1989 saw a lot of movie sequels released, but Fletch Lives, with Chevy Chase, often gets overlooked and unfairly criticized. While it doesn’t quite reach the brilliance of the original Fletch – a true standout of the 80s – it’s much better than its current 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes suggests. Here’s a look at why this sequel deserves another viewing.
No, It’s Not As Good As Fletch, But Fletch Lives Still Has Some Memorable Moments
The original Fletch from 1985 remains so popular largely because Chevy Chase was perfect as the witty journalist and detective, Irwin R. Fletcher. His performance is iconic and still referenced constantly. Chase is equally strong in Fletch Lives, and I firmly believe that. While the sequel’s script isn’t quite as memorable, the story is wonderfully absurd and entertaining.
Fletch unexpectedly inherits his Aunt Belle’s plantation in southern Mississippi and moves from Los Angeles to the Louisiana bayou. He discovers the plantation is stuck in the past, reminiscent of the antebellum South, and joins forces with the property’s only caretaker, the talented Cleavon Little (known from Blazing Saddles), to protect his family’s land from a greedy televangelist played by R. Lee Ermey.
Honestly, the story itself is pretty solid, and I really enjoyed seeing Fletch thrown into a completely unfamiliar world. There are some genuinely funny and surprisingly relevant scenes – especially the ones poking fun at the KKK, crooked police, and televangelists – that feel even more impactful now than they did back in 1989. I have to admit, I watched this movie constantly as a kid. Like the first one, it was always playing on cable, and I just couldn’t get enough of it.
While it doesn’t have as many memorable lines as a classic like Caddyshack, this movie still has a few quotes I enjoy. The jail scene with Randell “Tex” Cobb is particularly great and really needs to be seen to be appreciated. However, it’s generally not considered one of the best sequels from that time period.
Fletch Lives Came Out In A Banner Year For Sequels
Movie sequels became incredibly popular in the 1980s. What used to be unusual in Hollywood quickly became standard practice during that decade. In fact, 1989 saw the release of several successful sequels, including Back to the Future II, Lethal Weapon 2, Ghostbusters II, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, all of which performed very well at the box office.
Looking back at the movies from that year, it wasn’t all gold. Some sequels, like The Fly II and The Karate Kid Part III, didn’t really hit the mark. And a lot of established franchises kept going with entries like Police Academy 6: City Under Siege, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. There was a new Bond film, Licence To Kill, too. But thankfully, we also got one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!
Despite everything else happening, Fletch Lives came out in March. While it did okay, it wasn’t nearly as popular as the first Fletch movie, and many critics disliked it so much that it likely ended any chance of future films based on Gregory McDonald’s book series. That’s a shame, really.
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2025-10-27 23:08