Full Transcript for Interview with Director Greg Mottola (Confess, Fletch)

00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:37.919 And and keep it tight because joining us in just a little bit is a director of Confess Fletch. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:39.680 Now, if you're listening to this podcast, you know who he is. 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:41.919 Greg Matolib will be joining us on the show. 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:43.759 But go ahead, what do you what do you got planned? 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:45.360 I I got big plans. 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:49.919 Um going to the movies, uh, but after you know, from five o'clock I'll probably go. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:55.199 I want to see that John and Margaret were unavailable uh until the evening. 00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:00.080 We normally love matinees, but uh, we're still gonna get in the matinee price at five o'clock. 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:02.479 Uh tickets are bought, and uh yeah. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:04.479 Okay, we're gonna have to get back to the story. 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.680 Greg Matolo, welcome to Fletchcast. 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:10.560 Hey guys, hey, there he is. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:16.080 Now, you are somebody that we have been anticipating speaking to since episode one. 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:18.639 And we finally got here. 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:26.719 So let me be first to say thank you so much for everything you've done to befriend this podcast and give us little tidbits of information here and there. 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:28.240 It meant the world to us. 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:31.919 And to be speaking to you today, we are absolutely thrilled. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:35.919 But the question is, how are you feeling with Confessed Fletch just a few days away? 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:44.400 Well, you know, I mean, I'm a little nervous talking to you guys because you've lived this Fletch mania for so long. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:53.599 But I like I said a second ago to Jim, uh, he was an incredible resource for me using his website to to find out more about the Fletch, the Fletch verse. 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:57.919 Because uh, that's one of the first places I went for research. 00:03:58.159 --> 00:03:58.960 Oh wow. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:05.520 Uh, in you know, finding out the history of the books and the history of the almost Fletch movies and all that. 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:07.280 I got a lot of good stuff from you. 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:07.759 Thank you. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:09.360 No, that that makes me feel good. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:14.960 You're a fantastic resource for anybody who's uh endeavoring to try and do Fletch. 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:16.079 That's very cool. 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:16.800 Thank you. 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:22.800 But ultimately, you have to be feeling good about the final result of the Fletch film that you guys made. 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:39.680 Um, you know, I I am feeling good, but I think appropriately nervous um because the original Fletch in particular looms large over uh lovers of comedy, lovers of Chevy, lovers of the books. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:47.920 And we, for better or worse, decided to go a slightly different way, which I'd like to believe is a little closer to the tone of the books. 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:50.800 Um, but we had to, you know, we changed things from that too. 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:52.240 So we did our own version. 00:04:52.319 --> 00:05:00.800 I guess this is my way of saying for anyone who's mad that we made a Fletch movie without Chevy, um, other people can make Fletch movies too. 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:01.040 Sure. 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:06.879 I mean, look, look at how many uh of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels attached to it. 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:07.680 Absolutely. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:14.560 Um, you know, from Humphrey Bogart and Alan Ladd to James Garner and and and Elliot Gould have all played Philip Marlowe. 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:17.279 There's probably between TV and movies, about 15 actors. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:27.839 I think thinking about the movies that almost got made, you know, they all didn't didn't get made for their own reasons, but I do wonder how much the shadow of the original movie uh hangs over it. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:34.639 So John and I, John Hamm and I tried to break the curse, and maybe we'll be terribly punished for it. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:35.600 Hopefully not. 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:39.920 So well, the reviews so far are you know pretty good, actually. 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:42.160 I mean, like the early reviews are really, really good. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:46.480 They from what I have read, it seems like there is that nice little balance. 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:52.079 You know, there's some winks and nods to the original, and the kind of, like you said, kind of blazing your own path forward. 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:56.480 And I think that's where uh I think that's the the direction that it needs to go. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:05:57.519 I really do. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:05.839 Well, one way we were able to break the fletch curse was to accept that we had to make this film on a pretty small scale um quickly. 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:21.439 And and that was daunting to me because, you know, I don't know what the budget of the original fletch was, but I'm sure it was it was commensurate to a comedy star, you know, studio film of the period, that they had, I bet they had more days than we did. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:23.519 I can't imagine they had they had fewer. 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:27.600 And so, you know, by nature, the scale of the movie is not gigantic. 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:32.480 Um, uh, there was a pandemic going on that limited us in a lot of ways. 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:45.360 Uh luckily I had this idea that when Fletch gets to the newsroom where his old friend Frank is now the editor of this of the Boston Sentinel, um, it's half empty uh because everyone's working from home. 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:46.319 I love that, yeah. 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:47.360 Post-pandemic. 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:54.879

It also helped with our our pandemic um rules for how many extras you could have in this space and how much extras cost. 00:06:54.959 --> 00:07:03.199 I mean, we were trying to find every way to make this movie uh and and and get it as much as we could on the screen uh for the for the amount we had. 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:08.959 The cool thing was Miramax was like, here's the amount you have to make it for, then we're gonna leave you alone. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:10.160 And they really did. 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:13.199 So, for better or worse, they have. 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:15.279 I've I've tried not to look at the reviews too much. 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:23.600 I've noticed that some of the reviews that really don't like it, I feel are people who are, you know, they're not gonna accept that it's not as much like the original. 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:25.759 And and that's and that's fair enough. 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:27.920 I mean, it it's the it's a taste thing. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:30.160 I I I love the original. 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:36.000 Uh, but John and I said, you know, him, John trying to do a Chevy impersonation is not gonna work. 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:42.800 And um anyone out there, any Gen Zers who haven't seen the original, you should see it. 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:44.240 Um, and the sequel. 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:45.279 They're great. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:59.120 The first is an absolute home run, the second is just tons of great laughs, and uh, and you know, I hope I hope we didn't besmirch the the uh the flesh legacy. 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:05.120 Well, we were lucky enough to get a screener thanks to you, and we all really enjoyed the movie. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:06.240 Thank God. 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:11.759 We are the biggest critics when it comes to Fletch. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:17.040 You either love Fletch because you're a Chevy Chase fan, or you love the character of Fletch. 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:20.879 And if you love the character of Fletch, you're gonna absolutely love this movie. 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:26.000 Well, one of the things I noticed in in because I have to confess, I hadn't read the books when I was younger. 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:27.920 I had always heard of them, I heard they were great. 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:34.480 I love detective novels, I love Chandler and Hammett and Elmore Leonard and a bunch of other people, and and I love detective movies. 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:36.080 That genre is one of my favorites. 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:40.960 Uh, and I was like, I gotta get around to those books, they're supposed to be fantastic, but I hadn't. 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:47.600 And then John came to me one day and said, Miramax owns the rights to all of the fletch books except for the first one. 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:50.399 And they've approached me about making one. 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:58.159 And he said, What they don't know is that when the first one came out, I immediately went to the library

