Year of the Comet (1992)

Awesome Movie

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Take "39 Steps" and add variations on the theme. Here you get two MacGuffins for the price of one. Louis Jordan and his handful of goons are after a youth formula concealed in the label on a bottle of Napoleon's Lafitte 1811 in the secret wine cellar of a castle on the Isle of Skye. The bottle itself, the size of a rather large fire extinguisher, is worth millions of dollars all by itself. A sweet old Scottish lady learns of the bottle and dispatches her son to steal it. "Ken I kill 'em?", he asks. The old lady shakes her head in loving resignation, "Ach, what's a mother to dew? Only if you have tew." The mother and son plot is soon dispensed with and Jourdan becomes the chief villain. The pursuit takes them to the French Riviera for reasons I didn't understand.Penelope Ann Miller is the wine expert who discovers the ancient bottle. She soon picks up a young man as a companion, Tim Daly, who flies helicopters, falls in love with Miller, and owns a billion dollar corporation. Does she reciprocate? Does he get to show off his rock-hard abs? Do the loving pair defeat Jourdan? Does he wind up buying Napoleon's wine? Do they taste the wine at the couple's wedding? Has the wine turned to vinegar? Are you kidding? The screenplay is by William Goldman, a pro who has produced some interesting things among a cloud of clunkers. It was directed by Peter Yates, which is hard to believe because this playful romantic story of wine snobs and thieves is so different from his distinctive work on films like "Bullitt", "Marathon Man," and "Robbery." Even Yates' failure, like "Murphy's War," are exceptional. This story isn't. It's rather like a cartoon.Penelope Ann Miller is a strange actress. There nothing strange about her appearance. She's pretty in a way that some women in the local supermarket are pretty. She's by no means stunning, as, say, somebody with more exotic looks is, like Madeleine Stowe. And she's not extraordinarily sexy, like Elizabeth Hurley or Angelina Jolie. She looks like one of the more attractive girls in a high school chemistry class, the sort that some of the young men with too many pimples dream about before they go to sleep. Her profile is perfect and belongs on an old Medici coin. She's not an outstanding actress, although still competent and affecting.Compared to Tim Daly, she is Eleanora Duse. Daly is brusquely handsome, I guess, in a Magnum PI kind of way, and he's constantly compelled to run around in a bath towel so we see his abs and sinewy limbs and those brachial veins like logs. His performance belongs in a television movie. I didn't like him. I'm staggeringly handsome myself but I'm reminded of a New Yorker cartoon. Two hippos are in the river staring at a gazelle drinking from the bank. One hippo says to the other, "I hate her." Why should Miller wind up in Daly's arms instead of mine? He can pay five million dollars for a bottle of stupid wine and I can't. There is no other rational explanation.But here is Louis Jourdan. He hardly needs that youth serum. He was 70 when this was shot and he looks just fine. His voice is still that Gallic baritone, though perhaps a little gravelly. He's slim, well-dressed, debonair, as usual, and has a chance to overact unconscionably and seems to be enjoying himself. Good for him.There are some picture-postcard shots of Scotland that are very appealing. Less so, the Riviera. But the overall impact of the film is minor, as if everyone -- writer, director, performers, crew -- were all on vacation, breezing along with the breeze. If you don't expect too much, it can distract you for an hour and a half.

YEAR OF THE COMETWhat a terrible shame this movie turned out so bad. Within the first five minutes of watching this film I wanted to see MORE. YES, I was excited. Then after five more minutes into this drama/thriller, I'm tearing my hair out. What was with the terrible attempts at trying to add some humour?? The bottle of wine was worth a LOT of money. Why the messing around?? The guy was left hanging on the side of a building for far too long. And the silly Greek guy at the airport, blah blah blah. I'm surprised it didn't become a MUSICAL!! This film had the potential to be good...very good!!.. only to be spoiled by the failed humour and ridiculous ending. The only saver was the beautiful Scottish scenery. If you value your spare time, then don't waste your time on this one!! 2.5/10

The Year of the Comet is in a genre that is the perfect date movie. It is a romantic comedy that is in the guise of an action thriller.This was William Goldman's first original script since Butch Cassidy. The film even features two actors from the Bond films: Art Malik and Louis Jourdan.Go rent this movie if you want a surprising, unexpected treat.

This film was a total bore! The only reasons I watched it were Ian Richardson and Nick Brimble. The so-called "romantic leads" were extremely annoying and unlikeable. The plot line was excruciatingly dull and the lead actors were absolutely dreadful. I kept hoping they would get killed soon. The only reason I even saw this film disaster was that my PBS station went off the air and the closest tv channel was broadcasting this waste of celluloid. I saw Ian Richardson and decided I would tune in. I saw those awful "romantic lead" actors, who I have never heard of previously, and was about to tune out. Then I saw Nick Brimble and thought I'd watch this awful film. He died in the film and I should have turned the tv off! I kept hoping he'd come back to life and kill those two awful lead actors! No such luck! Don't waste your time. Stupid dialogue! Boring premise! Yuck!