User reviews

In an obvious homage to the wacky films of the '40's and '50's, year of the Comet is very good at being what it is - a fluffy film to be enjoyed lightly. It won't cure cancer, it won't change your political ideology, but it will make you smile, laugh, and have a nice 2 hours.

Tim Daly is effortlessly charming and Miss Miller is properly wholesome, as the role demands. Nice one-liners and recurring jokes, a frothy but well-paced plot, and some excellent performances by character actors in supporting roles (I especially love the Scottish mother) make it easy to watch and enjoy.

Well, unless you want explosions and political subtext.

As someone who very rarely leaves comments, I just want to say how much I have enjoyed this film. In fact the chances are I would have never watched this film, as its not the type of film I would have ever sought out, nor was I ever a fan of the lead stars.

As it was back in 1993 I happened to be working in a video store in which we were only permitted to watch PG films in-store for obvious reasons. This happened to be a new release which I put on one day. Generally I would have put it one and forgot about about it, like so many other films. However I was initially actually attracted to it by its soundtrack, then the fact it was filmed in Britain, made me more interested as at the time I preferred to watch British films, usually for their added realism.

Soon I was hooked to the film, although the acting looked a bit corny, I thought it was deliberate, and the dialogue was actually quite funny in its downbeat style. The story made the film a bit like a road movie with both lead characters initially almost irritated by each other. But the adventure they go on as they hunt for the elusive bottle of rare wine.

By the end of it I was in love with Penelope Ann Miller and almost whooping at Tim Daly. In fact I liked it so much over the course of 18 months I watched it around 25 times! I wouldn't claim its to everyone's taste, however if you want to watch an enjoyable film for a quiet night in, watch Year Of The Comet, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

This film is seen by quite a few people as a bit of a turkey but I liked it very much. One other correspondent said he watched it for Ian Richardson and Nick Brimble but my main reason for watching it was Penelope Ann Miller (as with Other People's Money). She's just gorgeous and the scene where Timothy Daly says "the first time I saw you I wanted to sleep with you" touched a chord with me. She's the epitome of the beautiful heroine. I'm a bit of a munro-bagger and have climbed a few of the mountains in the background of a few scenes in this film. Hummie Mann produced some nice celtic music for the Scottish scenes. It puzzles me though how Timothy Daly's character could remain so fit looking despite consuming vast quantities of beer (so addicted he'd brink a can of Bud in a sauna). I admit it could have been better given the vast assemblage of talent involved in it but Penelope Ann Miller brightens up the worst turkey.

Lighthearted romantic comedy / adventure film that pays homage to the genre's classics from Hollywood Golden Era, in the vein of the resurgence of this kind of films in the 80's such as "High Road to China" ('83), "Romancing the Stone" ('84) and similar in tone to "American Dreamer" (also from '84) and "Miracles" ('86) with elements of a thriller, but in an uncommitted & unpretentious way, thrown into it.

The locations were very well spotted, from Scotland's Highlands to French Riviera, with veteran Peter Yates (the man behind such cult movies as "Bullitt" or "The Dresser") on the helm, offering a laid-back direction just for the fun of it, based on an original story by screenwriter William Goldman (who penned more 'serious' & intricate scripts like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" or "Marathon Man"), both doing a movie about one of their favorite things in life: red wine.

Penelope Ann Miller, then a rising star, fresh from her co-starring roles in "The Freshman", "Awakenings", "Kindergarten Cop" and "Other People's Money" got her first leading role here as the mousy Margaret Harwood, the daughter of a posh wine merchant, Sir Mason Harwood (Ian Richardson), that discovers a rare bottle of wine, a vintage 1811 (sealed in the year of the comet) bearing a Napoleon's seal, in the cellar of an old Scottish Manor. This valuable antique is sold to a millionaire who sends his friend, Oliver Plexico (Tim Daly) to retrieve the bottle, but there are a bunch of unscrupulous competitors who want this find for themselves. Together, Margaret and Oliver will live the adventure of their lives, finding love along the way...

"Year of the Comet" is a harmless piece of escapism, nice to watch on a typical lazy Sunday afternoon: the characters are charming and interesting to follow; the plot is way too cartoon-ish to be believed, but applying the suspension of disbelief it works almost like a spoof of the genre, grabbing a less demanding audience and providing them a good way to spend a hour and a half.

Penelope Ann Miller and Tim Daly (sporting a sort of Tom Selleck's mustache) gave the best on their performances, the two have chemistry together and they delivered the goods with the heart on the material, unfortunately the critical and Box Office failure, killed their careers as leading performers. Miller still had the chance to work in the high profile, Brian De Palma's "Carlito's Way" (which got her some critical praise and was nominated for a Golden Globe), but after she has disclosed about her affair with the co-star and then a married man, Al Pacino, her career stalled and Tim Daly plans to aspire as a virile / charming leading star like Michael Douglas, went down the toilet, too. The classic french leading star, Louis Jourdan gives here his last breath on-screen, after more than 50 years of hard work in the business, offering a funny, witty and over-the-top performance as the stylish villain, a mix of his roles as the James Bond's nemesis in "Octopussy" and the evil Doctor Anton Arcane in "Swamp Thing" and its sequel.

