Anne Fletcher

{{Short description|American film director and choreographer (born 1966)}} {{for|the embroiderer|Ann Marian Fletcher}} {{Infobox person | name = Anne Fletcher | image = AnneFletcherMay09.jpg | caption = Fletcher at the June 2009 premiere for ''The Proposal'' | birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1966|5|1}} | birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = Anne Marie Fletcher<br>Anne "Mama" Fletcher | occupation = {{hlist|Filmmaker|dancer|actress}} | years_active = 1990–present | relatives = }} '''Anne Fletcher''' (born May 1, 1966) is an American choreographer, film director, dancer and actress. She directed the films ''Step Up'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008), ''The Proposal'' (2009), ''The Guilt Trip'' (2012), ''Hot Pursuit'' (2015), ''Dumplin''' (2018), and ''Hocus Pocus 2'' (2022).

==Early life== Born '''Anne Marie Fletcher''' in Detroit, Michigan, Fletcher lived with her family in the local lakefront suburb of St. Clair Shores, Michigan until her 1984 graduation with honors from Lake Shore High School.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.candgnews.com/news/successful-director-avoids-%25E2%2580%2598gilt%25E2%2580%2599-trip|title=Successful director avoids 'gilt' trip|last=Moran|first=K. Michelle|date=2 January 2013|website=C&G Newspapers|access-date=2016-03-11}}</ref> Fletcher began taking dance lessons at a local dance studio, Turning Point School of the Performing Arts, at age 12 after watching her mother take a dance class. At age 15, she appeared in the local show ''Salute to the Superstars'' at the now-defunct Mr. F's Beef & Bourbon dinner club in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Upon graduation from high school, Fletcher moved to Los Angeles, California, where she received further training from renowned choreographer Joe Tremaine,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anne Fletcher News & Biography - Empire |url=https://www.empireonline.com/people/anne-fletcher/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=www.empireonline.com}}</ref> and began working as a professional dancer; including performing as a Laker Girl.<ref name=":0" />

==Career== ===Choreographic career=== In 1990, Fletcher met Adam Shankman when they were hired to perform as dancers at the 62nd Academy Awards. Shortly thereafter, Shankman hired Fletcher to become his assistant choreographer. This sparked a longtime personal friendship and professional affiliation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080117/ENT01/801170311/1035/RSS04|title=Five questions with Anne Fletcher, director of '27 Dresses|date=16 January 2008|website=Detroit Free Press|access-date=2016-03-11}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Fletcher worked closely with Shankman both during his career as a choreographer and later as a film director and has credited her collaborations with Shankman for allowing her to both develop her own set of choreographic and film directorial skills and to achieve a similarly successful career path.

In her first film roles, Fletcher appeared as a dancer, including ''The Flintstones'' (1994), ''The Mask'' (1994), ''Tank Girl'' (1995), ''Casper'' (1995) and ''Titanic'' (1997). Fletcher later developed choreography for the Oscar-nominated drama film ''Boogie Nights'' (1997) starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore and Heather Graham, in which she also appeared as a dancer, as well as for the comedy film ''A Life Less Ordinary'' (1997) with Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz.

===Directorial career=== After acquiring numerous professional choreography credits, often in collaboration with Adam Shankman, Fletcher, with encouragement from Shankman, began to consider a directorial career. She worked alongside Shankman, who himself had moved from choreography to directing with films such as ''Hairspray'' (2007) and ''The Wedding Planner'', for both of which she was an associate producer,<ref name=":1" /> as well as ''Step Up''.

Although Fletcher began to break into the production side of filmmaking throughout the early 2000s, she continued to choreograph in films such as the ''Ice Princess'' and ''The Pacifier'' in 2005.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribute.ca/people/anne-fletcher/17198/|title=Anne Fletcher biography and filmography {{!}} Anne Fletcher movies|website=Tribute.ca|access-date=2016-03-07}}</ref> She also did choreograph work in other films like ''Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' (2004), ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' (2005) and ''Hairspray'' (2007).<ref name=":2" />

Fletcher directed the 2006 romantic dance film, ''Step Up'' starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. The film was nominated for two Teen Choice Awards (2007) and one Young Artist Award (2007). Fletcher turned down the offer to direct the sequel to this film, fearing that if she directed another dance film, she would not be able to branch out into other genres in the future.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erbland |first=Kate |date=2018-12-08 |title=Anne Fletcher's Hit Rom-Com 'The Proposal' Made $160 Million, Then the Genre Disappeared |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/12/anne-fletcher-rom-com-the-proposal-dumplin-netflix-1202025922/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=IndieWire |language=en}}</ref> Although she did the choreography on ''Step Up 2: The Streets'' (2008), the role of director was given to Jon M. Chu. Panned by critics, the film was well-received by audiences and grossed $65 million at the domestic box office.