to find out something out about the book it was based on. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:08:59.440 I saw in the credits based on a book. 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:00.320 I wanted to get the book. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:02.159 Then I found out there were other books. 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:08.000 So John went to Walden Books and stole whatever existing fletch books were on the shelf. 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:16.080 He shoplifted the rest of the fletch books, whatever they were, how many would had come out by 85, I guess that was, and uh, and loved them. 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:19.679 And he loved any and he saw, oh, I'm learning about how films work. 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:25.440 You don't necessarily, when you're adapting something, you can change it and it and in good ways or bad ways, or it's different. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:31.759 And he could he saw the differences between the tone of the novels and the tone of Chevy's uh version. 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:40.879 Now, one of the things I absolutely adore about Chevy's version is that he's kind of like all the Marx brothers rolled into one when he comes into a room. 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:51.039 He just befuddles people, he confuses them by being so absurd and yet straightfaced at the same time that they don't really know what's going on. 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:55.279 He he makes their brains freeze up, and that's how he gets over on them. 00:09:55.360 --> 00:10:03.200 He he's just constantly fooling people, even though he's saying nonsense, sometimes he's saying words that you know, or names that don't exist, as we all know. 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:04.000 Right. 00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:12.480 Um, and and that chaos he creates, you know, when I was saw as a young man, it was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:15.200 Um, and I love that. 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:21.120 But you know, when John told me about this, I immediately went and and read like five or six of the books, and I love them. 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:25.919 And I did see, oh, they're not, he's not that's not quite what the character is in the box. 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:39.200 I mean, he's he fools people, he lies, he he uses fake names, um, and and he, you know, is foolish at times, and he's the smartest guy in the room, but maybe not quite as smart as he thinks he is. 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:44.240 And you know, so many things are baked into the DNA of the Chevy version, but there were there were differences. 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:54.159 So John and I sat a long time to talk about what you know what's another way to go about doing this, uh, even though it runs the risk of pissing off people who love the original. 00:10:54.480 --> 00:11:00.080 Where did you make the decision, or when did you make the decision to do Confess uh out of these novels? 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:05.759 I mean, I love Confess, it is one of my favorites between that and Fortune and the original, probably my three favorites. 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:07.039 But why confess? 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:14.320 Well, John said, he said, read it, read style, you know, read more than one, but confess is the one I'm thinking we should do. 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:20.240 And in fact, he already had a screenwriter, uh Zev Barrow, starting to work on Confess. 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:22.879 But he said, you know, it doesn't have to be Confess, we could change our minds. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:24.639 Miramax has got them all. 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:30.960 But when I read it, I thought, well, what helps is like John is obviously not the age that Fletch is in the novels, he's older. 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:39.600 And um, and it's interesting that Gregory McDonald decided in book two to already have Fletch be retired from investigative reporting. 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:46.000 Um, and he gets kind of sucked back into the world of solving, as in most Fletch books, two mysteries at once. 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:48.320 He doesn't ever like to do anything simple. 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.200 Um, both Fletch and Gregory McDonald. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:12:00.559 And uh and and I thought, well, that kind of makes sense that he's a guy coming out of a sort of retirement that kind of works with an older actor playing Fletch. 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:20.559 And I thought the the sort of um you know, waspy world of old money in Boston um was a really interesting contrast to the sunny sands of Santa Monica in the in the first book and the first movie that's so Southern California and the movie has just soaks up that Southern California feel. 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:24.480 This would feel you know quite different. 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:31.919 Um uh and in my mind, I always, you know, not that it really we had a couple of references that we ended up not using, and I can let you guys in on those. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:38.480 But I in my mind, I imagine the whole Alan Stanwyck story happened to our version of Fletch too. 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:44.720 It's just uh it was probably just a different year than because of John's age. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:48.799 But anyway, um, so and you know, Confess Fletch, I just thought it was so funny. 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:50.320 The characters are so great. 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:57.919 Um it's it's a side of Fletch, you're seeing some other things about him that you didn't see in the first book necessarily. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:14.399 And um one thing I started to notice reading the book is that Fletch has a kind of affection for oddballs, and you know, people who are on the fringes or disenfranchised or just weird, as long as they're authentic. 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:17.120 He likes he might like a rich person if they're authentic. 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:20.000 He likes authentic people, or at least fun people. 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:28.080 Um, he also dislikes assholes and phonies and and bullies, and he's very happy to fuck with them. 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:33.200 Um, and I thought,

uh, you know, this can't this book has some of those characters. 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:36.639 So what happened next was that I agreed with John. 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:41.519 Uh Zev, who's a very funny good writer, um, was off working on a version. 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:45.759 He gave us an outline, he changed more of the book than I expected. 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:48.639 He was using not that much of the book at all. 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:51.679 Uh, but you know, I wanted to let him write his version. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:53.919 So he went off and wrote it, and he was sending me scenes. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:57.759 I thought, well, it's a little broader than John and I imagined, but it's you know, it's funny. 00:13:57.840 --> 00:13:58.879 He's writing funny stuff. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:12.080 When he finally turned it in, John and I felt like this is a great hilarious script for Chevy, but it's not the book really, and it's not what he and I have been talking about. 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:19.279 Um so I took some of uh Zev's innovations, like he he put in scenes in Italy. 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:25.200 Um he changed, you know, and this is the biggest change, and we'll talk at more length about it. 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:27.200 Flynn, we weren't allowed to use. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:27.759 Sure. 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:34.720 He created um an African-American detective who had a female sidekick. 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:41.360 I I kind of reworked those characters completely, but I liked the the basic premise of them. 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:51.679 Um, and uh, but he didn't use like the next door neighbor lady who and turned into you know the the lush who was in love with the owner of the apartment where the murder was. 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:56.720 He uh and I turned her obviously into Annie Moomalo as the batshit insane neighbor. 00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:57.519 She was great. 