THIS FUN-FILLED WESTERN ROMP ABOUT A CHARMING CON-MAN IS BASEDON THE CLASSIC TV SERIES. FEATURES SCENE ACCESS AND PRODUCTIONNOTES.Inspired by the 1960s TV series that starred James Garner in the title role, this lightweight Western from 1994 proved to be a surprising box-office hit. Well, maybe not such a big surprise, since it’s from the star and director of the Lethal Weapon movies, and operates with a similar combination of mainstream plotting and easygoing humor. Mel Gibson stars as card-playing gunslinger Brett Maverick, who meets up with wily gambler Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster) and a marshal named Zane Cooper (James Garner, trading his old role to Gibson) on his way to the World Series of poker in St. Louis. Maverick’s trying to raise the $5,000 needed to join the high-stakes contest, but that’s easier said than done due to a lot of unscrupulous competition and a twisting plot of tricks and deceptions. It’s all played for laughs and action, so the movie never wears out its welcome, despite a running time that could’ve used a good trimming. It’s also fun to see the rapport between Gibson and Garner, as if the present and former Mavericks were a kind of surrogate son and father, bonded by their mutual skill in charming and conning their way through tight spots. Director Richard Donner also pays tribute to old Westerns by casting veterans of the genre in cameo roles (including Bert Remsen, Dub Taylor, and Denver Pyle), and Gibson’s Lethal Weapon costar Danny Glover pops in for a surprise appearance. None of this really adds up to much since the movie makes no pretense about taking itself seriously, but that’s precisely why audiences found it so entertaining. –Jeff Shannon
Buy “Maverick “ For Only $3.51
April 17, 2008
#1
I’m surprised by all the praise this movie gets here at Amazon and beyond. There really wasn’t much here I liked. The soundtrack was the usual “pap” you’d expect from a family friendly movie, though the sets were nice. It seems this movie was just miscast. Mel just doesn’t do comedy all that well, at least for a lead role. Jame Garner, the reason I bought this seems more like a bystander. And Jodie is Jodie and I never bought for a moment she was her character.
Although the cast is a powerhouse (on paper), sadly the chemistry never really works and the jokes are just cornball. An example: There was a sequence when Bret asks his friends (who are standing behind him) to whistle to reveal themselves to some bandits he was confronting; which as it turns out they are unable to do. Instead Jodie and James, blow madly, just like the movie.
This movie reminds me a HELL of a lot like ”The Three Amigo’s”; on paper you would think it couldn’t miss, but on film it’s painful to watch.
April 17, 2008
#2
Now don’t get me wrong, the movie was great. Good acting by all and great casting. The cast always appears to be genuinely having fun throughout the movie. The script was the backbone of the movie and made this one of the best comedy / westerns ever.
However, the DVD real stinks. There are no extras except for a few production notes which are all written. I expected a lot more from such a wonderful movie.
The 2 stars are for the DVD not the movie.
April 17, 2008
#3
This is a two star stinker. We were promised hilarity, and all we got was smirking, a very thin story, and excessive length. Either a film is a put-on or not, and this movie could not quite make up its mind. The comedy bits fall extremely flat, and the violence is just plain nasty, as is some of the language. In short, a complete waste of time that does nothing for the reputation of Gibson and Foster.
April 17, 2008
#4
A great cast wasted on a convoluted script. I was expecting much, much more.
April 17, 2008
#5
I love this movie but was a little disapointed because the movie had finger prints all over it and it was a little scratched. The DVD was labeled as “like new”.