Gene Seymour : James Garner won a devoted following playing the coolly principled coward . He was also an excellent actor, and he had some of his best lines in this movie. Seymour : His movies uneven , but `` The Americanization of Emily '' was a perfect fit . Seymour : His was the kind of nonchalant grace that in the 1930s or '40s would have made him a major movie star , at home in comedy or drama as were Cary Grant or Clark Gable . Garner 's persona was not Oscar bait , but audiences loved him .
Gene Seymour : James Garner won a devoted following playing the coolly principled coward . He was also an excellent actor, and he had some of his best lines in this movie. Seymour : His movies uneven , but `` The Americanization of Emily '' was a perfect fit . Seymour : Garner 's persona was not Oscar bait , but audiences loved him .