00:14:57.679 --> 00:14:58.879 Yeah, she was great in it. 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:03.679 He didn't he didn't have characters like that in it, and and I thought, well, that's kind of a missed opportunity. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:12.559 I felt like there weren't enough suspects for the murder, and and you know, I knew some things just bringing it to 2022 weren't necessarily gonna work. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:18.159 If you want, we could start talking about the differences between the book and the movie, because this sort of naturally leads to that. 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:22.720 The Flynn character is obviously something that's probably uh, you know, that's the biggest one. 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:28.080 I mean, when I was when I first got involved, I said to John, how do we tackle Flynn? 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:29.360 It's this amazing character. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:35.360 Their relationship is the heart of the book, and our producer told us we don't have the rights to Flynn. 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:44.639 The the estate has kept those rights separate with the hopes of someone someday doing Flynn series, and uh which would be amazing. 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:52.879 Um, and I was and I was bummed because I thought this is you know such a huge part of this book. 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:56.559 It's a ton of the charm of the book is that relationship. 00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:09.279 But I do have to say at the same time, as I was trying to get my head around Flynn, I thought it's a tricky thing to bring Flynn into 2021 because his whole backstory took place in World War II. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:15.519 So that would be he'd have to be a hundred years old or whatever. 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:29.440 Um and and the backstory, as amazing as it is, and how wonderful it is in the novel, it's a little harder to pull off in a movie, especially if you're trying to keep your movie to 90 minutes, because it isn't really telling the plot. 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:36.559 It's it's one of those like great digressions that that whole Flynn chapter is such a wonderful, delightful digression. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:44.320 Um but it isn't really the story of the movie, it's it's it's it's its own thing. 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:47.679 Um, so not say it couldn't be done. 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:48.320 It could be done. 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:54.559 I think you'd have to make the movie two hours and you'd have to figure out, you know, the modern day version of Flynn. 00:16:54.720 --> 00:17:05.200 And I and I my worry was that would he seem like to people who don't know the book, like some some kind of anachronistic Irish cop like the ones you used to see in Bugs Bunny cartoons, you know? 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:10.880 Uh like like uh Irish cops, they you know, with accents, do they still exist? 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:14.720 You know, in old movies they do, but uh move it along. 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:19.519 But you were able to add a lot of Flynn's qualities to row. 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:23.920 Absolutely, yes, but let's not lean into that too much because I might get sued. 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:24.640 Good point. 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:26.000 No, no, I'm kidding. 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:32.640 Yeah, uh, but he is an inspector, you know, and he is slow-mo, so he's not reluctant, but he's slow-mo. 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:33.279 So there's yeah. 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:34.079 Right, exactly. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:37.440 I I was told I used reluctant once, and they said, Don't do that. 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:45.920 Um and no, it's like I thought, well, the great thing about it, and in fact, the biggest regret I have is I forgot to write the line. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:47.599 Well, this will give too much away. 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:51.039 There's a line that in a few weeks we'll talk about. 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:51.519 Okay. 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:58.240 There's there's a Flynn story point that I did not underline that in all of trying to make it work, I somehow slipped my mind. 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:01.359 And and only when the movie was

over, I hit myself in the head. 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:11.279 But yes, I did I did steal some of those qualities because you know, even just the fact that Flynn had a newborn, and in my early passes on the script, I didn't do that much with it. 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:14.640 I just sort of made him complain about having not getting enough sleep. 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:20.960 And and uh John showed the script to Robert Carlock, who's the creator of 30 Rock, very, very funny dude. 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:25.599 Um, and John's been on 30 Rock and their pals, and and he just you know gave me a few notes. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:27.200 And one of them was like, you should do more with that. 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:28.960 That's a funny character thing. 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:40.880 So, like the idea of him being at work, not having any uh you know, childcare and having his his little infant strapped to his chest with the badge on his on the baby's butt was all stuff that came out of that suggestion. 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:59.920 And I thought, okay, that's different than Flynn, but the spirit of of the warmth of the character, um, the intelligence of the character, and the fact that he doesn't just rush to judgment, which is which is not what I think Fletch would expect from a cop because he's not the biggest lover of authority. 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:19.359 Um, the way I try to explain Fletch to people who don't know him that well, and and the version we went after is that he is on the side of right, but he thinks, you know, institutions like the police and the justice system move too slowly or flawed, often fail. 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:27.359 Um, so I'm just gonna break some laws and lie to a bunch of people and solve this thing while there's time to catch the bad guy. 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:37.920 Um, and you know, it's it's a kind of it's a it's a kind of value system, and it's it's delightful that he's also the kind of guy, and that this I took directly from the book. 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:44.000 The circumstances were slightly different, but the fact that he gets things wrong, um, he's not always right. 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:49.920 He his some of his theories uh that he's starting to become pretty certain about he finds out are dead wrong. 00:19:50.079 --> 00:19:57.920 But he's not the kind of person who would like argue or be embarrassed or you know fight for his side of it. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:01.599 He would just shrug and say, Okay, well then let's move on and find the right answer. 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:11.200 He's you know, his unflappability, you know, I didn't put it in the movie, but there's that the whole section where he's trying to help um his editor write the story about an arson. 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:11.599 Right. 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:12.000 Yeah. 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:17.359 And he develops this very specific theory about who the arsonist is, and he's 100% wrong about it. 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:20.559 It's just I I just something about that I loved so much. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:31.920 And then I thought, well, this also helps me a lot because if I made a movie where John Hamm was 100% correct every second of the film, that would really be obnoxious. 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:34.000 Can't be handsome and infallible. 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:35.599 Yeah, we don't get to be John Hamm. 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:37.599 It's like, oh, and you're right all the time, too. 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:38.960 No fuck yourself. 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:45.119 Um so anyway, the Flynn thing, yeah, that was that was that was bad news when I first heard that. 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:49.599 So I tried I tried to do my best to take some of the spirit of it. 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:52.880 Um, and I obviously I changed the relationship with his underling. 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:55.839 I thought about sticking to what was in the book. 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:59.119 Uh what was the name of the character, even though it wasn't uh Grover. 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:00.079 Grover. 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:03.519 I tried to yeah, Grover, whose new real name wasn't Grover. 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:23.119 Um, I thought about that, but um Zav had written a really sort of hard ass young detective, female detective, and I'd change it into uh you know the the neophyte character who uh Fletch likes but is going to you know mess with the whole movie. 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:27.039 Um I just thought that would be a fun, a fun runner to make her. 