star of a night at the opera crossword clue

The journey is always more entertaining than the destination, and this one’s a lot of fun.ĭirected by Greg Mottola. The solution to the mystery is appropriately convoluted, but that’s par for this course. This “Mad Men” reunion is far more entertaining than anything that series had to offer. He spends the film ensuring his dialogue earns the MPAA rating. Fletch’s disgust at her advances veer perilously close to ageist mockery, but Gay Harden’s confidence makes him look silly for turning her down.Īlso worth mentioning is John Slattery as Fletch’s grizzled former newspaper editor. She calls Fletch “Flesh” and gets fresh with him at every turn. She shows up midway through the film wielding an outrageous accent. Mumolo is so hilariously intense that the viewer fears for her safety.Ĭoming a close second is Gay Harden’s Countess. Her first scene with Fletch is screwball comedy heaven, full of fast-talking dialogue, violent physical comedy, gruesome kitchen injuries, and a tiny dog that pees like a racehorse when it’s hungry. Her scenes are so jaw-droppingly absurd they defy description. Leading the pack of go-for-broke supporting actors is Annie Mumolo (”Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar”) as Owen’s stoner neighbor, Eve. and multiple false identities just barely convincing enough to stave off disbelief.

He makes Fletch’s never-ending stream of B.S. Fletch is also now embodied by a wisecracking Jon Hamm - also miscast (Bob Odenkirk would make a great Fletch) - who leans more naturally into the one-liners than Chase while exuding his usual mix of smarm and charm. It is a decidedly 2022 affair, which means newly added references to Lyft (“five stars!” yells Fletch every time he gets out of a ride-share) and the absence of a catchy, synth-heavy banger of a theme song by Stephanie Mills. Fletcher has been reincarnated for “Confess, Fletch,” an adaptation by director Greg Mottola (who shares a writing credit with Zev Borow) of Mcdonald’s 1976 novel of the same name.

After a tolerable debut and an unwatchable sequel called “ Fletch Lives,” the character was mercifully retired from moviedom. Mcdonald thought Chase was a good fit, but in this Fletch fan’s mind, he was seriously miscast. That film, “ Fletch,” was a decidedly ‘80s affair, directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Chevy Chase as the wisecracking hero. It’s been 37 years since the first cinematic incarnation of Irwin Maurice “Fletch” Fletcher, the (former) investigative reporter protagonist of a series of mystery novels by Gregory Mcdonald.

Star of a night at the opera crossword clue