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Critics Consensus: It isn't terribly deep, but it's witty and undeniably charming, and the cast is obviously having fun.
Critic Consensus: It isn't terribly deep, but it's witty and undeniably charming, and the cast is obviously having fun.
All Critics (53) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (18) | DVD (2)
[Maverick] succeeds, just barely, on the good will of its stars and the sumptuousness of its Western locations.
By the time Donner crowds his climactic poker game with a bevy of veteran Western character actors, decades of movie tradition have been reduced to window dressing, and Maverick leaves you hungry for the real thing.
[Gibson and Garner] can make you smile contentedly even when the script is wandering and they're just sort of standing around waiting for its next good part to develop.
Maverick is smart-alecky without being very smart. It's full of spoofy, har-dee-har-har ribaldries -- this film practically winks at you.
This movie doesn't have the wry kick of the TV show at its best. Too rich, too loaded, Maverick may have misplayed its cards, kept its eyes on the pot instead of the players. In movies, as in poker, you can't always trust a pat hand.
Maverick never takes itself seriously, which establishes the tone for serious fun. Goldman's screenplay is a model of ingenuity, setting increasingly complicated traps for the three leads, and rather amazed that they wriggle free.
The script is notionally based on the old television series of the same name, but the screenwriter William Goldman, has produced something depressingly up to date in its incoherence, its crisis of confidence served up with a sickly grin.
Maverick is quintessential summer fare, an unpretentious no-brainer that relies mostly on the star wattage of Gibson, Foster and old reliable James Garner.
Goldman and director Richard Donner don't know when to stop mining a gag and to move on. That the film runs in excess of two hours is indicative of the filmmakers' love affair with scenes that don't work.
It's cleverly crafted, and you can't help enjoying it even when you know it's manipulating you as brazenly as a poker dealer with tricky fingers and a well-stacked deck.
Somewhere about halfway through Hour Two, you might find yourself looking at your watch and wondering, 'Like, when is this movie going to begin?'
We can close the competition for the most entertaining of the current spate of feature movies based on old TV shows.
I love this flick. It's great seeing Richard Donner tackle a western. Even moreso with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Alfred Molina, James Coburn, Graham Green and many, many great character actors taking up the cast. There are some slight dragging points in the middle of the film, but overall it's a fun little movie. It doesn't really have any sort of visual style, but it's definitely stylized to good effect. It's basically a comedy with a nice western backdrop. It's also a remake of the television series with lots of liberties taken, but if you haven't seen the show it doesn't matter. It's great on its own.
Super Reviewer
We are all in the middle of a poker game and its obvious that everyone is bluffing, but I couldn't have told you what the winning hand was going to be. This movie was filled with coincidences too over-the-top that just happened to develop the plot precisely as needed, but I give an extra star for the set and costume designs.
Maverick is a wonderful comedy Western film based on the popular tv show. Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, Maverick is a well acted, plotted and directed Comedy with style. A con man brings his tricks to a high stakes poker game. Along the way, Maverick will find himself in hot water as he tries to outrun unhappy losers, and gets involved in plenty of gun fights. Things go out of hand when the law gets involved. Maverick is a hilarious Western film. The film may not be as grand as the old epics of the 1960's, but this film is a totally different type of Western. The fact that it's different, makes it that much more interesting and fun. The jokes are great and the humour is sharp. The film is always entertaining despite its flaws. Directed by Richard Donner, Maverick combines elements of action, and comedy into this creative Western comedy. The film may be strained at times, and you see that theres room for improvement, but for the most part, the film succeeds in providing the feel of the time. Mixed with witty humour, the film is a superb comedy with a great cast. Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster give strong perforamces. Maverick is one memorable addition to the Western genre. The film may not be as comical as My Name is Nobody, but it's still a funny ride, one that Western fans will surely love. A good viewing experience for sure.
A solid ensemble class brings this pseudo remake to life. Mel Gibson is solid in a movie that is really more about fun than anything else.
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