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:28.319 Yeah. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:35.440 I'll tell you, I'll tell you when we all you know watched it and we all were like, okay, well, what did everybody think? 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:36.720 We all loved Grizz. 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:39.920 Grizz sort of whole the movie with her. 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:41.359 I mean, she really is great. 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:45.759 Yeah, she's kind of the warmth of the movie in her own in her own way. 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:55.119 I mean, she's like the you know, you end up rooting for her, even though you know you want Fletch to do his fleshy stuff, but but you know, you also want her to have a victory. 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:57.839 And Aiden, the actress, did such a wonderful job. 00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:59.839 Um yeah, not only her back and forth. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:05.440 With Fletch with the whole movie, but also her kind of comedic chemistry with Roy Wood Jr. 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:16.319 And I love Roy Wood, and Roy Roy played it like he really approached this like a serious actor, not like a comic who's gonna just try and improv his way through the whole part and be in a different movie. 00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:26.559 He really, you know, he's very funny, but he's also very, you know, contained, um, as as at least how I saw the character, and and uh I felt he nailed that. 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:29.759 So it was, yeah, it that was a great combo to have. 00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:39.119 So when we were talking

about so differences, so and you mentioned earlier about in the in this world, you know, the original movie kind of did exist. 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:44.400 Is that why you decided to bring Frank over and replace the Jack Saunders character? 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:51.440 Yes, I think also, you know, the fantasy, and I'm knocking on wood, is that we get to do another. 00:22:51.680 --> 00:23:02.319 And I thought if we get to do another, because because there are those two editors that appear in various books, yes, that we could merge them and make them one guy and then get John Slattery, who I love. 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:03.519 He was hilarious. 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:05.759 Oh my god, great shorthand with John. 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:10.000 Yeah, I thought, well, if we can get them both in it, that's great. 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:15.039 Um, and uh, you know, if I get if I get Slattery back, I I'd be so thrilled. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:20.640 And so we just decided, well, they're probably not gonna let us make all of them. 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:27.039 So let's let's hope that they make let us make two and at least have one recurring character. 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:32.079 Um and uh yeah, so that was that was the thinking behind that. 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:49.839 And the thinking behind Lucy Punch's character, who is the ex-wife of the guy who owns the apartment where the where a dead body is found, which is giving away nothing because it's the first minute of the film, um, is in the book, she's left her husband for another woman. 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:57.119 And it's it's not that I think we're less accepting of gay female characters. 00:23:57.359 --> 00:24:16.240 The only the only concern was not being able to do justice to the character to because you know, a movie is shorter, you can't give enough screen time, and it coming across a little bit like, oh, it's you know, Fletch actually ends up suspecting that character of being the murderer. 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:25.519 And I thought, well, if we go that direction, does it seem a little unintentionally weird that he's he's having all these bad negative thoughts about uh a lesbian? 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:26.079 Right. 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:30.160 It will it come, you know, will I will I miss, you know, will I botch it? 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:31.839 Is basically what I was thinking. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:34.720 And I thought, you know, the it's it's a story. 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:53.119 I mean, I love that McDonald wrote about people from all walks of life and that he was very accepting of different sexualities and oh yes, don't want to give the end of a away to one of his novels, but there's a huge surprise in one of them that's something that I don't think many anyone was writing about at that time. 00:24:53.359 --> 00:25:12.160 And so that was, you know, I went back and forth with that idea, and I thought, well, if I'm gonna take McDonald's idea that he likes to work in a little bit of social satire commentary into it, and and it's not necessarily gonna be the same 1970s things that he's talking about, but try and make it relevant to today. 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:41.200 I had this idea that what if that character is the sort of influencer type, the sort of white privileged woman who uh whose brand is beauty and elegance and you know, eating the best food and living your best life, all of things that require you to be super fucking rich, and has, you know, has no sense of the disparity between her life and people who don't have money, because that's I guess a pet peeve of mine in the in this in the social media world. 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:41.920 Mine too. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:48.319 Uh and and I thought, well, that'd be a fun thing to send up because uh I I had an idea for how John could fuck with her. 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:59.440 And my plan in that scene was like, instead of just sort of leading her on so she make a fool of himself, I just thought he should just go in there and be even more shallow and awful than she is. 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:06.720 And then she would really be confused by the fact that, like, oh, I mean, I'm terrible, but this guy's really bad. 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:08.640 And that would really throw her off. 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:11.519 And John obviously had a lot of fun playing that scene. 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:21.680 That's the reasoning behind changing that character, who is a great character in the novel, and that the scene in the novel where he interviews her under uh false pretenses is a great one. 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:28.079 Greg, how much how much access did you have to the original movie material? 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:36.079 And how how did you decide how much you wanted to weave in uh to sort of bridge the gap between your version and the original movies? 00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:45.920 Well, first of all, because you guys are true believers, I'll let you in on the little homage moments to the original Fletch that we ended up not doing, and I'll tell you why. 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:52.960 One was, of course, a reference to The Underhills that was going to come in the first few minutes of the movie. 00:26:53.200 --> 00:27:02.880 And the Mirimax lawyer told us you can't use that name because in the first novel, I think the name is mentioned in karaoke fletch. 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:09.359 So we were basically allowed to say anything that was in any of the Fletch books, but except if it was only exclusively in the first one. 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:12.240 But on top of that, in the first novel, the name was Underwood. 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:14.559 Yes, and they changed it in the movies to Under Hill. 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:17.279 So it was like, shit, we can't do that. 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:19.200 And I really wanted to do that. 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:27.119 Um, just you know, as a way of like, besides the Laker hat, obviously being because that's that's something from the movie, not from

the books. 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:37.119 Um, I wanted to, you know, salute Chevy and the original and and my own love for it, and the fact that that movie ends talking about the underhills. 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:39.680 I wanted to start this one talking about we couldn't do it. 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:41.839 The other one is more ridiculous. 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:53.920 Uh, when Fletch goes to the yacht club and there happens to be a clan bait going on, there's this great uh kind of swing band called The Hot Sardines, who I've seen live a bunch of times, and I asked them to to play themselves in the movie. 00:27:54.240 --> 00:28:00.240 I had them one of there was a moment where um they're playing Moon River. 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:09.200 That was meant to be like if you get it, if you really get the joke, um that's for you. 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:18.000 But then in post-production, we were talking about the fact that we were over budget on our music, and they said, Will you please give up Moon River? 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:19.759 Because it costs too much. 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:25.599 And so, yeah, so that joke had to go, unfortunately. 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:33.759 That one that one makes me sad because because I really wanted that for the damn you, Mirimax for the lovers of the first movie. 