Retro Review: The Sequel

Hi everybody!

Since y'all loved my retro review on the movie "Fletch," I thought I'd review the sequel for you. I just finished watching it, so it's fresh in my mind. Enjoy!

Movie: Fletch Lives
Starring: Chevy Chase, Cleavon Little, Hal Holbrook, & a few other unknowns you've probably seen before.
Run Time: 95
Rating on All Movie dot com: 2 out of 5 stars
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Chevy Chase reprises his role as Irwin M. "Fletch" Fletcher in this movie, four years after the original. Obviously, his character survived the first film, or there wouldn't be a sequel called "Fletch Lives." Anyway, this film is still pretty good, but unlike Diet Dr. Pepper, it's not as good as the original. But good enough.
Fletch learns that he inherited a Louisiana estate, Belle Isle, from an aunt that recently died. So he quits the newspaper and moves from L.A. to check it out. To bad the mansion is rundown, and "just needs a little spackle and some napalm" as Fletch puts it. Additionally, he finds out that an anonymous buyer is willing to pay $250K for the land. Of course Fletch wants to wait around, because maybe he'll get a better offer. Also, he finds out that someone is trying to scare him, and maybe even kill him for the land. So he does some investigating around. He initially suspects a TV evangelist, named Jimmy Farnsworth, who wants to open "Bible Land II", a bigger amusement park than the already existing "Bible Land." The fact that Fletch finds out the realtor is Jimmy Farnsworth's daughter (who goes by her mother's maiden name) makes him even more suspect. Could it be the Farnsworth Ministry would try to scare him off? He also finds someone is dumping toxic waste on the land. Could these be the culprits? Watch and find out!
In this flick, Fletch is up to his old tricks with disguises and fake names, and still playing on other people's ignorances. He has even more fun because all of the other character's are stereotypical southerners, obnoxious drawls in their voices, and the tendency to keep love in the family. For example: He pretends to be in the KKK (complete with sheet and pillow case with cut-out eye holes), and intros himself as Henry Himmler. Of course, none of the hick types get it. (Not to offend any southerners by saying hick, I'm just telling about the movie.) He also pretends his name is Victor Hugo, Billy Jean King, Peter Lemonjello, Elmer Fudd Gantry, and Nostradamus. His disguises are pretty good too. Sometimes, you really can't tell he's Chevy Chase. He always has the best (or worst, depending on your view) fake teeth.
Fletch's aunt had a handyman working around the house before she died, and Fletch retains his services. He's another stereotype, a black man who says to Fletch, "Your great grandparents owned my great grandparents." His name in the movie is Calculus Entropy. Fletch, hearing this, introduces himself as Geometry Fletch, and his Aunt's executer as Trigonometry Ross. But anyway, Fletch and Calculus become kind of friends, who try to figure out who's causing all the trouble down there at Belle Isle.
So now that I've given you a long winded version of the movie, go by the VHS. And as I said in my Retro Review for "Fletch", let's all sign a petition to get the sequel released on DVD.

As anybody who frequents this page knows, and it should be all of you, I've had a request to go see "The Whole Ten Yards" and write a review. However, I'm not reading or hearing anything good about it. But then again, that could mean it'll get 5 stars from me. But I've decided to wait for a rental, or for when it hits the $1.50 movie theater. But I promise if you all can wait, I'll see it first and write a good review. Because remember, I'm always "watching the good movies to enhance your entertainment, watching the bad movies so you don't have to."

Coming soon: "The Matrix Revolutions" which I'm sure a lot of you have already seen. We bought the DVD tonight to complete the trilogy, I just hope it's good enough to keep. Hopefully by next weekend I'll have a review up.

Tim