MAVERICK. Directed by Richard Donner; written by William Goldman; produced by Bruce Davey and Richard Donner for Warner Bros. Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner. Rated PG (length, rather than content, is the main consideration for parents).
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One of my fondest childhood memories is my whole family's enjoyment of "Maverick" on TV. So I was eagerly awaiting this movie. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a disappointment. Not the worst I've ever suffered at the movies, and it does have its moments, but it's a disappointment all the same.
The main problem is that the movie's just too dadgummed long. The TV series might not have been as entertaining as it was if it had had to keep its sly wit and well-paced action up for 2+ hours each week. As far as the movie goes, it plays like the filmmakers got taken with their cleverness and eventually just couldn't seem to let the thing go.
Using the same main character as the TV show—charming, quick-witted and stylishly-garbed gambler Bret Maverick (Gibson)—the movie is off to a good start. Unfortunately, the story here isn't worthy of the character.
Gibson is well-cast as Bret. He always conveys the fun he had playing the role, and is actually quite busy for most of the movie, doing things like reining in runaway stages, having fist fights and gunfights in between card games, surviving hanging attempts, etc. But all this activity doesn't really mean anything. The plot line is much too slender to support either the fancy stunts or the clever dialogue.
Now many moviegoers won't mind this too much. Gibson is really good at this stuff, and Foster, surprisingly, is, too (she plays a con woman with a great not-quite-genuine Southern belle accent). And although Garner (the original Bret, for those too young to remember the TV series) doesn't have a lot to do as a mysterious lawman, he makes the most of what he has.
There's a large supporting cast that's equally good, from Alfred Molina as the main villain to James Coburn as the host of a riverboat poker contest. Baby boomers who watched a lot of TV growing up will also enjoy spotting a whole bunch of old western stars in the climactic riverboat scene; for most of them, you won't know their names, but you'll recognize the faces.
It's just a shame that the writer, or producers, or somebody, wasn't a little more critical while Maverick was being put together. A somewhat leaner version would have been much more in the spirit of its predecessor, and much more entertaining.
June 8, 1994