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:38.240 Uh, because it was such a stupid, stupid way to reference it by actually playing the song. 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:42.400 Now, one thing we were all kind of holding our breath for was the theme. 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:47.759 Was that ever a possibility uh to be able to use the Fletch's Harold Fultemeyer theme? 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:59.759 We we explored the idea of one of um Kyle McLachlan plays a character, uh, he's an art dealer named Haran who's uh into EDM electronic dance music. 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:07.440 And we were we explored the idea of doing an EDM version of the of the Fletch theme for him to be dancing to. 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:11.039 Um, once again, that fell by the wayside of budget. 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:22.400 Um, and and you know, the idea of scoring the whole movie, or you know, trying to contact Harold Faltermeyer or work with a composer who would work with him sort of the way they did the new Top Gun. 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:27.920 I mean, they used a lot of his score and then they used a lot of new score and adapted of his stuff. 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:44.960 The reason ultimately we decided not to try too hard for that, and the same reason we didn't beg Chevy to be in it, is that we thought we should just try to do our own thing and not rest on the laurels of another movie. 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:52.319 Um, I you know that score is fantastic, it's obviously very period specific. 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:56.960 I there's part of me that wishes I I actually just experimented and tried cutting to it just to see what it felt like. 00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:58.559 I should have seen that, done that. 00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:22.000 But I just felt like it's I didn't want it to turn too much into a nostalgia thing because I sometimes am disappointed when I watch something that's meant to evoke, you know, remake of something from the 80s, and and and it's like, well, the magic isn't there, it's it's not this, you know, it's it's a different animal, and then you're sort of stuck, I you're sort of neither fish nor foul. 00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:26.319 You're neither the first movie nor you the your own new thing. 00:30:26.640 --> 00:30:43.680 Um, I think the example I use is the fact that Humphrey Bogart played Philip Marlowe uh in The Big Sleep in the 40s, and oh 27 years later, Elliot Gould played Philip Marlowe in The Long Goodbye, and that's you know, 27 years apart. 00:30:43.839 --> 00:30:46.000 I mean, the world changed faster back then. 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:48.880 Fletch, the original Fletch was 37 years ago. 00:30:49.119 --> 00:30:55.519 Um, first of all, sadly, there are young people who don't know the original Fletch, and if they're listening, they should watch it. 00:30:55.599 --> 00:30:56.559 And I repeat. 00:30:56.799 --> 00:31:07.279 But uh, you know, you never say never, you never know, Moon River or the original Halter Faltermeyer score mape period in the sequel, if they let us make one. 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.240 Because uh I don't mind I don't mind Easter eggs. 00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:16.319 I just I just start to get frustrated when movies have too many Easter eggs when it's just too much fan service. 00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:17.680 All right, then there's still hope. 00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:21.920 The Coming to America sequel was almost like overkill with Easter eggs. 00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:24.960 So there was a balance that we talked about going into this movie. 00:31:25.119 --> 00:31:39.119 One of the things that we that we were talking about, you know, is uh part of such a big part of the original movies was the overnarration that Chevy did in the Fletch character uh of all of his you know, everything that was gonna happen in the movie, he would talk about it. 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:44.400 Was that considered at all for this, or did you decide more or less to go a different way with your with your Fletch version? 00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:53.680 Well, I I read an interview with Chevy from God Knows When, where he talked about basically the the narration was to help shorten the film. 00:31:53.839 --> 00:32:00.720 They didn't plan on doing narration, but the movie was too long and they wanted to get it down to a nice crisp 95 minutes comedy length. 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:09.839 And so, in cutting scenes out, and I know you guys are well aware of the material that's been cut out and and how often people ask you, when am I gonna get to see it? 00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:13.519 And it's like, yeah, we don't get to see it. 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:22.000 Um, but uh so that's my understanding is that that was that was to help uh tell the

story with the with the missing pieces gone. 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:33.119 Um, and when I felt the early cut of Fletch felt too long, we discussed, okay, did we fix this by um using voiceover? 00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:40.720 And it is a classic, you know, detective story film noir technique, um, which is part of the charm in the original fletch. 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:52.720 But I thought once again, to keep it feeling our own thing, if we can get it to a uh a satisfying length and not feel like it's over staying its welcome. 00:32:52.880 --> 00:32:55.920 Um, without it, let's try. 00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:58.559 Um, you know, sometimes voiceover feels like a crutch. 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:00.000 I love it in the original fletch. 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:01.440 It's funny voiceover. 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:08.400 It gives the ending, you know, it gives the ending its the last big smile you have leaving the theater. 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:12.640 Um so uh but we ultimately, yeah, we thought about it. 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:17.759 I even wrote a little bit and and I thought, should I call Andrew Bergman? 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:22.079 That was the reason ultimately. 00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:25.279 What happened with the Laker hat in the uh in the trailer? 00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:29.039 You know, no one even no one even told me that they were gonna blur it out. 00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:32.640 Uh I this is this is directors don't get any respect anymore. 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:34.559 I see the trailer and it's like, what? 00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:37.920 And I guess it has to be some kind of like it would have cost more. 00:33:38.160 --> 00:33:42.480 We got the rights to use it in the movie, but they somehow didn't clear to use it in the trailer or commercials. 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:42.960 I don't know. 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:50.160 I that doesn't make any sense to me, but that's what happened, and that's why there's a blurred out bid on the driver's license at the 11th hour. 00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:56.960 Someone said, Oh, the clearance department said the number on the driver's license belongs to a real person, which is accidental. 00:33:57.839 --> 00:34:12.639 And and so we fixed it in the final print that people will see, but you know, they discovered it the day before the trailer was gonna well, it was a couple of days, and they, you know, as I was talking to you, Jake, about it being delayed forever and ever and ever. 00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:34.559 And it's you know, it's part of it is this is the reality for me at least of making uh a small, medium, medium, small comedy um in the system at this moment in time where film distribution exhibition is really kind of you know a shit show. 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:45.440 I mean, no one really knows what works anymore except for throwing a shitload of money at a tent pole film that's got a built-in audience. 00:34:45.679 --> 00:35:03.760 Um and other than that, it's all you know, it's like the kind of sleeper movies now

are everything every everywhere all at once, which is an A24 movie, independent distributor, people, you know, and they do a great job with their limited resources um selling a film. 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:14.320 And I could I could tell that, you know, we we also this film we could have aimed more at a younger audience, put in more sex jokes. 00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:16.800 I'm certainly not averse to them. 00:35:17.679 --> 00:35:24.320 They they put a roof over my head, uh, but uh, but it just didn't feel right. 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:34.400 Um, I mean, a little bit is like, yeah, the world's a little more prudish than it was um when Super Bay came out or when Confess Fletch was written. 00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:38.000 There's more, obviously, more sex in the book than there is in our movie. 00:35:38.239 --> 00:35:51.119 Um But you know, we kind of skewed this toward an adult audience because we want to make a really dialogue-driven character film, more of a comedy of manners, as I as I feel when I read the books. 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:59.280 I mean, one of the big differences between the approach I took versus the original movie is in the original movie, basically everyone's a straight man to Chevy. 00:35:59.760 --> 00:36:06.719 Um, I I endeavored to let you know, cast funny people and let them be funny in addition to John. 00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:12.159 Sometimes John is the straight man in a moment, and sometimes his reactions are what's funny. 00:36:12.400 --> 00:36:18.000 Um, and I and I I believe John's very funny throughout the movie, but it is a different, it is a different way at it. 00:36:18.159 --> 00:36:21.119 Um, and that's something that I felt in reading the book. 00:36:21.199 --> 00:36:25.920 I mean, certainly the countess is a funny, crazy character in the book. 00:36:26.079 --> 00:36:33.440 Um, the next door neighbor who's a lush, but Andy Moomalo's character is the replacement for, she has some very funny moments. 00:36:33.599 --> 00:36:36.639 She's sadder in the book, it's a little more emotional. 00:36:36.800 --> 00:36:47.760 Um, and and uh I even think in my early drafts, I sort of attempted that, and there just didn't seem to be space in this in the the you know, real estate for that in the movie. 00:36:47.840 --> 00:36:55.199 Um but it's one, you know, it's one of the I guess I feel like if I get to do another one of these, I'm hoping I'll have a little more time, a little more money. 00:36:55.280 --> 00:36:58.480 It'll be probably a little longer, probably a little richer. 00:36:58.800 --> 00:37:03.119 Um, and this was uh a hope that we could break the curve. 00:37:03.360 --> 00:37:08.480 Well, you kind of set it up for fortune there at the end when you went to, you know, when you mentioned, you know, Walter March. 00:37:08.719 --> 00:37:11.039 If doing another one, that would probably be the one you would do. 00:37:11.360 --> 00:37:14.639 Yeah, some in some interviews people have asked me which one would I do. 00:37:14.880

