# Confess, Fletch
**Confess, Fletch** is a 2022 American comedy crime film directed by Greg Mottola, in which [Jon Hamm](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-hamm) plays the investigative reporter Irwin M. "Fletch" Fletcher, who becomes the prime suspect in a murder while searching for a stolen art collection.[1](https://www.miramax.com/movie/confess-fletch/) It is an adaptation of Gregory Mcdonald's 1976 novel of the same name, the second book in his Fletch series, and the first Fletch film since 1989's *Fletch Lives*.[2](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/new-fletch-film-to-star-jon-hamm/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Limited theatrical release and Premium Video-on-Demand on September 16, 2022; premiered on Showtime October 28, 2022[3](https://mafilm.org/2022/07/15/cohasset-shot-jon-hamm-comedy-confess-fletch-set-for-september-release/) |
| Source | Gregory Mcdonald's 1976 novel *Confess, Fletch*, the second of his 11 Fletch novels[2](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/new-fletch-film-to-star-jon-hamm/) |
| Director / writers | Greg Mottola; screenplay by Zev Borow[4](https://www.miramax.com/news/jon-hamm-star-and-produce-miramaxs-modern-day-take-fletch-mystery-novel/) |
| Lead cast | Jon Hamm, Marcia Gay Harden, Kyle MacLachlan, John Slattery, Roy Wood Jr, Annie Mumolo, and Lorenza Izzo[1](https://www.miramax.com/movie/confess-fletch/) |
| Critical reception | 86% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 127 reviews[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/confess_fletch) |
| Runtime | Approximately 95 minutes (98 minutes 22 seconds for the UK cinema version, per the BBFC)[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/confess-fletch-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda4ndew) |
| Sequel status | Mottola confirmed in August 2024 that no sequel is planned[7](https://www.joblo.com/confess-fletch-no-sequel/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and source novel
The film follows Fletch, a former investigative journalist, who finds a dead body in the Boston townhouse his Italian girlfriend is renting and is assumed by the police to be the killer. He has a separate mystery of his own to solve: the disappearance of his girlfriend's father and the theft of valuable paintings, including a Picasso.[8](https://time.com/6217880/confess-fletch-watch/) The Miramax synopsis describes him working through a list of suspects that includes an eccentric art dealer, a missing playboy, a troublesome neighbor, and the girlfriend herself.[1](https://www.miramax.com/movie/confess-fletch/)
Mcdonald's 1976 novel, the second installment of the series, has Fletch's fiancée's father abducted and her family's art collection stolen, after which someone tries to frame him for a crime. The same novel introduced the Boston police detective Francis Xavier Flynn, who later starred in his own series of books.[2](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/new-fletch-film-to-star-jon-hamm/) Reviewers noted that the film is closer to the book than the 1985 *Fletch* was, keeping the novel's staccato sentences and witty dialogue in a more straightforward adaptation, though Flynn is downplayed.[9](https://screencomment.com/2022/09/confess-fletch-review/)
## Production
The project began when Jon Hamm, a fan of the novels since his teenage years, approached Mottola after Miramax acquired the rights to all the Fletch books except the first one.[10](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/confess-fletch-interview-jon-hamm-chevy-chase-greg-mottola/) Hamm said he could not do a [Chevy Chase](https://www.edgepedia.org/chevy-chase) impersonation and wanted a version closer to the tone of the books; Mottola read the first five or six novels before committing.[10](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/confess-fletch-interview-jon-hamm-chevy-chase-greg-mottola/) An early script by Zev Borow was, in Hamm's words, a great and hilarious movie for Chevy Chase, so it was reworked away from that style.[10](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/confess-fletch-interview-jon-hamm-chevy-chase-greg-mottola/)