In short, "Year of the Comet" was unfairly bashed when it was released, even if it isn't a great movie, it deserved better fate. Maybe if it was produced in the 80's, could have found an audience, but by 1992, the movie-goers were over-saturated of this peculiar genre and moved on to a more darker films...

With Peter Yates, the cutting-edge director of "Bullitt" and "Eyewitness", Penelope Ann Miller, the gifted, fresh-faced 'Girl Next Door' who would reveal a breathtaking figure and sexuality in "Carlitto's Way", and Tim Daly, the handsome, witty star of TV's "Wings", involved in this film, all the elements were in place for a sexy, exciting "Romancing the Stone"-style adventure...but "Year of the Comet" would prove, instead, to be a pale shadow, a mish-mash of retread plot twists, silly climaxes, and uninspired performances.

The story, of an 'ugly duckling' daughter of a wine-selling family (Miller), journeying to Scotland to appraise an estate's wine cellar, and discovering a near-priceless Napoleonic vintage, might have, by itself, made a fair film...but tossing in subplots involving a suave villain (the legendary Louis Jordan, echoing his performance in "Octopussy") searching for a 'Fountain of Youth' formula while hiding in the castle, and a Scottish thug who steals the bottle (leading to an illogical helicopter/car/rowboat chase) manages to 'dumb down' the plot beyond redemption. Adding a final unsurprising twist...that Miller's companion through her 'adventures' (Daly) is actually rich (one wonders how he keeps his money, as blithely unconcerned and free-spending as he is)...simply cements the film as nothing more than a time-passer.

There are a few 'pluses' that keep the film from being a total waste; Scotland is, as always, gloriously beautiful; Jordan's head 'henchman' (the wonderful Nick Brimble) is a hoot, particularly when trying to pass himself off as a Scot police inspector; and Hummie Mann's score, influenced by traditional themes, is lovely, when the dumb dialog doesn't interrupt it!

How sad, so bad!

On a rainy Sunday afternoon this would be fun with a friend. It's a silly, fluffy and self-indulgent love story, something that 50 years ago Cary Grant might have done. So what if background details are left out and the plot is nonsensical? It's a romance. (Okay, and the dialogue is sometimes a bit too cutesy and the hero does remind you constantly and annoyingly of The Sundance Kid.) There's room in the world for romp and caper and chase films too. (I only wish the scenery had been used a bit more. Both the Isle of Skye and Monaco can be charming places.) I liked the film when it first came out and watching it last night I enjoyed it again. Thanks, Bill.

The two protagonists are charming and show considerable chemistry. There are also some funny scenes and one-liners to enjoy. Sadly all of this is wasted on a disjointed and mediocre little movie. Even the title is strangely misguided. Imagine, say, that you want to make a movie about the violent life and times of Cold War spies, who, occasionaly, meet near a train station in order to exchange coded messages. Would you name the movie after an antique locomotive ? Or after a certain kind of brisket that Stephenson liked to eat ? Or after the first cow killed by a train in the state of Ohio ?

Spare a thought for poor Mr. Jourdan, who looks as though he is planning to fire his agent by tying him to a barrel of gunpower.

Enjoyed the movie so much I started to check out wine.

William Golman says this is his most hurtful failure ("Which Lie Did I Tell" - published around 2000). Not just a movie that didn't do well at the box-office for some reason, a real stinking dud. He seems at a loss to understand what was wrong. His only hint is that people don't care about red wine. Wrong wrong wrong. Red wine in this movie is only part of the scenery, and the big heavy unbreakable bottle of Château Lafite 1811 (Year of the Comet) is just a McGuffin, albeit a poor one.

So William Goldman can't understand why people left, or more accurately fled, the free advance screening in Sherman Oaks that fateful night in 1992. Well the movie is really bad. Exposition is heavy handed, the girl is nice but the character passive and bland, the boy is just weak. Goldman had Cary Grant in mind to picture the male lead, well, let's just say that this cute boy Daly is hardly a decent supporting actor.

The movie is totally silly and Peter Yates fails to bring it to the level of an action comedy. Louis Jourdan's last job is what's most in line with a silly funny movie, the rest is mostly a script that doesn't take its story seriously enough for the big fat cheap jokes to work.

And by the way Year of the Comet is a really bad title for something that has as much to do with astronomy as with wine.

...with attractive, engaging good guys, nefarious and stupid bad guys, car chases, airplane chases, lots of action, twists and turns, cliff hangers (literally), gorgeous scenery, and, naturally, a happy ending.

None of it is realistic, of course, and it would never be considered for an Oscar. As a matter of fact it bombed at the box office. Why? Perhaps because the director as well as the writer had, indeed, produced Oscar-contender films and the public expected another work on that level. They may have been disappointed that nothing in this movie was ground-breaking. However, the cinematography was great, showing Scotland, the French Riviera, ancient castles and sophisticated wine tastings. In my opinion the editing was competent, with smooth transitions between scense. It kept me engaged thoughout. The actors were all good, and Louis Jourdan, as the chief bad guy, wound up his long career with a hilarious, villainous portrayal.