--> 00:37:17.119 Um, and I I haven't told them. 00:37:17.199 --> 00:37:22.000 And I thought I thought this is this is the one exclusive I'd give you guys is yeah. 00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:23.679 Well, Fletcher's fortune is the one. 00:37:23.760 --> 00:37:26.000 Yeah, that's the one I would I would love to adapt. 00:37:26.079 --> 00:37:44.320 And and uh the idea of putting Fletch in the middle of uh a lot of media people, some kind of journalism conference, given the age we live in and the absolute insanity of our culture and and of you know all forms of media are going a little nuts too. 00:37:44.480 --> 00:37:51.119 I just thought this is a great place for satire and and and and letting fret fletch loose to do his thing. 00:37:51.360 --> 00:37:55.599 Um, so yeah, that's that's that's my hope that I get to write that one. 00:37:55.840 --> 00:38:00.320 And that's a great opportunity for three podcasters to be an Easter egg in the background of that movie as well. 00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:01.280 Absolutely. 00:38:01.519 --> 00:38:03.440 Yes, absolutely at the convention. 00:38:03.840 --> 00:38:06.639 I would like to get I would like to get Gregory's sons in there too. 00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:09.599 There would be there would be there would be good luck charms. 00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:10.559 Yeah. 00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:14.320 Now, Greg, you you were able to get Larry into the movie. 00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:19.599 Now, what restrictions did you have regarding a character that was created for the movie? 00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.719 You know, I think that one might have slipped past legal. 00:38:25.199 --> 00:38:29.119 So hopefully. 00:38:29.440 --> 00:38:33.039 Well, you sort of made her a different character just named Larry. 00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:34.400 Yeah, yeah. 00:38:34.639 --> 00:38:35.039 Yes. 00:38:35.280 --> 00:38:42.880 She's a friend, and she's, you know, yeah, we wanted to make it a little more fun for her, so yeah, we let her be Larry. 00:38:42.960 --> 00:38:45.679 But uh Larry's a very common female names. 00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:47.599 Well, exactly, exactly. 00:38:47.679 --> 00:38:52.239 And it's then the great tradition of of women with male names in in many of his books. 00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:52.960 That's true. 00:38:53.119 --> 00:38:53.599 That's true. 00:38:53.760 --> 00:38:57.280 We got Andy, Larry, yeah, Bobby, Freddie. 00:38:57.679 --> 00:39:00.719 Freddie is uh is a big character, and yeah, absolutely. 00:39:00.960 --> 00:39:03.519 So uh you mentioned earlier about Chevy. 00:39:03.679 --> 00:39:08.559 I mean, was there any really serious discussions about a cameo or anything? 00:39:09.039 --> 00:39:17.199 You know, I it was what's ironic is um my first little movie I made, um, my indie film I made in the in the 90s was called The Day Trippers. 00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:20.960 And after that, I got my foot in the door and it was very helpful. 00:39:21.039 --> 00:39:25.039 And I wrote a script that uh I got set up at Sony Pictures, and I was thrilled. 00:39:25.119 --> 00:39:28.719 I'm gonna make a, you know, for them a small film, but for me a huge film. 00:39:29.039 --> 00:39:32.719 Um, you know, we made Day Trippers for like 80,000 bucks. 00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:36.639 And and there, I was gonna do like a$10 million movie at Sony. 00:39:36.880 --> 00:39:40.000 It was gonna start John Q's X D Zon and Chevy Chase. 00:39:40.320 --> 00:39:45.360 I I I did uh table reads with Chevy, I hung out with Chevy, yeah, I got notes from Chevy. 00:39:45.599 --> 00:39:48.880 I I was in pre-production, they gave us a green light. 00:39:48.960 --> 00:40:10.400 I was it was about an intervention in the south of France, like a group of old friends who find out that the sort of ringleader of their college group is it's it's sort of big chill with an intervention, it's turned into instead of dying, uh instead of their friend dying, he's just a you know, John Kuzek was gonna play this guy who had gone off the deep end, and they all go to try and save him, and everything goes sideways. 00:40:10.480 --> 00:40:19.679 And Chevy was one of playing an uncle who's one of the reasons everything goes sideways, and and he really liked the script, and we really got along, and I and I was so excited. 00:40:19.920 --> 00:40:21.920 Then Sony just decided one day, you know what? 00:40:22.079 --> 00:40:25.119 This movie's a little dark and a little small, we're gonna kill it. 00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:28.320 And I tried to get set up elsewhere, I couldn't. 00:40:28.480 --> 00:40:33.760 Um, in my contact with Chevy, uh, I never never got to talk to him again. 00:40:34.079 --> 00:40:37.119 But I had nothing, you know, I grew up loving him. 00:40:37.360 --> 00:40:41.360 I watched the first episode of SNL the day it aired. 00:40:41.519 --> 00:40:43.119 My parents somehow let me. 00:40:43.280 --> 00:40:47.599 Um, I you know, he was a huge hero to me, um, and I loved all those films. 00:40:47.679 --> 00:40:51.760 And and Fletch, like many, was my favorite Chevy Chase film. 00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:56.639 So it was very tempting to ask him to be in it. 00:40:56.880 --> 00:41:02.800 Um the problem was I just didn't feel like we had a part kind of good enough for him. 00:41:02.880 --> 00:41:08.239 Other than I wanted to just sort of trot him out to say, hey, look, we're cherry chase, we all love him. 00:41:08.320 --> 00:41:11.519 And it's and and and sort of stop the movie for that. 00:41:11.760 --> 00:41:19.760 Um if I really thought there was something that was worthy of the cameo, I probably would have asked him. 00:41:19.840 --> 00:41:21.760 I don't know who knows what he would have said. 00:41:22.079 --> 00:41:30.079 Um I don't I you know, I I hope he doesn't hate us for touching something that I know he loves. 00:41:30.320 --> 00:41:34.719 And especially because you never know, I might think of something to ask him to do in the next one. 00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:43.599 So, you know, once again, it was kind of like fan

service or not do it yet. 00:41:43.920 --> 00:41:47.440 So we decided we decided not to ask him. 00:41:47.760 --> 00:41:52.800 It's got to be a part that's not distracting, you know, where you as you see him, that's all you can think about. 00:41:52.960 --> 00:41:53.199 Yeah. 00:41:53.440 --> 00:42:02.400 Yeah, I feel like it needed to be meaty enough so he could actually have a scene and become a character and not just pop up you know driving a boat or something. 00:42:02.480 --> 00:42:06.000 You know, it's like the Uber driver or something here. 00:42:07.679 --> 00:42:09.760 I mean it's right, exactly. 00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:10.559 Five stars. 00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:10.960 Five stars. 00:42:11.199 --> 00:42:12.400 That was that was that was that was John's. 00:42:12.719 --> 00:42:13.440 Five stars, five stars. 00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:28.559 Um that's you know, it's like there are definitely movies, and I don't want to put down anyone else's work, but there are definitely movies that I feel like, yeah, it's that cameo is sort of distracting or sort of makes me sad because it makes me just want to watch the original. 00:42:28.719 --> 00:42:32.000 And I'm like, well, don't leave in the middle to go watch Fletch. 00:42:32.079 --> 00:42:34.000 Finish this one and then go watch Fletch. 00:42:34.559 --> 00:42:38.719 Uh um, so anyway, yeah, that's that was the that was the thinking. 00:42:38.800 --> 00:42:43.360 Uh it was no it was no diss on Chevy whatsoever. 00:42:43.599 --> 00:42:50.480 Um people say, I know, I don't think I'm speaking out of turn to say that there's been talk on the internet that he can be difficult. 00:42:50.559 --> 00:42:51.599 I don't give a shit about that. 00:42:51.679 --> 00:42:53.760 I love the guy, I love his work. 00:42:53.920 --> 00:42:57.039 He was great to me a little bit of time I spent with him. 00:42:57.280 --> 00:43:00.960 Um, and it was a heartbreak I didn't get to make a movie with him in 1999. 00:43:01.280 --> 00:43:01.599 Yeah. 00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:16.079 There's some dialogue that it is nice that you have a little wink to the original there in the boat scene at the end of the movie, because it very much it's basically line for line the the uh the dialogue there at the end of the original. 00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:17.119 I thought that was great. 00:43:17.199 --> 00:43:25.920 Yeah, well, you know, we decided we the the Danimont in uh the novel, and it didn't bother me reading the book, I kind of liked it in the book. 00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:33.039 You basically the the the whole mystery gets solved in a it's told to you in a conversation between Flynn and Fletch. 00:43:33.119 --> 00:43:36.320 You don't it doesn't happen on the page, right? 00:43:36.480 --> 00:43:44.719 And I thought, well, that's great in a book, and it's and it's and it's ballsy, but if I did that in the movie, people would, I think, not be happy. 00:43:44.960 --> 00:43:49.599 Um, so so when I started to figure out, well, what what is the ending

