Maverick ★★½ 1994 (PG)

Entertaining remake of the popular ABC series is fresh and funny, with sharp dialogue and a good cast. Everybody looks like they're having a great time, not difficult for the charming Gibson, but a refreshing change of pace for the usually serious Foster and Greene. In a fun bit of casting, Garner, the original Maverick, shows up as Marshal Zane Cooper. Lightweight, fast-paced comedy was reportedly highly improvised, though Donner retained enough control to keep it coherent. The end is left wide open so a sequel seems likely. Keep your eyes peeled for cameos from country stars, old time Western actors, and an unbilled appearance from Glover. 127m/C VHS, DVD . Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene, James Coburn, Alfred Molina, Paul Smith, Geoffrey Lewis, Max Perlich; Cameos: Dub Taylor, Dan Hedaya, Robert Fuller, Doug McClure, Bert Remsen, Denver Pyle, Will Hutchins, Waylon Jennings, Kathy Mattea, Danny Glover, Clint Black; D: Richard Donner; W: William Goldman; C: Vilmos Zsigmond; M: Randy Newman. Blockbuster ‘95: Comedy Actress, T. (Foster).

mav·er·ick / ˈmav(ə)rik/ • n. 1. an unorthodox or independent-minded person: a free-thinking maverick. ∎  a person who refuses to conform to a particular party or group: the maverick Connecticut Republican.2. an unbranded calf or yearling.• adj. unorthodox: a maverick detective.

maverick an unorthodox or independent-minded person; a person refusing to conform to a particular party or group. The word comes from the North American term for an unbranded calf or yearling, and dates in that sense from the mid 19th century, from the name of Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), a Texas engineer and rancher who did not brand his cattle.

maverick (U.S.) unbranded calf, etc. XIX. f. name of Samuel A. Maverick, a Texas cattle-owner who left the calves of his herd unbranded.