:ask.

In the store as #526, Fletch (1985).

The Rewatchables' awards

From ‘Fletch’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan (2020-06-16):

Most rewatchable scene

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. pick Fletch fixing airplanes as the buck-toothed mechanic (ball bearings)
    “Next one, Fletch fixing airplanes with buck teeth.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:30:22
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. pick The interrogation with Chief Carlin ('I like to be manhandled')
    “I love the interrogation with Chief Carlin.”
    unknown · 0:36:17
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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.

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. pick Flip Gina Davis and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson: Bill: I would flip them.
    “So recasting catch.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:59:33
  6. 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
  7. 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.

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. nominee Kenneth Mars as Stanton Boyd
    “Kenneth Mars, I feel like, is on the list too.”
    unknown · 0:54:53
  5. 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
  6. 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.

  1. nominee Richard Libertini as Frank
    “It's a 2 man race between Richard Libertini and Joe Don Baker.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:56:45
  2. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. nominee Gina Davis as Larry
    “Gina Davis, George Went.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:57:32
  2. nominee Larry Flash Jenkins as George Wendt
    “Gina Davis, George Went.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:57:32
  3. nominee The autopsy guy
    “Um, the guy the guy in the autopsy.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:57:35
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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.

  1. pick Chevy Chase: Two apexes: SNL, then around 1985-86 when he reclaims A-list stardom.
    “Center live, clearly apex.”
    unknown · 1:02:22
  2. pick Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
    “For Chris, her apex has been going for 35 years.”
    unknown · 1:02:53
  3. pick Harold Faltermeyer
    “So I would say here, this leads to Top Gun.”
    unknown · 1:03:12
  4. 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
  5. pick Chick Hearn as Arnold J. Pants, Esquire
    “Fletch pushed it over the top.”
    unknown · 1:05:34
  6. pick Cans of Coors
    “My only other apex mountain here is cans of cores.”
    unknown · 1:05:59
  7. pick Investigative newspaper reporting
    “Apex Mountain for investigative reporting?”
    unknown · 1:06:10

Picking Nits · Nitpicks about a movie they love.

  1. pick Why was Gail Stanwick so bad at tennis?
    “Why was Gail Stenwick so bad at tennis?”
    unknown · 1:06:16
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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.

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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.

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

Who talked about it

The Big Picture

The Rewatchables

Came from

What the speakers say it drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Gregory McDonald: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. lineage (source material): Gregory McDonald ⇒ Fletch (the host's read). 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)

Led to

What the speakers say drew on it, marked the same way.

Confess, Fletch: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. unmapped (reboot): Fletch ⇒ Confess, Fletch (the host's read). Chris describes it as a riff on the long-promised Fletch franchise reboot, with Jon Hamm taking the role Chevy Chase made iconic.
    “Chevy Chase did an iconic turn as a Fletch character, a journalist come detective in Los Angeles.”
    The Big Picture · The 2022 Movie Draft · 1:08:48 · Chris Ryan (0.85 sure it was them)

Ryan Reynolds: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. theme (persona successor): Fletch ⇒ Ryan Reynolds (the host's read). 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)

Connected to

Beverly Hills Cop: 1 line industry ×1

  1. 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)

Caddyshack: 1 line theme ×1

  1. 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)

Confess, Fletch: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (reboot): Confess, Fletch → Fletch. Chris describes it as a riff on the long-promised Fletch franchise reboot, with Jon Hamm taking the role Chevy Chase made iconic.
    “Chevy Chase did an iconic turn as a Fletch character, a journalist come detective in Los Angeles.”
    The Big Picture · The 2022 Movie Draft · 1:08:48 · Chris Ryan (0.85 sure it was them)

Dana Wheeler-Nicholson: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): Dana Wheeler-Nicholson → Fletch. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson is the girl from Fletch.
    “That girl from Fletch, can I borrow a towel?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Tombstone’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:55:36 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

Gregory McDonald: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. 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)

Harold Faltermeyer: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (score echo): Harold Faltermeyer → Fletch. A speaker hears Fletch in the score as the drums come in.
    “We're in the height of Miami Vice.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:40:00 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)

Joe Don Baker: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. 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)

Kevin Smith: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. 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)

Larry 'Flash' Jenkins: 1 line people ×1

  1. people (that guy filmography): Larry 'Flash' Jenkins → Fletch. The other parking attendant was in Fletch and The White Shadow season 3.
    “Larry Flash Jenkins, who is in Fletch, and is in season 3 of The White Shadow”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:03:42 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)

Lorne Michaels: 1 line career ×1

  1. 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)

Michael Douglas: 1 line people ×1

  1. 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)

Raymond Chandler: 1 line theme ×1

  1. 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)

Ryan Reynolds: 1 line theme ×1

  1. 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)

The Godfather: 1 line theme ×1

  1. 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)

The Pink Panther: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. 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)

The Saint: 1 line theme ×1

  1. 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)

Vince Vaughn: 1 line what-if ×1

  1. 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)

Where it came up

What was said about it, by kind

career (2)

  1. 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)
  2. career (career): Dana Wheeler-Nicholson → Fletch. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson is the girl from Fletch.
    “That girl from Fletch, can I borrow a towel?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Tombstone’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:55:36 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

craft (1)

  1. craft (score echo): Harold Faltermeyer → Fletch. A speaker hears Fletch in the score as the drums come in.
    “We're in the height of Miami Vice.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:40:00 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)

industry (1)

  1. 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)

lineage (2)

  1. 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)
  2. 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 (2)

  1. 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)
  2. people (that guy filmography): Larry 'Flash' Jenkins → Fletch. The other parking attendant was in Fletch and The White Shadow season 3.
    “Larry Flash Jenkins, who is in Fletch, and is in season 3 of The White Shadow”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:03:42 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)

theme (5)

  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. 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)
  4. 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)
  5. 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)

unmapped (3)

  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. unmapped (reboot): Confess, Fletch → Fletch. Chris describes it as a riff on the long-promised Fletch franchise reboot, with Jon Hamm taking the role Chevy Chase made iconic.
    “Chevy Chase did an iconic turn as a Fletch character, a journalist come detective in Los Angeles.”
    The Big Picture · The 2022 Movie Draft · 1:08:48 · Chris Ryan (0.85 sure it was them)

what-if (1)

  1. 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 about it

  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. 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)
  4. 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)
  5. 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)
  6. 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)
  7. 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)
  8. 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)
  9. 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)
  10. 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)

Who the speakers said made it

As said on the shows, not checked against the real credits.