**Financing was tight.** Mottola described a budget that allowed only 27 days of shooting; Hamm gave up 60 percent of his paycheck to fund extra days and finish the film, and Mottola also returned part of his salary.[11](https://uproxx.com/movies/greg-mottola-confess-fletch-interview/) • [8](https://time.com/6217880/confess-fletch-watch/) Part of the film was shot in Cohasset, Massachusetts, where the 45-room waterfront Oaks Estate was turned into the fictional Mayflower Yacht Club; key scenes included a nighttime break-in of a schooner and pyrotechnics on the pier.[3](https://mafilm.org/2022/07/15/cohasset-shot-jon-hamm-comedy-confess-fletch-set-for-september-release/)
## Release and reception
Miramax mounted virtually no marketing campaign, and the film opened in a very limited number of theaters the same day it became available to rent on Prime, Vudu, and iTunes; as of late September 2022 it was playing in exactly one cinema across all five boroughs of New York City.[8](https://time.com/6217880/confess-fletch-watch/) Mottola publicly expressed confusion at the treatment, given strong reviews.[11](https://uproxx.com/movies/greg-mottola-confess-fletch-interview/) Critics were largely positive: the film holds 86% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, and the site's critics consensus calls it a showcase for Hamm's comedic chops that revives the long-dormant franchise with style.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/confess_fletch) The Associated Press later ranked it among the best comedies of the 2015–2024 decade, calling it criminally underseen.[12](https://apnews.com/article/46ba826373d0682f4ee7cca675283807)
## Relation to the 1985 film
The 1985 *Fletch*, directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Chevy Chase, was adapted from the first novel and reshaped to fit Chase's style of deadpan dialogue and physical slapstick; it holds 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fletch) After that film and 1989's *Fletch Lives*, the franchise spent roughly three decades in limbo, with proposed reboots involving figures such as [Burt Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/burt-reynolds), Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds, and [Mick Jagger](https://www.edgepedia.org/mick-jagger) that never reached production.[10](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/confess-fletch-interview-jon-hamm-chevy-chase-greg-mottola/) • [14](https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/content/dam/inflight-entertainment/vera-magazine/Vera_March_2023_Opt.pdf) Hamm's version is described by Time as less cruel and more hapless than Chase's, with Hamm often playing the straight man so supporting performers can carry the comedy.[8](https://time.com/6217880/confess-fletch-watch/)
Despite the positive reception, Mottola stated in August 2024 that no sequel was moving forward, ending talk of continuing the revived series.[7](https://www.joblo.com/confess-fletch-no-sequel/)
## References
1. [Confess, Fletch – Official Site, Miramax](https://www.miramax.com/movie/confess-fletch/)
2. [New Fletch Film To Star Jon Hamm, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/new-fletch-film-to-star-jon-hamm/)
3. [Cohasset-shot Jon Hamm comedy 'Confess, Fletch' set for September release, Massachusetts Film Office](https://mafilm.org/2022/07/15/cohasset-shot-jon-hamm-comedy-confess-fletch-set-for-september-release/)
4. [Jon Hamm to Star In and Produce Miramax's Modern Day Take on FLETCH Mystery Novel, Miramax](https://www.miramax.com/news/jon-hamm-star-and-produce-miramaxs-modern-day-take-fletch-mystery-novel/)
5. [Confess, Fletch, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/confess_fletch)
6. [Confess, Fletch, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/confess-fletch-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda4ndew)
7. [Confess, Fletch director says series "curse" canceled sequel, JoBlo](https://www.joblo.com/confess-fletch-no-sequel/)
8. [Hollywood Forgot to Tell You About a Delightful Jon Hamm Comedy You Can Stream Right Now, Time](https://time.com/6217880/confess-fletch-watch/)
9. ["CONFESS, FLETCH" | REVIEW, Screen Comment](https://screencomment.com/2022/09/confess-fletch-review/)
10. [Confess, Fletch director on Jon Hamm, Chevy Chase, and screwing with jerks, Digital Trends](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/confess-fletch-interview-jon-hamm-chevy-chase-greg-mottola/)
11. [Greg Mottola Interview: 'Confess, Fletch' Director Unloads, Uproxx](https://uproxx.com/movies/greg-mottola-confess-fletch-interview/)
12. [In a low period for comedy films, these were the best of the last decade, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/46ba826373d0682f4ee7cca675283807)
13. [Fletch, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fletch)
14. [Vera in-flight magazine, March 2023, Virgin Atlantic](https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/content/dam/inflight-entertainment/vera-magazine/Vera_March_2023_Opt.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Action, thriller, and crime series film entries › Entries released 2020s and later*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license