then? 00:43:49.760 --> 00:43:53.280 We ended up in a scene that had some similarities to the end of the first fletch. 00:43:53.360 --> 00:43:57.760 And I thought, well, that I didn't set out to make it that way. 00:43:57.920 --> 00:43:59.760 It's just the pieces fell together, and I thought, oh. 00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:04.079 This is yeah, this and it's not uh has some similarity. 00:44:04.239 --> 00:44:13.199 So so so then John and I talked about it, and and and it was actually John suggesting so what about right here if uh we use that line from the film. 00:44:13.360 --> 00:44:16.960 Um and I thought, oh that's great, you know, we love the movie. 00:44:17.119 --> 00:44:20.800 It's there's nothing there's no there's no like it bugged me. 00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:27.119 Like I love Tim Burton, but when he said he was making a new Willy Wonka movie and he was putting down the original, so he never liked it. 00:44:27.199 --> 00:44:29.440 I was like, come on, man, not to say that. 00:44:29.599 --> 00:44:31.199 Yeah, we love Gene Wilder. 00:44:31.760 --> 00:44:41.840 Come on, it's like, yeah, I know yours will be like really different, and that's cool too, but you know, I have no desire to diss Fletch, it's a kick-ass movie. 00:44:42.320 --> 00:44:50.800 John Ham had said in an interview that Bill Hader, uh, I guess was brought on to I maybe just like read over the script or come up with some ideas or whatever. 00:44:50.960 --> 00:44:57.039 He said that he actually came up with a a brilliant idea for some part of the ending that I guess you guys used. 00:44:57.119 --> 00:44:59.199 Is that something you can that is absolutely true? 00:44:59.280 --> 00:45:09.280 And it's and and I can't talk about too much without giving away uh anything, but yes, Bill had to take Bill, you know, old friend of mine and John, and we asked him to read it and give notes. 00:45:09.440 --> 00:45:13.360 And he he had basically that this one note, he said in this one scene, what if? 00:45:13.519 --> 00:45:20.480 And it just was turning it slightly, but it made it really funny in a great way and and fit perfectly. 00:45:20.639 --> 00:45:25.119 Um and so I I gladly stole that idea from Bill. 00:45:25.280 --> 00:45:37.920 I, you know, I've worked with comedy people, and I and I see that the way they work is they're constantly showing stuff to their peers, and if their peer comes up with something funny, they have no guilt taking it and claiming ownership. 00:45:38.079 --> 00:45:47.599 Um, yeah, like when Judd Appetit does table reads of screenplays, he invites all the best comedy writers in LA to come and watch, and then they sit around and talk and pitch ideas. 00:45:47.840 --> 00:45:50.000 And that's kind of a comedy thing. 00:45:50.159 --> 00:45:52.559 I mean, it's a way of kicking the tires or something. 00:45:52.639 --> 00:45:56.400 And and the truth is you end up discarding, we did it on super bad. 00:45:56.480 --> 00:46:01.679 We ended up discarding 95% of the suggestions, but the 5% we kept were good ones. 00:46:01.840 --> 00:46:07.840 Um, so we did a similar kind of thing with we did a little round table with funny people we know. 00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:16.400 I invited a writer I know from the TV show, Dave, uh Saladine Patterson, who's a great African-American comic. 00:46:16.559 --> 00:46:22.000 Um, we invited Robert Carlock and Paula Pell, who were 30 rock writers. 00:46:22.320 --> 00:46:24.639 Um we uh who else was in that? 00:46:25.039 --> 00:46:25.599 Aubrey Plaza. 00:46:25.760 --> 00:46:26.719 Um or no. 00:46:27.440 --> 00:46:34.719 Aubrey and Pan Oswald did an early table read for us uh via Zoom, and we got some help from them. 00:46:34.880 --> 00:46:42.159 And then uh yeah, there were it was uh Andy Ciara, who I'm working with on a TV version of Adventureland. 00:46:42.239 --> 00:46:49.119 Uh Andy wrote Palm Springs, which is a really hilarious movie that I bet you guys saw on Hulu. 00:46:49.360 --> 00:46:50.000 I did see it. 00:46:50.079 --> 00:46:50.880 It was great, yeah. 00:46:51.119 --> 00:46:51.760 Very funny. 00:46:52.000 --> 00:46:57.199 Um, so it was a real yeah, it was a good, it was a real murderer's row of funny people. 00:46:57.360 --> 00:47:00.960 And you know, they pitched a lot of jokes, and a lot of them were like one-liners and things like that. 00:47:01.039 --> 00:47:05.119 It's funny, but it not really necessary to the scene. 00:47:05.199 --> 00:47:06.800 I didn't want the script to get super fat. 00:47:06.960 --> 00:47:11.840 I didn't want it to, I didn't want I did for whatever reason I wanted this movie to be pretty tight. 00:47:12.000 --> 00:47:28.719 Um and and but then occasionally people would suggest an idea that would, you know, like I had said earlier, where Robert Carlock suggested the idea of of lean more into um Morris's baby thing and being exhausted all the time and and what it's like to be a new parent. 00:47:28.800 --> 00:47:32.159 And I've been there, I've got three kids, so I I know I can write that. 00:47:32.400 --> 00:47:45.280 Um, so it was, you know, stuff like that is um and I was writing, you know, working in a up to now, everything I've written has pretty much been kind of personal um from aspects of my life. 00:47:45.599 --> 00:47:55.119 And uh that was super helpful, but it's also fun when you're doing it, you're the director and the writer because you also get to say no and not use stuff you don't want to use. 00:47:55.199 --> 00:48:04.719 Like there's always a pressure just to jam in everything, um, and have a million alts to every line, but you can kind of lose the thread of the scene sometimes that way. 00:48:04.880 --> 00:48:19.280 So we found a bound, we found a balance, and also, you know, Annie Mumelo being who she is, she suggested the line where she's talking about how she inherited her her apartment from her ex-husband, and then she says, Well, he's not really my ex, he died on the toilet, but nobody wants to hear that. 00:48:19.519 -->

00:48:20.320 That's Annie. 00:48:20.400 --> 00:48:25.599 I mean, she's a great comedy writer, she co-wrote Bridesmaids, and I thought, yep, we're using that. 00:48:25.760 --> 00:48:30.960 Um we've had this discussion, like we've said to each other, like, what do we do if we hate it? 00:48:31.119 --> 00:48:32.079 Like, what do we say? 00:48:32.239 --> 00:48:35.679 You know, luckily, we did not have to cross that bridge. 00:48:35.920 --> 00:48:41.199 I, you know, I I really thought, like, yeah, I'd have to I'd end up having to write you guys a long apology. 00:48:43.840 --> 00:48:53.440 But you know, it's like my my feeling is um, you know, someone else could decide to do other versions of this, just like Philip Marlowe. 00:48:53.519 --> 00:48:57.679 I mean, down the line, why shouldn't Kevin Smith get to make his version someday? 00:48:57.840 --> 00:48:59.119 Anyway, sorry about my interruption. 00:48:59.280 --> 00:48:59.679 No, no, no. 00:48:59.840 --> 00:49:03.599 I was gonna say, speaking of crossing bridges, it I it's been my theory now. 00:49:03.760 --> 00:49:07.039 You seem like the kind of person that doesn't do things by accident. 00:49:07.519 --> 00:49:24.000 Uh, we see one scene without giving too much away, uh, where Grizz is driving in New Jersey and we're following her GPS, and it seems like her current position is the exact town where Laker Jim and I grew up in Carter, New Jersey, where she's like currently at. 00:49:24.239 --> 00:49:28.000 You know, I did the I did the Latitude Mons team, even with Staten Island. 00:49:28.079 --> 00:49:29.119 It's right there now. 00:49:29.280 --> 00:49:31.760 I'm gonna assume that that was intentional. 00:49:32.000 --> 00:49:32.559 Oh yeah. 00:49:32.800 --> 00:49:33.440 Oh yeah. 00:49:33.679 --> 00:49:35.840 Or or an Easter throwing us, right? 00:49:36.000 --> 00:49:38.960 Yeah, that's like that's like that's like a Passover egg. 00:49:39.039 --> 00:49:39.920 That's how rare that is. 00:49:40.400 --> 00:49:43.119 We'll put it on A D B as credit for us. 00:49:43.360 --> 00:49:44.400 Yeah, absolutely. 00:49:44.559 --> 00:49:49.280 Just like just like uh Jake, were you the one who caught the birthday on the driver's license? 00:49:49.599 --> 00:49:53.599 Actually, LJ and I found that together when we were breaking down the trailer. 00:49:53.840 --> 00:49:54.079 Really? 00:49:54.559 --> 00:49:56.159 I mean, like, that's a nice link. 00:49:56.320 --> 00:49:57.280 Yeah, that was great. 00:49:57.440 --> 00:49:58.719 Yeah, that was really sweet. 00:49:59.039 --> 00:50:02.320 Well, to anyone who hasn't read the books, they're such a fucking joy. 00:50:02.559 --> 00:50:06.320 They are, and they feel they feel as modern as anything. 00:50:06.480 --> 00:50:24.719 I mean, he really obviously loved Chandler and Hammett, and and like, you know, isn't and I love people like Elmore Leonard, like I said before, but he he found his own way into this kind of storytelling, his own tone that is unique and delightful. 00:50:24.880 --> 00:50:30.880 And the books are not all exactly the same, they have different styles somewhat or different different approaches. 00:50:30.960 --> 00:50:33.360 They all have some interesting things to say about society. 00:50:33.679 --> 00:50:46.719 I mean, the what you know, the I'm sure you've heard a million times the quote of his about why he likes the the genre of mystery because uh because it's so pedestrian, you can sneak in all this sort of social criticism. 00:50:46.880 --> 00:50:54.239 Uh obviously, as a human being, he was very involved in in uh just causes for justice. 