Universal Pictures released Fletch to theaters on May 31, 1985. Michael Ritchie directs the film which stars Chevy Chase, Joe Don Baker, and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson. Fletch Movie Summary Fletch is based on a 1974 mystery novel by Gregory McDonald. The book was the first in a series featuring the character Irwin Maurice Fletcher.  The series lasted eleven books and even launched a spin off series for a supporting character, Inspector Francis Xavier Flynn, that lasted four books itself. The Edgar Allen Poe Award winning first novel, which the film is based on, introduces I. M. Fletcher, a journalist and ex-marine staying on a beach watching the drug culture for a story, waiting to find the dealer’s source before publishing an exposé.  When Universal went to cast the film, they initially looked to likes of Burt Reynolds and Mick Jagger, but ultimately settled on Chevy Chase due to his obvious marine like physique and gift of drama.  He also had the decided advantage that the author had never seen him in anything when he agreed to his casting. Our film begins much like the book, with Fletch, now just a journalist, staying on a beach watching the drug culture for his column in the paper. Because when I think of drug dealers, I often think of Norm from Cheers.  Aren’t drug users usually thin and strung out? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Please let us know what you think of the film in the comments section, and rate this movie from one to five stars below as well. If there is a film you’d like us to review, send us an email at comments@moviehousememories.com with your name, location, and film choice. And finally, if you are of the social media persuasion, you can look the MHM Podcast Network up on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and if you do, please give us a follow when you find us. Disclaimer This podcast is intended for entertainment and information purposes only. The theme music for Lunchtime Movie Review, Fireworks is provided courtesy of Alexander Nakarada at serpentsoundstudios.com under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. All original content of this podcast is the intellectual property of Lunchtime Movie Review, the MHM Podcast Network, and Fuzzy Bunny Slippers Entertainment LLC unless otherwise noted. This post contains affiliate links that will take you to Amazon.com and/or the iTunes Store. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Advertisers and affiliate partnerships do not influence our content. For more information, please read our Terms of Use about the inclusion of affiliate links on this site.