Her work on ''Step Up'' earned Fletcher a second successful director credit on the popular 2008 romantic comedy film, ''27 Dresses'', starring Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. This film was nominated for eight awards: one People's Choice Awards (2008), two Teen Choice Awards (2008), three Golden Trailer Awards (2008), one Artios Award (2008) and one ''EDA Special Mention Award.'' 27 Dresses is celebrated as an iconic 21st-century romantic comedy film, thanks in large part to Fletcher's directing. Former president of MGM Jonathan Glickman emphasized how important Fletcher was to the success of the film, stating that she and the main character are very similar people. The writer of the film, Aline Brosh McKenna, mentioned in an interview that Fletcher was known on set as "Mama", and credits her for capturing the story so well.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-01-16 |title=10 Years Of '27 Dresses': Honoring The Iconic Rom-Com And Its Future — Including A Potential TV Show |url=https://decider.com/2018/01/16/27-dresses-10th-anniversary-interviews/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=Decider |language=en-US}}</ref>

Based on the success of her first two features, Fletcher went on to direct the popular 2009 romantic comedy film, ''The Proposal'', starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. This film was nominated for twenty-seven awards; out of the twenty-seven nominations, the film won seven. For her performance, Bullock received a Golden Globe nomination for best actress and a Women's Image Network Award for Outstanding Actress.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Proposal - IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1041829/awards/ |access-date=2022-11-14}}</ref> The Proposal is Fletcher's highest-grossing film as a director, and it stands as the 7th highest grossing romantic comedy of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genre Keyword: Romantic Comedy |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/genre/sg2111762689/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>

Following the success of ''The Proposal'', Fletcher directed ''The Guilt Trip'' (2012) starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand. She followed this by directing ''Hot Pursuit'' (2015) starring Reese Witherspoon and Sofía Vergara. Both of these films performed significantly worse than her previous films, with the former receiving only one Razzie Award nomination<ref>{{Citation |last=Fletcher |first=Anne |title=The Guilt Trip |date=2012-12-19 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1694020/ |type=Comedy, Drama |publisher=Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, Michaels Goldwyn |access-date=2022-10-21}}</ref> and the latter earning an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>{{Citation |title=Hot Pursuit |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dont_mess_with_texas_2014 |language=en |access-date=2022-11-14}}</ref>

In July 2014, Fletcher was announced as director for ''Disenchanted'', the sequel to the 2007 film starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. However, in October 2016, she was replaced by her friend Adam Shankman.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Yamato|first1=Jen|title=Disney Casts 'Enchanted 2′ Spell With 'Smurfs' Scribes|url=https://deadline.com/2014/07/enchanted-2-disney-smurfs-writers-798699/|access-date=July 2, 2014|publisher=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 1, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dancespirit.com/from_dancer_to_director_anne_fletcher/|title=From Dancer to Director|date=1 June 2010|access-date=9 June 2022}}</ref>

In December 2018, Fletcher released Dumplin', her first film released exclusively on Netflix. The film is based on the book of the same name, and stars Jennifer Aniston as a former beauty queen. The film grapples with issues related to body positivity and mother-daughter relationships.

Fletcher directed ''Hocus Pocus 2'', the 2022 sequel to ''Hocus Pocus''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/hocus-pocus-2-release-date-cast/|title='Hocus Pocus 2' Finally Gets a Release Date; Cast Confirmed for Disney+ Sequel|website=Collider|access-date=May 20, 2021|date=May 20, 2021|first=Carly|last=Lane}}</ref> The film was released exclusively on Disney+ and stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters from the 1993 original film.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shaffer|first=Claire|date=September 29, 2022|title='Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Still Spelling Trouble |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/29/movies/hocus-pocus-2-review.html |access-date=October 21, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The film was polarized by critics, but received two Kids' Choice Award nominations, including Favorite Movie (losing to ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2''). She will reprise her role as director on the upcoming ''Hocus Pocus 3''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/hocus-pocus-3-anne-fletcher-jen-dangelo-disney/|title=Anne Fletcher Returning to Direct 'Hocus Pocus 3'|website=TheWrap|date=June 7, 2023|first=Drew|last=Taylor|access-date=January 17, 2024}}</ref>

