Marcia Gay Harden

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.

REVIEW: Whip It (2009)

whip it posterSeventeen year old Bliss (Ellen Page) lives in a small town in Texas and isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life. When she discovers a roller derby league she makes new friends and discovers something she could really love, even if her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) who loves entering her in pageants wouldn’t approve.

While Whip It might have many of the sports movie clichés, the underdog team, the misfits and the family not agreeing with the leads choice in sports, but Whip It has so much charm and great performances that it is so much better than the typical clichés.

The roller derby scenes are fun and exciting but the violence is never over the top. The atmosphere in those scenes are often electric and the commentator ‘Hot Tub’ Johnny Rocket (Jimmy Fallon) is equal parts funny and cringe-worthy.

The difficulties Bliss faces as she tries to juggle her new passion for roller derby, her family and her first love in musician Oliver (Landon Pigg) are very believable. She is a wonderful lead character and it’s though her eyes you see the warmth all these characters have for her and each other.

One of the most delightful things about Whip It is all the different relationships between the different women portrayed throughout the film. Bliss had a strained yet believable relationship with her mother, she and her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) argue, and then there’s this incredible friendship and camaraderie between all the members of Hurl Scouts. Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) is kind of like the mother of the team while Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore) and Rosa Sparks (Eve) are both a lot of fun.

Whip It is fun and full of awesome relationships between women and for me, it’s a new favourite film. 5/5.