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!
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!