Light-hearted fun, but not as great as it could have been

Saturday Night Live vehicles are a funny old bag. They can be pretty terrible a lot of the time (see virtually any other Chevy Chase film) but, very occasionally, something like 'Wayne's World' will pop out. 'Fletch' is definitely better than average, but it's not quite got the appeal of Wayne.

Part of the problem is the character - Fletch is an investigative reporter with lots of sassy one-liners and the ability to talk rings round anyone. This is great fun, of course, particularly when he is given a hilariously thorough medical examination (don't ask), but it becomes clear halfway through that the comic possibilities are far from limitless.

The movie also suffers from a typically 80s thriller plotline: a rich businessman, dying from cancer, has employed Fletch to assassinate him. Rolled up in all of this is a drug-smuggling operation, a corrupt police force and insurance fraud. Intriguing stuff, sure, but it does mean that 'Fletch' errs often on the side of tense villain-chasing rather than out-and-out comedy.

But it IS funny, which is what matters at heart, and is guaranteed to raise more than a few belly laughs. Just don't expect anything more!