Fletch (played by Jon Hamm) has just arrived in Boston only to find a dead body in the townhouse he is staying in. When he calls the police to report the find, he winds up becoming the prime suspect by the two officers investigating the crime, Inspector Detective Monroe (played by Roy Wood, Jr) and Detective Griz (played by Ayden Mayeri) despite pointing out that not only did he report the crime, but also waited for them to arrive. Fletch was in town working on a story about a missing art collection belonging to Countess Di Grassi (played by Marcia Gay Harden). Fletch was on the case courtesy of his Italian girlfriend, Angela (played by Lorenza Izzo), is the daughter of Count and Countess Di Grassi. Her father, the Count, has been kidnapped with the ransom being one of the missing paintings. Fletch continues his investigation thinking the two cases may be connected and to try and clear his name. This leads him to a number of colorful suspects, including germaphobe art dealer Ronald Horan (played by Kyle MacLachlan) and a human disaster of a next door neighbor, Eve (played by Annie Mumolo), who seems to be a magnet for disaster just based on her first interaction with Fletch.
The film was directed by Greg Mottola from a script he co-wrote with Zev Borow. The best thing the filmmakers could have done was not try to replicate the antics of Chevy Chase in the original films and they pull it off very nicely here, making the material their own. Still, the film is quite funny. They do manage to update the material to present day with ease without overdoing it. There are passing references to the pandemic, Fletch's repeated use of Uber or Lyft rides (exclaiming, "Five stars, buddy!" every time he exits one in an amusing running gag), and the current state of journalism with a certain level of wittiness. There is a delicate balance between the comedic and mystery elements that Mottola and his crew keep it throughout the film, never letting things get too silly.
The cast for the film is magnificent. Jon Hamm does really well as the wisecracking Fletch, delivering near non-stop one-liners with ease. He makes the role his own, keeping the character quite lovable throughout all his assorted antics. Roy Wood, Jr. makes for a great foil for Fletch as Inspector Detective Monroe, who resists Fletch's attempts to help solve the case at every turn. Ayden Mayeri does well as junior Detective Griz, who tries to help Monroe solve the case while also finding more amusement in Fletch. Marcia Gay Harden is a hoot as Countess Di Grassi, adopting a very exaggerated Italian accent as her character repeatedly attempts to flirt with Fletch. Lorenza Izzo is a lot of fun as Angela and has some solid chemistry with Hamm. Annie Mumolo makes the most of her few scenes as Fletch's disaster prone neighbor, handling the comedic moments quite well. Kyle MacLachlan has fun with his character as well, the germophobic, EDM loving, art dealer and is clearly having fun with his character's eccentricities.
Overall, Confess, Fletch is a fabulous update and reboot of the Fletch series. With a great mix of humor and mystery made this a satisfying watch. I hope this one does well enough because I would love to see further adventures of Jon Hamm as Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher. If nothing else, I know what to say every time I'm getting out of a Lyft ride now.
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