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(Yahoo)   Don Draper might be a better Fletch than Clark Griswold. Change my mind   (ca.news.yahoo.com) divider line
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    More: Followup, Chevy Chase, Neil Gaiman, John Hamm, great version of Fletch, more modern take, 1980s movie connection, famed author Neil Gaiman, Fletch  
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1192 clicks; posted to Entertainment » on 19 Sep 2022 at 3:35 PM (26 weeks ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



46 Comments     (+0 »)
View Voting Results: Smartest and Funniest
 
fatassbastard [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 2:54:06 PM  
Depends on how you define "better", I guess.
 
elvisaintdead [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-09-19 2:56:37 PM  
Watched it last night.  Not bad but not really great either.
Hamm has the incorrect kind of humor/presence for I.M. Fletcher.


I had heard Sudekis had been attached. I can see him  - he has has that
arrogant/funny/snark that's in the books and Chevy's version.
 
Badmoodman [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 3:18:33 PM  
Don Draper's face is going full-John Kerry, threatening to overtake his entire head.
 
NewportBarGuy [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-09-19 3:27:26 PM  
No. Stop. 80's humor really has no place outside that decade.
 
westpointer
2022-09-19 3:41:04 PM  
Watched it and enjoyed it.

Jon Hamm did a nice job. It would be fun to see a new actor get a crack at it with each additional film almost like the Batman or Bond franchises. I like the idea of Ryan Reynolds and Jason Sudeikas up next.
 
Ghastly [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 3:41:08 PM  
I still like the books better. The Flynn series is good too.
 
likefunbutnot [OhFark]
2022-09-19 3:49:51 PM  
I thought Jon Hamm was the right kind of goofy idiot for the role. I enjoyed Confess, Fletch a lot more than I thought I would.
 
gunga galunga [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 4:02:04 PM  

Ghastly: I still like the books better. The Flynn series is good too.


It's apparently because of the Flynn series that they had to re-write the character for the Confess, Fletch! movie as including him would have entailed purchasing additional rights.
 
Unsung_Hero
2022-09-19 4:05:04 PM  

likefunbutnot: I thought Jon Hamm was the right kind of goofy idiot for the role. I enjoyed Confess, Fletch a lot more than I thought I would.


Hamm played a Fletch every bit as brass-balled and sarcastic as Chase's, but without the overboard silliness.

It wasn't the same, but it was still good.  Maybe better (if you didn't want to see Chase doing ludicrous bits).
 
kmgenesis23
2022-09-19 4:05:47 PM  
Haven't seen it, never read the books. But from the trailers Hamm seems to be doing a serviceable job as Fletch.

Better alternatives?  I could see Sudekis, but he wouldn't be my first choice. They aren't typical "leading men", but I'd go for Jon Glaser or H. Jon Benjamin.
 
Hawk the Hawk
2022-09-19 4:05:55 PM  

NewportBarGuy: No. Stop. 80's humor really has no place outside that decade.


Fark user imageView Full Size
 
gunga galunga [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 4:09:30 PM  

Unsung_Hero: likefunbutnot: I thought Jon Hamm was the right kind of goofy idiot for the role. I enjoyed Confess, Fletch a lot more than I thought I would.

Hamm played a Fletch every bit as brass-balled and sarcastic as Chase's, but without the overboard silliness.

It wasn't the same, but it was still good.  Maybe better (if you didn't want to see Chase doing ludicrous bits).


The overboard siliiness was funny in theaters in the 80s, but it kills the movie now.

Funny thing. Whenever I read a book after seeing the movie, and I imagine the story in my head, I can't help but imagine the actors who played the character in my head while reading the story.

When I started reading the Fletch books in the early 90s, the opposite happened. For the life of me, I could not imagine Chevy Chase as the character that Gregory MacDonald wrote. Instead, I kept thinking of Michael Keaton. (And Colm Meany as Flynn).
 
Lsherm [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 4:13:18 PM  
My brother paid $25 to watch it at home and said that was $18 more than he should have paid for it. YMMV.
 
Skarekrough
2022-09-19 4:16:05 PM  
So much of Chevy's brand of humor and physicality was what I identify that character with.  I'm reluctant to watch knowing that I'll spend so much time comparing the two rather than just enjoying it for what it is.
 
gunga galunga [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 4:16:42 PM  
I don't know how the cop character is played out in the movie version of Confess, Fletch.

What I loved about Flynn in the book version was that he was this reverse Columbo.

Columbo, as we know, puts on this disarming shabby persona and immediately latches on to the killer and in a very ingratiating manner, slowly begins to whittle away at the killer's alibi.

Flynn, on the other hand, knows Fletch to be innocent. But keeps badgering him ("Confess, Fletch") because he knows that as in investigative reporter, Fletch would be the best bet to solve his own case.

Watching how that unfolds was the great joy of reeading the book. My worry is that the cop in the movie will be the tropish antagonist, constantly shaking his head at the title character's antics, and getting one-upped at every turn.