==Filmography== ===Director=== {{Col-begin}} {{Col-break}} '''Film''' * ''Step Up'' (2006) * ''27 Dresses'' (2008) * ''The Proposal'' (2009) * ''The Guilt Trip'' (2012) * ''Hot Pursuit'' (2015) * ''Dumplin''' (2018) * ''Hocus Pocus 2'' (2022) {{Col-break}} '''Television''' * ''Heart of Life'' (TV movie, 2019) * ''Step Up'' (1 episode, 2019) * ''This Is Us'' (4 episodes, 2020–21) * ''AJ and the Queen'' (1 episode, 2020) * ''Love, Victor'' (1 episode, 2020) {{Col-end}}

===Choreographer=== {{div col}} * ''The Flintstones'' (1994) * ''The Mask'' (1994) * ''Tank Girl'' (1995) * ''Casper'' (1995) * ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997) TV series * ''George of the Jungle'' (1997) * ''Boogie Nights'' (1997) * ''A Life Less Ordinary'' (1997) * ''Anastasia'' (1997) * ''Titanic'' (1997) * ''Almost Heroes'' (1998) * ''Blast from the Past'' (1999) * ''She's All That'' (1999) * ''The Out-of-Towners'' (1999) * ''Dudley Do-Right'' (1999) * ''Judging Amy'' (1999) TV series * ''Bring It On'' (2000) * ''Grosse Pointe'' (2000) TV series * ''The Family Man'' (2000) * ''The Wedding Planner'' (2001) * ''Monkeybone'' (2001) * ''The Trumpet of the Swan'' (2001) * ''Six Feet Under'' (2001) TV series * ''Maybe It's Me'' (2001) TV Series * ''Not Another Teen Movie'' (2001) * ''Orange County'' (2002) * ''Showboy'' (2002) * ''Like Mike'' (2002) * ''The Master of Disguise'' (2002) * ''Bringing Down the House'' (2003) * ''Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt'' (2003) (TV) * ''Down with Love'' (2003) * ''Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'' (2003) * ''Along Came Polly'' (2004) * ''Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' (2004) * ''Catwoman'' (2004) * ''The Pacifier'' (2005) * ''Ice Princess'' (2005) * ''The Longest Yard'' (2005) * ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' (2005) * ''Hairspray'' (2007) * ''Step Up 2: The Streets'' (2008) {{div col end}}

==Reception== Critical, public, and commercial reception to films Fletcher has directed as of April 24, 2023. {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Film ! Rotten Tomatoes<ref name=":1">{{cite web | title=Anne Fletcher | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/770670400/ | website=Rotten Tomatoes | access-date=September 11, 2022}}</ref> ! Metacritic<ref>{{cite web | title=Anne Fletcher |url=http://www.metacritic.com/person/anne-fletcher | website=Metacritic |access-date=September 11, 2022}}</ref> ! CinemaScore<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cinemascore.com/ | title=CinemaScore | website=cinemascore.com | access-date=September 11, 2022}}</ref> ! Budget ! Box office<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=annefletcher.htm | title=Anne Fletcher Movie Box office | publisher=Amazon.com | website=boxofficemojo.com | access-date=September 11, 2022}}</ref> |- | ''Step Up'' || 21% (108 reviews) || 48 (23 reviews) || A- || $12 million || $114.2 million |- | ''27 Dresses'' || 41% (154 reviews) || 47 (31 reviews) || B+ || $30 million || $162.7 million |- | ''The Proposal'' || 45% (190 reviews) || 48 (30 reviews) || {{n/a}} || $40 million || $317.4 million |- | ''The Guilt Trip'' || 37% (128 reviews) || 50 (29 reviews) || {{n/a}} || $40 million || $41.9 million |- | ''Hot Pursuit'' || 8% (179 reviews) || 31 (36 reviews) || C+ || $35 million || $51.4 million |- | ''Dumplin''' || 87% (69 reviews) || 53 (16 reviews) || {{n/a}} || $13 million || {{n/a}} |- | ''Hocus Pocus 2'' || 64% (154 reviews) || 56 (32 reviews) || {{n/a}} || $40 million || {{n/a}} |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Anne Fletcher}} * {{IMDb name|281945|Anne Fletcher}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090207140846/http://system1.ipressroom.com/pr/aca/info/Anne-Fletcher.asp Press release biography] to support her work on the Reebok "Time Out" commercials

{{Anne Fletcher}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Anne}} Category:1966 births Category:American choreographers Category:American women film directors Category:American comedy film directors Category:Film choreographers Category:Living people Category:Skydance Media people Category:Actresses from Detroit Category:Film directors from Michigan Category:English-language film directors Category:21st-century American women