Maverick (1994)

Starring: James Garner, Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson, James Coburn, Alfred Molina, Graham Greene, Waylon Jennings

Directed by: Richard Donner (The Toy; Ladyhawke; Lethal Weapon 2)

Synopsis:  Maverick is a lovable rogue of the Old West who likes to play cards and people.

Best part: A Lethal Weapon reunion! Plus, Corey Feldman!

Worst part(s): *spoiler* I still to this day don’t fully understand what the plan was with Coop stealing the poker winnings. Why did he go through with that? All it did was make him look like a crook in front of everyone and ruin his reputation as a lawman. Now he’s probably wanted instead of just letting Maverick have the money. They said it was to “cheat” on the Commodore, but what was he going to do if Maverick just took the money? Makes no sense to me.

Best line: Zane Cooper: “Oh, I suppose somebody ought to say something nice about the deceased.”
Annabelle: “How do you know he was nice? We don’t know anything about him. The only thing he’s got in his wallet is a bunch of names of whorehouses.”

Nudity: James Garner and Mel Gibson show everything in the bathtub scene at the end.

Overall: As you may have heard, James Garner died this past weekend in a bar brawl. So I thought I would acknowledge that with a review of literally the only James Garner movie I’ve ever seen, Maverick. Although, while it’s cool and all that Garner was in a costarring role of the movie version of an old TV show in which he starred, this is really a Mel Gibson vehicle, like most movies of the ’90s were. This is just a fun movie with performances that are cheesy but not annoyingly so. Everyone just seemed like they were having a good time making this. It’s one of those movies that pops up on cable a lot and I never mind tuning in. Maverick’s journey to the poker tournament is an enjoyable ride and Mel Gibson was effortlessly charming before he became a racist wife-threatener. Jodie Foster is good, but seems a bit miscast for some reason. And James Garner is in it. R.I.P.

Score: 7.5 baths with your dad (out of 10)