/will give the movie a chance
 
Tarl3k
2022-09-19 4:23:08 PM  
Well, he is an infinitely better actor, so there's that.
 
wouldestous
2022-09-19 4:26:23 PM  
lets take a moment to acknowledge that gen x is *finally* getting our chance to repackage crap from our youth and sell it to people who are actually young now

/did not rtfa
//why would i?
 
likefunbutnot [OhFark]
2022-09-19 4:26:38 PM  

gunga galunga: Watching how that unfolds was the great joy of reeading the book. My worry is that the cop in the movie will be the tropish antagonist, constantly shaking his head at the title character's antics, and getting one-upped at every turn.


In the most gentle of spoilers, a lot of the actual detective work winds up coming from his partner. We aren't really given access to his internal monologue, but the inspector is definitely presented as a very methodical person who moves cautiously even when given the excuse not to.
 
NeoCortex42 [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 4:33:20 PM  
The movie was incredibly okay. Hamm played the part well, but the production felt like it might as well have been produced for TV. I don't regret watching it, but I doubt I'd ever go back and watch it again.
 
Lumbar Puncture
2022-09-19 4:34:45 PM  
Well yeah, Chevy Chase only plays Chevy Chase in any movie he's in.
 
CivilizedTiger
2022-09-19 4:39:42 PM  

NewportBarGuy: No. Stop. 80's humor really has no place outside that decade.


Well, lucky thing that the book was written in 1976, then
 
ViolentEastCoastCity
2022-09-19 4:55:05 PM  
The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*
 
vudukungfu [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 5:07:32 PM  

NewportBarGuy: No. Stop. 80's humor really has no place outside that decade.


I don't recall any humor then
 
bluorangefyre [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-09-19 5:28:07 PM  
I was honestly shocked when I saw the trailer.  I didn't think they'd ever make another Fletch movie.  But from what I saw from that, I think he nailed it.
 
stuhayes2010
2022-09-19 5:36:20 PM  
Not difficult as Chevy Chase was never funny.
 
phishrace
2022-09-19 5:38:58 PM  

NewportBarGuy: No. Stop. 80's humor really has no place outside that decade.


image.posterlounge.comView Full Size


Surely you can't be serious?
 
joepennerlives
2022-09-19 6:36:26 PM  

Tarl3k: Well, he is an infinitely better actor, so there's that.


Every appearance he ever made on 30 Rock was great.

Tracy Morgan isn't putting up with Jon Hamm's black face
Youtube KxFvLy0I-Cs
 
jclaggett
2022-09-19 6:54:49 PM  

ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*


Dress up in a cute white insurance sales person outfit, and he'll be into you.
 
some_beer_drinker
2022-09-19 7:32:21 PM  

Lsherm: My brother paid $25 to watch it at home and said that was $18 more than he should have paid for it. YMMV.


i just downloaded it for free. i thought that's what the internet was for
 
likefunbutnot [OhFark]
2022-09-19 8:33:50 PM  

ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*


Jon Hamm was a bit Dad Bod in this role. A little paunchy and dressed down compared to Don Draper. If that's still your deal then bless you for giving hope to some youthful Xers.
 
JammerJim [TotalFark]
2022-09-19 8:44:40 PM  

CivilizedTiger: NewportBarGuy: No. Stop. 80's humor really has no place outside that decade.

Well, lucky thing that the book was written in 1976, then


Very little of the movie's humor is found in the book, IIRC. That was all Chase and the scriptwriters.
 
jclaggett
2022-09-19 9:22:50 PM  

some_beer_drinker: Lsherm: My brother paid $25 to watch it at home and said that was $18 more than he should have paid for it. YMMV.

i just downloaded it for free. i thought that's what the internet was for


Avast me hearties!
 
Tarl3k
2022-09-19 9:52:13 PM  

joepennerlives: Tarl3k: Well, he is an infinitely better actor, so there's that.

Every appearance he ever made on 30 Rock was great.

[iFrame https://www.youtube.com/embed/KxFvLy0I-Cs?autoplay=1&widget_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fark.com&start=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fark.com&widgetid=1]


Yup, the episode where he's the dumb as a bag of hammers doctor might be one of my top 5 TV episodes ever. :)
 
ViolentEastCoastCity
2022-09-19 10:02:59 PM  

likefunbutnot: ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*

Jon Hamm was a bit Dad Bod in this role. A little paunchy and dressed down compared to Don Draper. If that's still your deal then bless you for giving hope to some youthful Xers.


LOL that face though.  That's the part I like.
 
ViolentEastCoastCity
2022-09-19 10:03:24 PM  

jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*

Dress up in a cute white insurance sales person outfit, and he'll be into you.


Thanks for the heads up.  I'm on it.
 
jclaggett
2022-09-20 1:20:26 AM  

ViolentEastCoastCity: jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*

Dress up in a cute white insurance sales person outfit, and he'll be into you.

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm on it.