00:50:54.559 --> 00:50:56.719 So we obviously have a very strong feeling about that. 00:50:56.800 --> 00:51:00.400 And you feel it in the books, but he's also you know a devilish hilarious guy. 00:51:00.639 --> 00:51:07.280 He was, and I can tell you right now that he would be very, very satisfied and and very happy with with how it turned out. 00:51:07.440 --> 00:51:10.159 I can I I know for certain he would be very happy with it. 00:51:10.480 --> 00:51:13.199 And some metaphysical universe, I hope that's true. 00:51:13.280 --> 00:51:14.880 That's that's very nice of you to say. 00:51:15.039 --> 00:51:17.039 I I'll I'll take it. 00:51:17.280 --> 00:51:20.000 I I really respect the guy a lot. 00:51:20.320 --> 00:51:24.239 We we are kind of uh I guess ignorant when it comes to the film industry. 00:51:24.639 --> 00:51:33.519 When it comes to a movie being released, and I know there's probably certain numbers you have to hit before a sequel is is green lighted. 00:51:33.599 --> 00:51:35.440 I mean, is that something that you're prevy to? 00:51:35.599 --> 00:51:36.400 Do you know about that? 00:51:36.559 --> 00:51:39.760 Is that something you are watching or because everything's not working? 00:51:39.920 --> 00:51:44.559 You know, all bets are off now in film distribution, and we're getting this sort of hybrid release. 00:51:44.800 --> 00:51:53.519 Instead of going straight to streaming or going getting a traditional release, we're getting we're I think we're at about 450 theaters starting Friday. 00:51:53.760 --> 00:51:55.360 We're on demand the same day. 00:51:55.519 --> 00:51:57.679 Even that couldn't have happened two years ago. 00:51:57.840 --> 00:52:04.719 Um, two years up to two years ago, the major chains, at least AMC, Regal, and the what other one? 00:52:04.960 --> 00:52:06.480 Cinemark maybe. 00:52:07.039 --> 00:52:10.880 Um, they wouldn't take a movie that was being released on demand the same day. 00:52:11.039 --> 00:52:20.960 They they they wanted to keep the window uh of 90 days that they've always had before a movie can be seen on a TV screen or anywhere else but on a theater screen. 00:52:21.199 --> 00:52:24.000 And the pandemic kind of you know broke everybody. 00:52:24.159 --> 00:52:29.519 It broke broke the exhibitors, it broke the business, and and everything changed. 00:52:29.599 --> 00:52:38.159 Um, so you know, Paramount is very

decidedly and probably sadly wisely not spending a lot of money on promoting this movie. 00:52:38.239 --> 00:52:46.239 They want it to be a word of mouth thing and hope that people hear about it, but they're not expecting, you know, any kind of first weekend bonanza. 00:52:46.800 --> 00:52:52.000 Um to get those, you really have to, you know, spend millions upon millions of dollars. 00:52:52.239 --> 00:53:00.800 Um, even even though Super Bad was a real surprise to me, Sony really got behind it and spent a lot of money promoting that movie once they said, Oh, I think we have a hit. 00:53:01.039 --> 00:53:04.559 Uh, so it's not so much that they I think they don't like the movie. 00:53:04.639 --> 00:53:08.960 I think they just say, well, this kind of skews adult, and a lot of young people don't know who Fletch is. 00:53:09.199 --> 00:53:14.000 And you know, it's not it's not IP that is known by everybody. 00:53:14.239 --> 00:53:18.000 Uh, and it's not a super broad, dirty comedy. 00:53:18.079 --> 00:53:23.280 So it fits more on streaming, but it's good enough to be in the theater for a little bit. 00:53:23.519 --> 00:53:25.119 Um, so who knows? 00:53:25.280 --> 00:53:25.679 Who knows? 00:53:25.760 --> 00:53:26.079 I don't know. 00:53:26.159 --> 00:53:33.599 Once it gets to Showtime, I don't know what metric will make them feel like, oh, that was in all its various forms worth doing. 00:53:33.760 --> 00:53:38.000 I mean, I guess, you know, when it's on Showtime, you could you'll also be able to rent it. 00:53:38.239 --> 00:53:43.840 The, I mean, the in-demand price is high because for the first month they're they charge a premium. 00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:50.000 Then eventually, I think when it's on Showtime, you can get it on iTunes or whatever for whatever what most movies cost to rent. 00:53:50.239 --> 00:53:56.079 So I guess they'll add up those numbers and say, oh, that was good, and it brought some eyeballs to Showtime or whatever. 00:53:56.159 --> 00:53:58.480 But I don't, you know, that's a big complaint about Netflix. 00:53:58.639 --> 00:54:09.840 Nobody seems to know what where they make their money, what you know, like the world of residuals for people like me and actors and writers is dried up in a big way. 00:54:10.079 --> 00:54:24.320 Um, which is the reason most of us have to just go from job to job to job now, because because back in the old days, if you had a show on something on HBO or on a network, you would get very nice residuals if if they aired it a lot. 00:54:24.639 --> 00:54:28.719 Now with Netflix, like who knows how many times people have pressed the play button. 00:54:28.960 --> 00:54:31.119 They don't share that information anymore. 00:54:31.360 --> 00:54:33.519 So it's it's weird, it's really weird. 00:54:33.679 --> 00:54:36.960 I don't know why some things they'll make a million of. 00:54:37.119 --> 00:54:47.440 I mean, Netflix is sort of in the business of doing a lot of like um teen tween things that are kind of cheaper to make and kids eat them up. 00:54:47.519 --> 00:54:55.679 And I get it, it's a smart business model, but I I don't know then when they spend a couple hundred million on a giant film that don't put in the theaters. 00:54:55.760 --> 00:55:00.880 I just is that I guess that's they're selling subscriptions enough that way. 00:55:01.440 --> 00:55:04.880 It's I don't I don't know that anyone knows anything anymore. 00:55:05.440 --> 00:55:09.119 Greg, they say that you need three miracles to be ordained a saint. 00:55:09.360 --> 00:55:17.280 And as far as we're concerned, after 33 years, getting a Fletch movie off the ground was nothing short of a miracle. 00:55:17.599 --> 00:55:18.079 Thank you. 00:55:18.239 --> 00:55:19.920 That's very nice of you, Jim. 00:55:20.239 --> 00:55:21.519 God, we admire you. 00:55:22.400 --> 00:55:24.639 The standards are very low now for miracles. 00:55:24.880 --> 00:55:27.760 Greg, I know you got to go, but thank you so much for your time. 00:55:27.920 --> 00:55:29.440 We'll be watching on demand. 00:55:29.519 --> 00:55:34.079 We'll be in the theaters on Friday, September 16th, and uh, we look forward to talking to you again. 00:55:34.320 --> 00:55:44.719 Yeah, I I'll gladly come back uh if you guys want to talk again while the movie's making its way through various media, and uh we could talk about the Apple Watch version of the film. 00:55:45.119 --> 00:55:49.840 And uh and uh and I I really appreciate you guys. 00:55:50.000 --> 00:55:52.239 I I'm so glad you didn't hate it. 00:55:52.480 --> 00:55:58.400 Um, and uh and hopefully if you give it a second viewing, uh you'll see new things in it that you like. 00:55:58.559 --> 00:56:14.000 But I I I love that you guys love the movie and the books so much because it's a great character, it's a great creation, what Gregory McDonald did, and also what Michael Ritchie and Andrew Bergman and Chevy Chase did are all wonderful uh bits of American artistry. 00:56:14.239 --> 00:56:15.119 Yeah, perfect. 00:56:15.280 --> 00:56:16.480 All right, Greg, thanks so much. 00:56:16.559 --> 00:56:17.440 We'll talk to you soon. 00:56:17.760 --> 00:56:19.119 Okay, thank you guys. 00:56:19.280 --> 00:56:21.599 Thanks, Jake, thanks, Jim, thanks, Bob. 00:56:24.000 --> 00:56:26.159 What an incredibly nice guy. 00:56:26.639 --> 00:56:27.760 Really good dude. 00:56:28.000 --> 00:56:30.960 He's just as open and honest and nice as he is. 00:56:31.519 --> 00:56:34.000 He's been very charitable towards us to giving us information. 00:56:34.159 --> 00:56:37.440 And he did the exact same thing today, you know, and you gotta appreciate that. 00:56:37.519 --> 00:56:38.800 I can't wait to talk to him against him. 00:56:39.119 --> 00:56:41.760 I think the listeners really learned a lot as we did. 00:56:41.920 --> 00:56:48.079 I think we've got a really in-depth, behind-the-scenes look of how the movie was made. 00:56:48.400 --> 00:57:01.039 I think a lot of my questions, I'm sure yours as well, I mean, I think a lot of my questions were answered as far as differences between the book and the movie, what was in, what was out, uh, you know, those callbacks to the original. 00:57:01.599 --> 00:57:07.519 So, yeah, I learned a lot, and I think, at least I hope that who's ever listening as as well. 00:57:07.840 --> 00:57:20.159 You see, kids, I think what we learned today is that movie makers and directors just can't wave a magic wand and insert anything and everything into their movie that you can possibly dream of. 00:57:20.320 --> 00:57:22.480 The original is owned by another company. 00:57:22.800 --> 00:57:30.480 There are laws and lawyers and people out there protecting the intellectual property of the other films. 00:57:30.960 --> 00:57:43.679 So, that being said, I really think they did an excellent job paying fan service to the character of Fletch, fans of the movie, and lovers of the book. 00:57:44.079 --> 00:57:50.639 I would hope that those that may be a little apprehensive about seeing it will maybe push them over the edge to actually get them to see it. 00:57:50.719 --> 00:58:00.480 Maybe those really Fletch Chevy diehards, just with the reviews and just people talking about how great Ham's performances will maybe encourage them to go and see it. 00:58:00.800 --> 00:58:07.039 I think that the one thing Ham proved in this whole thing is that he is definitely reliable for a Fletch franchise. 00:58:07.119 --> 00:58:08.480 I think that this needs to be a trilogy. 00:58:08.639 --> 00:58:12.239 I think that this needs to be at least three movies in total. 00:58:12.559 --> 00:58:15.039 A Fletch verse would be great. 00:58:15.360 --> 00:58:19.119 But as of Friday, we really can say Fletch lives. 00:58:19.760 --> 00:58:20.559 Amen, brother. 00:58:20.719 --> 00:58:21.199 Shout out. 00:58:22.159 --> 00:58:25.280 I'd once again like to thank Greg Matola for his time. 00:58:25.599 --> 00:58:32.079 Confessed Fletch this Friday, limited theater, so you might have to search for it, but you'll find it. 00:58:32.400 --> 00:58:34.079 Also available on demand. 00:58:34.239 --> 00:58:35.119 There's no excuse. 00:58:35.280 --> 00:58:39.440 Go out and see Confess Fletch this weekend and give us a call on the hotline. 00:58:39.519 --> 00:58:40.559 Let us know what you think. 00:58:40.800 --> 00:58:43.360 We're Jake and Bob and Greg Matola. 00:58:43.440 --> 00:58:44.639 I'm Laker Jim. 00:58:44.800 --> 00:58:46.880 It's time to confess fletch. 00:58:47.360 --> 00:58:48.000 See ya. 00:58:48.320 --> 00:58:48.880 See ya. 00:58:49.199 --> 00:58:50.880 Great job, as always.