Maverick

"Maverick" is based on the popular television series of the same name. The film is pretty faithful to the series as Mel Gibson stars as the big-time gambler. James Garner (the original Maverick) has a great part as a lawman who is tracking Gibson. Jodie Foster is superb as usual. The supporting cast includes Graham Greene, James Coburn, and a short cameo by Danny Glover. The direction and screenplay are both inspired and very impressive.

Not perfect, but very close. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

A fun movie that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is -- an amiable comedy.

Mel Gibson can actually manage to be tolerable when he's playing charming, which he does here. James Garner is perfectly cast for quite obvious reasons. And it's nice to see Jodie Foster lighten up and play a feminine character for once -- up to that point, her resume had been quite serious.

For some strange reason, I distinctly remember Siskel and Ebert being infuriated that this film won an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design. Ah, to live such a charmed life that something like that constitutes a major gripe.....

Grade: B

After making entertaining movies such as the "Lethal Weapon" movies, "The Goonies" and "Scrooged", Richard Donner the man behind all those movies, brings us "Maverick", an excellent and fun 'modern' western with a fun story and entertaining characters played by veteran-actors who seemed to have lots of fun working on this movie.

The best thing about "Maverick" is the 'fun' feeling that this movie has. You can tell that the actors worked on this movie with lots of pleasure and fun. Mel Gibson is a wonderful and fun leading man as Bert uhmm I mean Bret Maverick. The cast is filled with many other big names such as: Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene, Alfred Molina, James Coburn, Dan Hedaya, Margot Kidder and Danny Glover in a fun cameo.

The story is really strong and full with fun twists and plenty of comical situations. Yes, "Maverick" is a real fun 'no worries' movie. Truly one of the most underrated movies.

8/10

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Maverick (Mel Gibson) is a charming gambler who needs $25k to enter a poker tournament with at least half million at stake. It's happening in a few days on a steamboat run by Commodore Duvall (James Coburn). Maverick is a quick draw and one of the best card player. He encounters other characters like the macho Angel (Alfred Molina), the sexy con Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster), and Marshal Zane Cooper (James Garner). The tournament is not just about the money but a challenge to his abilities. It's one misadventure after another as he tries to gather the money together.

It's a good fun western that has a nice comfortable charm. To emphasize that, director Richard Donner got 'Lethal Weapon' cohort Danny Glover to play a cameo as a bank robber. By no means is this a gut busting comedy. The best thing is the great chemistry between the film's trio.

As a kid, I used to watch reruns of the original "Maverick" -- and so I looked forward to seeing this one when it came out in the theaters. I was NOT disappointed! Mel Gibson's Maverick is a bit more goofy than James Garner's, but is every bit as charming, sly, and entertaining. A number of excellent cameos provide some comic relief, especially Danny Glover near the beginning of the movie. But by far the best casting is reserved for the original Maverick, James Garner, who is cast in a featured role, and who has surprises in store for darn near everyone. Most movies remade from old TV series ignore the stars that made them popular enough to BE remade -- kudos to the producers of this film, who apparently know better.

Other roles are filled capably; the biggest surprise for me was Jodie Foster, whom I normally dislike on screen. She is very impressive in a rare comedic role, and thankfully discards her repetoire of facial tics for a much more natural performance here. The plot is kept pretty simple until near the end -- and the end has a great twist, which I won't divulge. Suffice it to say that your time will be well spent, and you'll want to revisit Maverick country more than once.