If you are looking for fun, relaxing entertainment I recommend it.

I have walked out of about 6 movies my entire life. This was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I don't know how I sat through an hour of it. I must have been in a coma that night. I saw it in the theatre when it came out 8 years ago. I couldn't even remember the name, but I knew that Penelope Ann Miller starred in it. It must have really affected me to be wasting my time commenting on it today. Yech! Vomit! Barf!

I don't know why so many people think this is a bad film. I guess I'm no critic but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Beautiful locations. Attractive stars. And the "underdog" doesn't stay under for long. I'ts not rocket science, but who wants to watch rocket science at the end of a tough day. It's fun, romantic and something you can watch even if the kids are around. I'd give it the full 10 stars!

This film desperately wants to be a kooky caper film, but the acting is horrible. In capable hands, this might have been a fun adventure, but the acting is so terrible, the actors have no chemistry, and the plot is so jumbled and ridiculous. The dialogue is awful. This film has absolutely nothing better I do with wine!

The bad: the story is ridiculous. Simply ridiculous. What need I say more?

Not any good? NO. BECAUSE THE STORY IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.

The subject SEEMS interesting (wine). Yummy. Bad thought process. Because this movie is about everything BUT wine. It's completely SILLY. Yes, SILLY.

The nostalgic movie making is such nice.

The combination of wine makes it a element that is just a side element that does not bring alot. Music choice is very strange The unrealistic scenes are very lame The special effects are pity because they have used alot of real prop Strong female power is nicely done.

Do like how they bring sensitive topics and deal with it in the movie.

Nice twist at the end The surprising twist and turns are done good. Especially at the end what I really miss nowadays.

This movie is not a cheap one that you can notice.

Acting is a bit low quality.

This movie was poorly promoted by the companies behind it - even though it is a great movie. This is one of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen. If you liked "The Cutting Edge" or "Romancing the Stone," you will like this one. I highly recommend it!

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.

I thought it was a light hearted comedy, made me laugh.

It was just full of fun and entertainment.

The actors roles also poked a little fun at the nationality of all involved in this escapade as well as trying their hand at a Scottish or English accent was amusing.

It did show just how beautiful Scotland can be even when a helicopter lands on a croft scaring the poor farmers sheep! Taking us on a tour trying to catch up with the crooks who were always bungling everything they tried to was also funny.

Its a film that if you need to laugh or feel good, its one that will work for most people.

This movie has such as sense of fun! Penelope Ann Miller is the brainy, nerdy heroibe. Tim Daly is the dashing, almost-but-not-quite perfect hero. Louis Jourdan is an over-the-top villain. What more could you want 90 minutes? Some beautiful scenery and an amazing score? Check. Tim Daly shirtless at the height of his pulchritude? Check. A breezy, lighthearted adventure? Check. And it even has wine! Is it the greatest achievement in film history? Probably not. Does it accomplish its goal of being a comedic modern swashbuckle? Absolutely!

This is just a lot of fun and deserves to be better known.

I will admit this isn't one of the best films ever made, but it happens to be one of my favorites. I even purchased an additional tape just in case the first one breaks. Penelope Ann Miller is driving force behind all of this. In my opinion, this was her best performance, ever. Unfortunately, that isn't too saying much because she isn't that great of an actress-oh well, no one is perfect. Anyway, she fascinates me and I have a gut feeling that she is just amazing women. And I'm not just referring to the physical aspects. There are plenty of beautiful actresses out there. She is special because she is sexy and smart-not an easy combination to find. Of all the actress that I can think of, there are very few other examples.

I found this to be a small film full of heart, a charming, winsome example of how powerful the story of two people can be. Full of humor, breathtaking scenery, and quirky characters, it's an enjoyable film to see again and again.

Tim Daly turned in an engaging performance as the mostly bemused Oliver Plexico. Penelope Ann Miller, later seen to devastating effect in The Shadow, turns in a light but powerful performance as the determined Margaret Harwood. Together, they battle enraged farmers, violent scientists, and each other before true love wins out--and the ending is as charming, quirky, and brow-raising as the rest of the film.

Truly, a wonderfully intimate little film about the perils of the wine business--and falling in love.

Sir Mason Harwood (Ian Richardson) runs an auction. He sends his daughter Margaret Harwood (Penelope Ann Miller) to a Scottish estate to take inventory for a potential auction. There she discovers an extremely large and rare bottle of wine that was bottled during the year in which Halley's Comet was discovered (1811.) She informs her father of the find.

Not entirely trusting his daughter with the retrieval Sir Mason sends help, Oliver Plexico (Timothy Daly) that also has a different interest in the bottle. Friendly rivalry on this retrieval mission leads to romance.

But wait another pursuer of the bottle, Philippe (Louis Jourdan) appears on the scene. He wants the bottle for nefarious purposes and Margaret is in the way.

Will she come to harm?

Will Oliver rescue her from certain peril, or grab the bottle?

Watching this can be lots of fun for the whole family as you find yourself saying "don't do that"