Film / Confess, Fletch

"I was an investigative reporter of some repute."

Monroe: I looked into your criminal record: bad check charge, two contempt of court charges, a number of non-payment of alimony charges. [...] You're a bit of a shady character, Mr. Fletcher.
Fletch: But I am adorable.

Confess, Fletch is a 2022 comedy-mystery film directed by Greg Mottola and based on the novel by Gregory Mcdonald. It's a soft reboot of the Fletch film series.

Irwin Maurice Fletchter (Jon Hamm), better known to his friends as "Fletch", has barely arrived in Boston when he discovers a murdered woman in his rented townhouse, and Detective Inspector Monroe (Roy Wood Jr) is determined to prove that Fletch is the killer. This makes things complicated for Fletch, who is in town at the behest of his girlfriend Angela de Grassi (Lorenza Izzo) to track down a fortune's worth of paintings that were stolen from her father, an Italian count who has been kidnapped. Also in the mix is Angela's vampy stepmother "the Contessa" (Marcia Gay Harden), eccentric art broker Ronald Horan (Kyle MacLachlan), and Fletch's former editor Frank (John Slattery).

Despite being a Box Office Bomb (it only had a limited theatrical release before premiering on streaming), the film was a critical success, and Greg Mottola has expressed a desire to adapt the next novel, Fletch's Fortune.

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Provides examples of:

• Amateur Sleuth: Fletch, who is (as he loves to brag) formerly an investigative reporter of some repute.
  Monroe: No amateur sleuthing, please.
• Bumbling Sidekick: Griz, who is consistently thwarted by Fletch and at one point loses him because she spilled a milkshake all over herself. That said, she sometimes veers into...
  • Hypercompetent Sidekick: She collects most of the evidence that Ronald Horan is the killer.
• Entertainingly Wrong: The key moment is Fletch doing a big summation on how Angela is the killer, using Horan to sell the paintings. At which point, Horan pulls a gun to reveal he's the killer and murdered Laura just to frame Fletch.
• Faked Kidnapping: Count de Grassi faked his kidnapping with Fletch's help to figure out whether his wife or his daughter stole his paintings and if they really love him.
• Frame-Up: The killer leaves the murder weapon — a bottle of wine — on top of the welcome note for Fletch in his rented apartment, tricking him into incriminating himself. Fletch spends much of the film trying to figure out if the killer was trying to frame whoever the new tenant was, or him specifically. It's the latter.
• Mrs. Robinson: The Contessa, who tries to seduce Fletch several times despite being in her sixties. When he rejects her advances, she claims it was a Secret Test of Character.
• Mythology Gag: Frank's assistant is named "Larry", as in the 1985 film.
  • The climax also lifts an exchange directly from the climax of the 85 film.
    Horan: I was already prepared to commit one murder tonight. What makes you think I won't commit two?
    Fletch: Oops.
  • Fletch tells the police that he's researching a biography of Edgar Allan Tharp Jr., which is his go-to cover in many of the novels.
• Nazi Gold: Or in this case, Nazi art. The stolen de Grassi paintings were stolen by the Italian fascists during World War II, which is why Menti is happy to give them away to Fletch at the end.
• Non-Protagonist Resolver: Inspector Monroe and Griz figure out who the culprit is several scenes before Fletch (mostly with evidence they gather themselves) and show up to save the day during the climax when Fletch is about to get shot. They are quick to point out Fletch's Pinball Protagonist status when he tries to say all of them solved the case together.
• Old Cop, Young Cop: The middle-aged Inspector Monroe is a serious and thoughtful analyzer of evidence, while his young assistant Griselda "Griz" is an eager-to-please Bumbling Sidekick who nonetheless is good at finding useful evidence and also shoots the killer in the climax.
• Pen Name: Fletch writes (and travels, and takes meetings) under the name "Ralph Locke".
• Pinball Protagonist: Fletch goes around looking for clues and stirring things up but is Entertainingly Wrong with his summation and needs the police to save his life.
  Monroe: We solved the case ... You came barefoot into my office and woke up my child with a list of suspects that Horan wasn't even on! ... You got your ass kicked on the boat and almost got shot in the face. That's what you did.
• Replacement Goldfish: Eve's landlord agreed to let her keep her dog after the area got gentrified but said she couldn't get a replacement once the dog dies. She avoids this rule by only buying identical dogs and giving them the same name whenever an old one dies.
• Running Gag: Fletch's terrible Italian.
  Mio italiano è molto buono.
• Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Inspector Monroe, who is convinced from the jump that Fletch is the murderer and is determined to prove it but is fair and intelligent.
• Terrified of Germs: Horan refuses to shake hands or touch people, and keeps separate "Clean" and "Dirty" pens on his desk. It's the detail that breaks the case for Monroe.
  Fletch: Since the pandemic?
  Horan: Since touchscreens. Haven't had a cold in 20 years.
• Two Lines, No Waiting: Fletch is trying to solve the murder of Laurel Goodwin before the police pin it on him, while also tracking down a hoard of expensive paintings stolen from his girlfriend's family.
• Wealthy Yacht Owner: Horan has a nice yacht, which he keeps moored at an expensive yacht club full of similarly wealthy, out-of-touch patrons.

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Five stars!