Maverick (1994)

Bret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers:

Roy Huggins (television series Maverick), William Goldman

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Bret Maverick
Jodie Foster	...	Annabelle Bransford
James Garner	...	Marshal Zane Cooper
Graham Greene	...	Joseph
Alfred Molina	...	Angel
James Coburn	...	Commodore Duvall
Dub Taylor	...	Room Clerk
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Matthew Wicker / Eugene, Banker
Paul L. Smith	...	The Archduke
Dan Hedaya	...	Twitchy, Riverboat Poker Player
Dennis Fimple	...	Stuttering
Denver Pyle	...	Old Gambler on Riverboat
Clint Black	...	Sweet-Faced Gambler
Max Perlich	...	Johnny Hardin
Art LaFleur	...	Poker Player (as Art La Fleur)

Storyline

Maverick is recreated from the character James Garner created in the 1950s TV program. Maverick is a gambler who would rather con someone than fight them. He needs an additional three thousand dollars in order to enter a Winner Take All poker game that begins in a few days. He tries to win some, tries to collect a few debts, and recover a little loot for the reward, all with a light hearted air. He joins forces with a woman gambler with a marvelous, though fake, southern accent as the two both try and enter the game.

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Plot Keywords:

yosemite national park | character name as title | playing card | bow the weapon | arrow | 

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Taglines:

The greatest gambler in the West has finally met his match.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Thriller | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild sensuality, language and some western action

Did You Know?

Trivia

The initials of the stagecoach line in the movie are "GMC", a reference to General Motors Corp., whose trucks have been driven by Gibson's character in every "Lethal Weapon" movie.

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Goofs

When Maverick begins babbling "I can't believe I pulled that card" his lips are not moving.

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Quotes

Maverick: So, are you gonna miss me?
Annabelle: Are you gonna miss me?
Maverick: You are gonna miss me.
Annabelle: how do you know that?
Annabelle: I was not... maybe I was.

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Alternate Versions

Several unusual cases of overdubbing occur on the TV print to mask swear words. The term "son-of-a-bitch" is overdubbed "snake in the grass". At one point, Maverick says "I worked my hand off..." instead of the original "I worked my ass off..."

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Connections

Referenced in Jensen & Jensen (2011)

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Soundtracks

Amazing Grace
Performed by John Anderson, Randall Archer (as Randy Archer), Clint Black, Suzy Bogguss, Gary Chapman, Billy Dean, Radney Foster, James Garner, Mel Gibson, Amy Grant, Noel Haggard, Faith Hill, Waylon Jennings, Hal Ketchum, Tracy Lawrence, Kathy Mattea, Reba McEntire, John Michael Montgomery, Michael Omartian, John Carl Parker (as Johnny Park), Eddie Rabbitt, Restless Heart, Ricky Van Shelton, Danny Shirley, Larry Stewart, Joy White and Tammy Wynette

User Reviews

The Charm of Mel

Mel Gibson can some times irritate me. He's just in your face too much. In this movie however, he's laid back and charming. I'm a fan of westerns, usually those heavy handed types like "The Searchers"and "Little Big Man". I was surprised how much I liked this light-hearted romp through the American West. The movie brings to mind "Blazing Saddles" and "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid". In fact the screen writer wrote the latter film, though this one fells a bit more like "The Sting" with all its cons and scams.

I also enjoyed the cinematography and locations. The movie goes from Lake Powell to Owens Valley to Yosemite and a beautiful river boat in Oregon. I may be a bit biased towards this film because I walked the set in Yosemite Valley, but I'm still giving it an 8 / 10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Maverick

Filming Locations:

Lee's Ferry, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,248,545, 22 May 1994

Gross USA:

$101,631,272

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$183,031,272

Company Credits

Production Co:

Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions, Icon Entertainment International, Icon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1