The one movie Patrick Wilson would watch forever: “And I’m going to recite every line”
Patrick Wilson has slowly but surely become a major presence in Hollywood. After establishing himself in the seminal HBO miniseries Angels in America, he moved into movies with smaller hits like Hard Candy and Lakeview Terrace. This led to a number of major hits in the horror genre, including the wildly successful ‘Conjuring’ and ‘Insidious’ franchises. Now, he’s a go-to across film and TV, with many more years of acclaim on the horizon.
In terms of critical acclaim, Wilson’s best work has come on the small screen. As well as the aforementioned Angels in America, he also played Lou Selverson in the TV adaptation of Fargo, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Still, this doesn’t mean we should discount his opinion on cinema; even if one of his favourite movies is completely out of left-field.
Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes, the star listed some very well-known movies amongst his all-time faves. Die Hard; Star Wars; The Godfather; these are all fairly standard answers, but one thing that nobody expected Wilson to say was Fletch. Released in 1985, this neo-noir comedy stars Chevy Chase as the eponymous character, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. When Fletch is contacted by a terminally ill millionaire (Tim Matheson) about a plot to murder him as part of an insurance scam, the intrepid, yet bumbling journalist sets out to uncover the truth.
“What’s interesting about that movie to me is, aside from the ridiculousness of Chevy Chase and his comedy, the plot’s pretty interesting,” Wilson outlined. “You’re trying to figure out what’s happening. He’s trying to write this article, he uncovers this whole scam, this fraud, and he’s being set up for this murder, and it holds its own. You can do the wacky characters for Fletch Lives, but you don’t actually have as interesting a central plot. Maybe you’ve just already seen a lot of the jokes.”
Wilson is referring to Fletch Lives, the 1989 sequel in which Chase’s character travels to Louisiana after inheriting a mansion from his deceased aunt. While the original Fletch movie was received well – Gene Siskel once called it his favourite ever Chevy Chase movie – the follow-up was far from a success. It made less money at the box office and impressed fewer people in the press, and the series lay dormant for over three decades. It wasn’t until Jon Hamm took over the character in the 2022 reboot, Confess, Fletch, that the franchise returned to the spotlight.
It might seem a bit strange that Wilson would go for three established masterpieces and then pick something completely different for his final choice. However, as he explained, questions like this are all about personal preference. “When I think of five favourite films, it’s hard for me to put in, like, Citizen Kane,” he said. “While that movie and many classic movies are amazing, I couldn’t lie and say, “If it’s on, I’m going to watch it,” whereas a movie like Fletch, I’ll watch… and I’m going to recite every line.”
For all the industry-shaking movies out there like Citizen Kane, nothing quite beats a comfort watch that you and you alone hold dear. Fletch might not be considered one of the greatest movies of all time, but it clearly means more to Patrick Wilson than any Oscar ever could.
