Year of the Comet

Even a legend has his off days. And William Goldman's long, long gestating original script for Year of the Comet (1992), ostensibly an action-packed, globe-trotting romance when written, aged into a derivative, sexist mess by the time it was given a greenlight. Certainly some of the blame lies in the casting of Tim Daly, a competent TV actor when being a TV actor wasn't cool. But most of the fault lies in Goldman's sitcom-style romantic suspense between Daly and co-star Penelope Ann Miller, a mousey sommelier who gets swept off her feet by a dashing troubleshooter as they protect a priceless bottle of wine.

On her first assignment for her father's auction house, Margaret Harwood (Miller) stumbles upon an oversized bottle of unique vintage in the basement of a rented castle. Unfortunately, the castle is being rented by a trio of evil genetic researchers (led by actor Louis Jourdan) whose secret formula for eternal youth is hidden in the crate in which Margaret has packed her prize find. Not only that, but rival buyers have put out word of the bottle's existence and have no qualms about stealing it back before it goes to auction.

Luckily for Margaret, her employer has secured the services of a troubleshooting adventurer named Oliver Plexico (Daly) to escort her and the bottle safely home. Oliver also takes an interest in Margaret herself, attracted by her adamant refusal to acknowledge his skills and charm. The two fight off pursuers on the waters of Loch Ness and the scenic streets of Italy, juggling their priceless cargo and (surprise, surprise) falling in love along the way.

As sloppy and contrived as all this seems, when Goldman wrote the script in 1978 it probably would have been a hit (the Tom Cruise / Cameron Diaz 2010 vehicle Knight and Day uses the same formula). But the character of Oliver Plexico is a tough sell to a modern audience. Smug, sexist and cocksure, his wooing techniques - although satirical in design - are uncomfortable to say the least. And Daly's familiarity to audiences as the sensitive Joe Hackett on Wings doesn't do the performance any favors. Penelope Ann Miller picks up much of the slack in a sexy nerd role she perfected through the early '90s but they're both saddled with banter better suited for the small screen.

Yet what Year of the Comet has in its favor is that very "film lost in time" atmosphere. In an era of pre-packaged, franchise-heavy studio hits, how the hell did this movie even get made!? Director Peter Yates, who could handle just about any genre with panache (even the sci-fi lunacy of Krull), keeps the pedal to the metal, racing through one gorgeous European landscape after another. But it takes a certain empty-headed touch to make material like this work. Both he and Goldman seem overqualified for such shallow multiplex fare at this point in their careers. Year of the Comet seems like a film that was much more fun for its creators to make than for audiences to watch.

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition is up to their usual high standards as far as audio and video is concerned. There are only a few instances of print damage (some purple flickers you might blink and miss) in an otherwise flawless transfer that makes terrific use of Roger Pratt's cinematography. Extras include an isolated score track, original theatrical trailer and liner notes.