Don't forget the hair...
cleveland.comView Full Size
 
ViolentEastCoastCity
2022-09-20 2:09:49 AM  

jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*

Dress up in a cute white insurance sales person outfit, and he'll be into you.

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm on it.

Don't forget the hair...
[cleveland.com image 850x434]


I'll make it happen.
 
Mr. Cat Poop
2022-09-20 9:56:15 AM  

ViolentEastCoastCity: jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*

Dress up in a cute white insurance sales person outfit, and he'll be into you.

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm on it.

Don't forget the hair...
[cleveland.com image 850x434]

I'll make it happen.


Imagine landing a gig in a goofy insurance commercial, thinking it's most likely a one time thing, and then years later you get to work with Jon Hamm. Not in a project of his, but he's doing a goofy insurance commercial with your character. TV is weird, man.
 
That KY Girl
2022-09-20 10:26:21 AM  

Mr. Cat Poop: ViolentEastCoastCity: jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*

Dress up in a cute white insurance sales person outfit, and he'll be into you.

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm on it.

Don't forget the hair...
[cleveland.com image 850x434]

I'll make it happen.

Imagine landing a gig in a goofy insurance commercial, thinking it's most likely a one time thing, and then years later you get to work with Jon Hamm. Not in a project of his, but he's doing a goofy insurance commercial with your character. TV is weird, man.


Not the only time Flo worked with Hamm. She was on a few episodes of Mad Men (a phone operator).

Mmmmm...Hamm!
 
I am Tom Joad's Complete Lack of Surprise [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-09-20 11:03:30 AM  
"Jon Hamm's penis takes his human out for a walk." -- Gawker (RIP)
 
Mr. Cat Poop
2022-09-20 12:25:24 PM  

That KY Girl: Mr. Cat Poop: ViolentEastCoastCity: jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: jclaggett: ViolentEastCoastCity: The things I would do to John Hamm would violate the Geneva Convention.

*drools*

Dress up in a cute white insurance sales person outfit, and he'll be into you.

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm on it.

Don't forget the hair...
[cleveland.com image 850x434]

I'll make it happen.

Imagine landing a gig in a goofy insurance commercial, thinking it's most likely a one time thing, and then years later you get to work with Jon Hamm. Not in a project of his, but he's doing a goofy insurance commercial with your character. TV is weird, man.

Not the only time Flo worked with Hamm. She was on a few episodes of Mad Men (a phone operator).

Mmmmm...Hamm!


Oh cool. Never actually watched Mad Men. Didn't know she was a friend from work.
 
T.rex
2022-09-20 5:16:09 PM  
I never watched Mad Men, but my sister said Don Draper was not a sex symbol because he was humorless.    You can be the most handsome man in the world, but if you're a sour puss, what good is it?

I've seen Hamm in comedy movies, but i can't really think of the humor eminating FROM him.
 
likefunbutnot [OhFark]
2022-09-20 5:31:55 PM  

T.rex: I never watched Mad Men, but my sister said Don Draper was not a sex symbol because he was humorless.    You can be the most handsome man in the world, but if you're a sour puss, what good is it?

I've seen Hamm in comedy movies, but i can't really think of the humor eminating FROM him.



Jon Hamm is a giant weirdo. He's kind of too eccentric to pull off Hollywood leading man in a traditional sense. He worked for the blank slate of Don Draper, but the real guy is a goofy, funny nerd who just happens to look like Jon Hamm. He could've made a living as the next George Clooney or something, but that's not where he wanted to go. If he wants to be a funny and charming leading man, Fletch is a good move for him.
 
T.rex
2022-09-20 5:53:43 PM  

likefunbutnot: He could've made a living as the next George Clooney or something, but that's not where he wanted to go. If he wants to be a funny and charming leading man, Fletch is a good move for him.


Clooney gives off a vibe like he cares about people, cares about the world around him, cares the message his films are making.   Its endearing.  I don't think one can fake that... at least not convincingly, though there are those that try.   I don't think less of Hamm for falling short of Clooney... but i have no reason to put him on a pedestal yet either.    I do think he's very convincing as a smarmy, good-looking, guy in it for himself, type guy....and many roles require that character.
 
likefunbutnot [OhFark]
2022-09-20 7:01:33 PM  

T.rex: I do think he's very convincing as a smarmy, good-looking, guy in it for himself, type guy....and many roles require that character.


He comes on Doug Bensons's Doug Loves movies podcasts with some regularity. Dude is genuinely funny, weird enough to have his own corners of knowledge. I have the sense that he made it in spite of himself and that is awesome.
 
I am Tom Joad's Complete Lack of Surprise [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-09-20 7:41:00 PM  

likefunbutnot: T.rex: I do think he's very convincing as a smarmy, good-looking, guy in it for himself, type guy....and many roles require that character.

He comes on Doug Bensons's Doug Loves movies podcasts with some regularity. Dude is genuinely funny, weird enough to have his own corners of knowledge. I have the sense that he made it in spite of himself and that is awesome.


"WALLET!!"
 
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