‹ All movies
Top Gun: Maverick poster

Top Gun: Maverick

year 2022decade 20sdirector Joseph Kosinskigenre Actiongenre Drama

130 minutes [ 1 ]

IMDbLetterboxdJustWatch
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Tom Cruise Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell
Miles Teller Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw
Jennifer Connelly Penelope "Penny" Benjamin
Jon Hamm Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson
Glen Powell LT Jake "Hangman" Seresin
Ed Harris Rear Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain
Val Kilmer Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky
Lewis Pullman LT Robert "Bob" Floyd
Charles Parnell Rear Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates
Bashir Salahuddin Chief Warrant Officer Four Bernie "Hondo" Coleman
Monica Barbaro LT Natasha "Phoenix" Trace
Jay Ellis LT Reuben "Payback" Fitch
Danny Ramirez LT Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia
Greg Tarzan Davis LT Javy "Coyote" Machado
Manny Jacinto LT Billy "Fritz" Avalone
Raymond Lee LT Logan "Yale" Lee
Jake Picking LT Brigham "Harvard" Lennox
Jack Schumacher LT Neil "Omaha" Vikander
Kara Wang LT Callie "Halo" Bassett
Lyliana Wray Amelia Benjamin
Jean Louisa Kelly Sarah Kazansky
James Handy Jimmy
Chido Nwokocha Mission Controller
Chelsea Harris Admiral's Aide

Top Gun: Maverick | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanproducer Craig Horlbeck
Explore episodeClose episode

Most Rewatchable Scene

Cruise and Kilmer into dogfight football; the final mission

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:43Read transcript
  • The Darkstar opening and diner arrival are nominated
  • The Hard Deck introduction through Rooster playing piano is praised for economical character work and emotional flashbacks
  • Maverick defeating the trainees is nominated
  • The Iceman visit is praised for restraint, typing, frustration, vulnerability and the closing joke
  • The hosts question how deep the old rivals’ friendship became
  • Dogfight football prompts detailed doubts about two balls, scoring, defensive pressure and strategy
  • Maverick demonstrating the impossible training route is nominated
  • The full final mission through the carrier reunion is a major choice
  • Penny with the Porsche and the final flight provide an especially satisfying coda
  • Bill favors the Kilmer scene leading into football
  • Chris praises the extended finale and the lack of music during part of the mission

What’s Aged the Best?

Jennifer Connelly, practical flying and measured callbacks

The panel is imagining how this might look in the future.

In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:07Read transcript
  • Connelly is both hosts’ first choice
  • The romance is praised as age-appropriate, warm and unusually convincing for later Cruise
  • Making Penny the briefly mentioned woman from the first film is considered smart
  • Teller’s resemblance to Anthony Edwards works
  • The casting competition is echoed by Maverick choosing Rooster
  • The score reuses familiar themes effectively
  • The hosts praise the feeling of actors experiencing real flight
  • The opening credits recall the original without making the whole film a remake
  • Coyote’s G-lock scene is praised
  • The trophy, Goose mannerisms, beach yell and carrier reunion are effective callbacks
  • Bob’s simple call sign is funny
  • Maverick tossing the manual away is appreciated
  • Maverick and Iceman texting with punctuation is a good age detail
  • An unnamed enemy allows streamlined action
  • Jeans, leather jackets, Hawaiian shirts and aviators lend a timeless look

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

The sailing scene, Darkstar flyby and aircraft launch

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:28Read transcript
  • Chris offers the final-mission aircraft launch and receding carrier
  • He also offers the twin vortices during the demonstration run
  • The Darkstar flyby lifting the roof behind Ed Harris is a shared favorite
  • Bill chooses the sailing scene with Connelly
  • The hosts admire the physical realism of the sailing

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

The underused supporting pilots; Phoenix divides the room

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:14Read transcript
  • Bill wants more from Jay Ellis and Manny Jacinto
  • Bob’s characterization and second-seat duties are questioned
  • Bill considers Phoenix underdeveloped and imagines a Michelle Rodriguez-like presence
  • Chris likes Phoenix and values her relationship with Rooster
  • Craig is explicitly invited to break the tie and says she was good
  • The discussion distinguishes the performance from the amount of character development
  • The lack of a larger comic supporting personality is noted

What’s Aged the Worst?

Penny’s idealized life, thin mission logic and rushed funeral

The panel is imagining how this might look in the future.

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:00:50Read transcript
  • Cruise’s introductory theater message feels stiff
  • The hosts jokingly connect its placement to the Nicole Kidman AMC advertisement
  • Penny’s beauty, successful bar, Porsche, sailboat and almost frictionless family life seem implausibly perfect
  • A crowded bar seems impossibly understaffed
  • The unnamed uranium target and lack of simpler attack options raise doubts
  • Cruise’s dark hair is questioned as an age detail
  • The pre-mission encouragement to Rooster feels too ordinary
  • The new pop singles compare poorly with the original soundtrack’s cultural footprint
  • Rooster’s call sign is not universally liked
  • The hosts reject some complaints about omitting McGillis and Meg Ryan, while imagining a Ryan scene
  • Iceman’s funeral feels too short

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Allison Willmore’s Maverick death-dream interpretation

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:38Read transcript
  • The hosts credit Allison Willmore at Vulture for the theory
  • Maverick dies in the opening flight and the rest resolves his unfinished relationships
  • The idealized diner, vague enemy and timeless clothing are offered as supporting readings
  • Surviving the opening crash is treated as doubtful based on informal research
  • The hosts say the film can work either with or without this interpretation
  • Rooster’s selection is criticized as nepotism while a dangerous mission is at stake
  • Penny’s implausibly perfect existence is another related take

Apex Mountain

Post-prime Cruise and Joseph Kosinski; Connelly debated

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:14Read transcript
  • Both agree on post-prime Cruise, distinguishing it from his earlier overall peak
  • The 1973 Porsche 911 receives an emphatic yes
  • Connelly’s late resurgence is compared with her A Beautiful Mind Oscar
  • Kosinski is an emphatic yes
  • Teller and Powell may still have higher peaks ahead
  • Whiplash is contrasted with Teller’s new fame
  • Anchorman is preferred for San Diego
  • Posthumous Don Simpson, Mach 10 and the hard-deck rule are jokingly considered
  • Hamm is not at his overall peak
  • The original film is preferred as the Top Gun institution’s peak

Just One Oscar

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:46Read transcript
  • Kosinski is the first choice
  • Claudio Miranda is also considered
  • The hosts speculate about Cruise’s possible actor nomination without claiming an outcome

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Penny’s Porsche, the Hard Deck or Maverick’s jacket

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:46:13Read transcript
  • The Porsche is the emphatic first choice
  • Owning the entire Hard Deck is proposed
  • The bomber jacket is the smaller alternative
  • The hosts dismiss a plane or motorcycle as less usable for them

Who Won the Movie?

Tom Cruise, with a personal case for Jennifer Connelly

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:35Read transcript
  • Cruise receives the initial shared answer
  • One host personally favors Connelly
  • Two more Connelly scenes are imagined as enough to change the result
  • The exchange is preserved as qualified rather than manufactured unanimous ballots

Mentions across The Rewatchables

Double Feature

There Will Be Blood

The Rewatchables · aired July 26, 2022

No Country for Old Men, Citizen Kane, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Chinatown, The Karate Kid Part III, and Top Gun: Maverick are distinct choices.

Approx. transcript time · 01:58:59Read transcript
Source 1