After becoming the prime suspect in a murder, Fletch strives to prove his innocence while simultaneously searching for his girlfriend's stolen art collection.
Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher (Jon Hamm) is apparently sent to Boston from Italy by his girlfriend Angela (Lorenza Izzo) to recover her father's multi-million-dollar art collection. The paintings were stolen and are in the possession of an American art dealer named Ronald Horan (Kyle MacLachlan).Angela's father is an Italian billionaire count. The count hired Fletch to recover his stolen paintings and that is how Fletch met Angela for the first time. The count had read an article written by Fletch about an art theft in Brussels that helped the police to crack the case.Fletch says that a art dealer in Boston named Ronald Horan has already sold 2 of her father's paintings, the Bellini and the Perugino. A total of 9 paintings were stolen and just the Picasso is worth $20 million.Angela suspects his father's new wife the Countess De Grassi to be behind the theft. Fletch believes that Horan doesn't even know that the paintings were stolen.
While Fletch was with Angela, the Count was apparently kidnapped by the mob demanding the Picasso as ransom. The Countess was visiting her brother in Milan at the time of the kidnapping.Now, Fletch's mission is to recover the Picasso, so Angela can rescue her father from the kidnappers.
As Fletch arrives in a rented town house in Boston, he finds a dead woman, subsequently identified as barista Laurel Goodwin. Despite being the one who called the police, Fletch becomes the prime suspect in the murder.Sergeant Inspector Monroe (Roy Wood Jr.) and Junior Detective Griz (Ayden Mayeri) of the Boston Police Department begin tailing him.Fletch tells the police that he is a freelance journalist who spent the last 2 years travelling across Europe and writing about art. He says that he is in Boston to research a book.
Fletch meets with Horan under a fake name in an attempt to locate the paintings. Fletch pretends to be a buyer for the Picasso painting (the same one demanded by the kidnappers) and sets up a meeting at Horan's house. Horan says that he can get the painting to Fletch by the same weekend. Horan says that he doesn't keep any paintings at his home.Angela calls from Italy and tells Fletch that the Countess's brother has been to prison and she is sure that he stole the paintings.Fletch buys an unmarked van for $1200 and pays a couple of street artists $300 to paint it.
He learns from his neighbor Eve (Annie Mumolo) that Owen (John Behlmann), the town house owner, has a history of violence and drug abuse and an estranged spouse named Tatiana (Lucy Punch), who used to be his business partner. Fletch learns that Owen was himself an art broker.Owen got into a fight with the owner of the 4th floor condo a few months earlier and was arrested.
Monroe picks up Fletch and reveals that Eve saw Laurel on the night of the murder with a man matching Fletch's description. He also reveals that Fletch's fingerprints were found on the wine bottle, which is the murder weapon. Monroe doesn't arrest Fletch as most of it is circumstantial evidence.That night someone tries to break into Fletch's rented apartment. Fletch wakes up and chases the burglar out of the house.
Fletch meets his old boss Frank Jaffe (John Slattery) who runs the Boston Sentinel now. Fletch asks for Frank's help in investigating Owen, whom he believes murdered Laurel.Fletch meets with Tatiana, again using a fake name, and learns that Owen has been travelling in Europe for the last few weeks. He also learns that many people have access to the apartment, including Eve.Fletch has 3 suspects, Eve (jilted lover and had access), Owen (owner of the townhouse) and Tatiana (acrimonious divorce and control of the company).
Meanwhile, the Countess (Marcia Gay Harden), Angela's stepmother, invites herself to stay with Fletch. Angela is not happy with this development, as she suspects that the Countess and her brother kidnapped the Count (Robert Picardo). The Countess tells Fletch that Angela studied in Boston for a year, alongside Owen.Angela arrives in Boston and initially appears to be friendly with the Countess.
Fletch follows Horan to the yacht club and figures out that he is hiding the paintings inside his yacht.Later, at Horan's house, he reveals the Picasso to Fletch with an asking price of $20 Million.
Fletch breaks into Horan's yacht at night and finds the Picasso. Fletch brings all the stolen paintings back.Meanwhile, Monroe figures out that Fletch is Angela's lover, whose father the count has been kidnapped. And the kidnappers are demanding the Picasso painting, which has been stolen. Horan is under investigation for Insurance fraud.
At dinner that night, Fletch, the Countess, and Angela are visited by Owen (who admits to breaking into the house as he needed something urgently. He needed the Oxy for his drug addiction), Tatiana, and Eve. Laurel Goodwin's boyfriend Bart Robinson arrives and tries to kill Fletch.When the boyfriend is distracted by Eve's dog, Fletch snatches his gun and learns that Angela knows and was in contact with Owen. Angela abruptly leaves in the middle of the evening.
Fletch follows Angela to a meeting with Horan on his sailboat. He finds that she stole the paintings and transferred them to Horan to sell. But he finds them arguing that Horan sold 2 of the paintings without informing Angela.Fletch alleges that Owen and Angela were in Horan's class (Horan was an art professor). Owen traveled to Europe all the time. Angela stole the paintings and gave to Owen, who brought them to Horan. But Laurel found out and Owen killed her. So, Angela sent Fletch to frame him, and save Owen.Horan reveals that he killed Laurel Goodwin and framed Fletch to eliminate him from the painting transaction. He then planned to deceive Angela and pay off his debts by selling the Count's art collection. Horan pulls a gun and tries to kill Fletch but is shot dead by Griz (who was still tailing Fletch).Monroe finds no paintings on the boat and Angela is shocked.
The Count, who faked his kidnapping with Fletch's help as a test of his wife and daughter's love, returns and persuades Fletch to keep the paintings.From an undisclosed location in Latin America, Fletch sends paintings to the Countess, Eve, his previous boss, and two street artists, and a large check to Laurel Goodwin' boyfriend.
