Confess Fletch

My favourite films of 2022

As a new year begins it’s time to look back at the favourites of the year. These films are all pretty different but they were all films I enjoyed and made me laugh and/or cry or just made me feel big emotions.

RRR
Films like this is the reason why I don’t put together “favourites of the year” lists until right at the end of the year, or at the very beginning of the next because I watched RRR towards the end of December and if I’d already put together a favourites list then it wouldn’t have made it on the list. RRR is big and bombastic and it’s just a load of fun with fantastic songs and dance numbers.

Fire Island
Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite classics so I tend to have a soft spot for any retellings and Fire Island was so much fun! It’s so funny and gay and clever and a top tier Jane Austen retelling. It’s so fun, has big romcom moments and the found family trope I love so much and Conrad Ricamora is a perfect awkward Mr Darcy.

The Woman King
The Woman King is a stunning film on every level. The whole cast is brilliant and I got goosebumps multiple times due to the action, score, and performances.

Language Lessons
I love all these films on this list but this might be my favourite. Language Lessons gave me all the emotions and I loved how it was a story about the power of friendship and the power of human connection no matter the distance.

Plan B
It’s kind of a shame that there is now so many films about women’s struggle to get reproductive healthcare and nearly every one of them gets me in a different way. My favourite of this unfortunate subgenre is Plan B, directed by Natalie Morales, the director and co-writer of Language Lessons. It’s so funny and the ride or die friendship at the core of it is excellent and how the parents are surprisingly awesome too really sealed it as a favourite.

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Everything Everywhere All at Once is weird and funny and action-packed and heartfelt and beautiful and wonderful. I didn’t know what to expect when I watched it (had just heard positive buzz but had no real idea what it was about) and just wow. Truly a special film and the whole cast is outstanding.

Top Gun: Maverick
Considering I wasn’t fussed about the original Top Gun (it’s fine but I didn’t get the hype), I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed Top Gun: Maverick. I think one of the reasons I loved it so much is it’s part of my favourite subgenre of film – people being really competent at their jobs. It’s just so satisfying.

Confess, Fletch
I’m so pleased I got to see this film in the cinema. It’s proper old-school and charming in the best way. It’s a fun and clever mystery with a load of twists and a wonderful lead in Jon Hamm. I definitely think this favourite is probably the most underseen on this list.

The Banshees of Inisherin
I’m a big Martin McDonagh-fan so there was always a good chance I’d like his latest film but I really liked The Banshees of Inisherin. It’s funny and sad and kinda depressing at times – the dark humour is in full force – and the whole cast is incredible and I’d love for Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon to get all the awards.

Prey
I’m well-known for being a wuss but I can just about handle Predator movies and Prey is a fantastic prequel. The tension and scares are great and having it focused on a female tracker and how the “less-advanced” technology goes up against this alien creature was interesting and thrilling.

What were some of your favourite films of the past year?

REVIEW: Confess, Fletch (2022)

After arriving in Boston to try and find stolen paintings belonging to his Italian girlfriend’s rich father, Fletch (John Hamm) encounters problems straightaway when he finds a murdered young woman in the house he’s renting. With the police convinced he’s the murderer, former-investigative reporter Fletch strives to prove his innocence while simultaneously searching for the missing paintings.

Confess, Fletch is a reboot/adaptation but as I’d never seen, read, or even had heard of the books/films before I saw the trailer for this film, it’s safe to say I took this film on its own merit and have no reference point for it. I think that’s a good thing as Confess, Fletch is an old-school mystery in the best possible way and I had a thoroughly good time with it.

It’s the dry wit and sharp script that makes Confess, Fletch so much fun. There’s so many quips but they never undercut any drama of the moment and Confess, Fletch is the sort of film that rewards you when you give it your full attention. Fletch, as a character, is brilliant. He’s charming, quick-witted and can talk himself out of (or into) just about anything. He’s almost annoying with how smooth and confident he is, but he does it all with a smile so you can’t stay mad at him. It’s easy to see why the two detectives on his case (played by Roy Wood Jr. and Ayden Mayeri) get so frustrated nearly every time they talk to him.

The mystery has a lot of avenues and it’s fun to see how it all plays out and if and how all these eccentric people Fletch encounters are connected at all. John Hamm has great comedic timing and is a brilliant lead here but Confess, Fletch thrives because the supporting cast is just as good. Fletch’s girlfriend Angela (Lorenza Izzo) has a rivalry with her father’s wife (Marcia Gay Harden), then there’s John Slattery playing Fletch’s old boss and Kyle MacLachlan as an art dealer. Everyone has their own eccentricities and agenda and the dialogue between them and Fletch is often top-notch.

The humour in Confess, Fletch comes from the characters and it it’s really a funny and charming film. I’d love to watch many sequels with John Hamm in the lead role as these sort of clever but fun mysteries are truly timeless. I hope I’m wrong but due to the release and lack of promotion I can see Confess, Fletch going the same way as The Nice Guys – a funny mystery that’s ripe for sequels never getting them as it doesn’t find the audience when it’s first released. 4/5.