A 1992 science fiction-romantic drama directed by Steve Miner and written by J. J. Abrams (credited as Jeffrey Abrams) that has a 1939 US Air force test pilot, Captain Daniel McCormick (Mel Gibson), going into suspended animation after his girlfriend Helen (Isabel Glasser) goes into a coma and wakes up over fifty years later.
The movie also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Elijah Wood, George Wendt, Joe Morton, David Marshall Grant, Robert Hy Gorman, Michael Goorjian, Veronica Lauren, Art LaFleur.
It was released on December 11, 1992.
Tropes for the film:
- Batman in My Basement: It doesn't last long, but Nat gives Daniel sanctuary in his treehouse after understanding his situation.
- Bittersweet Ending: Daniel's age catches up with him and he's a feeble old man by the end of the film. However, he's finally reunited with Helen and they'll spend their final years together, and if the Government scientists will study and perfect the cryogenic pod to avoid the Rapid Aging side-effect, Daniel will go down in history for serving as an important stepping stone in the development of hypersleep tech that will greatly help the fields of medicine and space exploration, thus his whole ordeal won't be a Senseless Sacrifice.
- Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: The dad of Nat's crush Alice, who coldly orders him to go home after his successful serenade and Love Confession.
- Break Out the Museum Piece: Downplayed, but in the climax Daniel "borrows" the B-25 bomber of an air show.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Daniel has difficulty giving Helen a marriage proposal. It gets tragic when shortly after his latest failed attempt, Helen gets hit by a truck outside the diner. However it later gets heartwarming through Daniel encouraging Nat to avoid doing the same mistake and go confess to his crush.
- Convenient Coma: Helen actually managed to recover from the car accident that put her in a real bad coma the doctors had severe doubts she'd awaken from, and is still alive.
- Conveniently an Orphan: When Daniel insists on volunteering to be the test subject of Finley's cryogenic pod, he claims that he has no living relatives or friends that would miss him should the experiment fail and kill him.
- Cool Plane: The North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, the plane Daniel test-piloted in The '30s and the aircraft he will end up using to fly away and reunite with Helen.
- Domestic Abuse: Nat's mother Claire gets abused by her ex-boyfriend Fred. Daniel intervenes to beat his ass out of her life, simultaneously earning his place in Nat's household instead of having to continue hiding in the treehouse.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Daniel is a man from 1939 who awakens in The '90s, and struggles to make his way in this future world. Nat makes sure to give Daniel his history book so that he can catch up.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Harry Finley's daughter Susan informs Daniel that her father died while protecting his cryogenic pod from a fire that happened in The '40s before she was born.
- Human Popsicle: Daniel volunteers for a suspended animation experiment that's supposed to last a year, but is forgotten about until 53 years later. Upon revival he is still young, but ages rapidly to his "real" age by the end of the film.
- Intimate Healing: Claire tends to Daniel's injured hand after fighting Fred and can't help feeling attracted to her rescuer, but they don't go through with it in the end.
- Lighthouse Point: Daniel reunites with Helen at her seaside home not too far away from a lighthouse.
- Little Stowaway: Against the adults' orders, Nat sneaks aboard Daniel's B-25 bomber and helps him pilot it and safely land when the Rapid Aging cripples him further.
- No Antagonist: The FBI tracking Daniel down once they realize that he really is a hibernated man from the '30s can be obstructive and at times intimidating, but they are actually one of the more benign examples compared to others. They act in what they feel is best for the situation now that a forgotten experiment has finally resurfaced, and once Claire gives them Finley's notes of the cryogenic pod they stop the chase and allow Daniel to go reunite with Helen in the ending, which proves to be the real climax as his Rapid Aging makes his piloting harder. As an additional Pet the Dog Cameron reassures Claire that they'll make sure Nat is safely retrieved.
- No Immortal Inertia: Daniel was cryogenically frozen for 50 years, and didn't age during that time. However, the effect wore off and he eventually aged, looking the same as he would have if he hadn't been frozen. (Which worked out well for him, since he would then be reunited with his lost love, who was now an old woman).
- No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: Averted. Finley left behind detailed notes which Claire gives to the FBI in exchange for them stopping their pursuit of Daniel.
- Onion Tears: Nat ends up doing this to himself while helping Daniel prepare a meal, but they have a laugh about it.
- Parental Substitute: Nat clearly grows an affection for Daniel viewing him as the father figure that he has missed ever since his own dad died, especially when he encourages him to confess his feelings to Alice, his crush.
- Rapid Aging: Daniel is frozen for several decades. After he's thawed out, his age quickly catches up to him. It's all good, though; by the end of the film he's the same age, and reunited with Helen, his Love Interest whose apparent death 50 years ago triggered his decision to be frozen in the first place.
- Real Men Cook: Daniel manages to fix a pretty decent meal for Claire with Nat's help with what he finds in the pantry.
- Secret Handshake: Daniel and Finley reveal to have it early in the movie when the latter tells Daniel that his project is ready and they excitedly exchange odd hand gestures before going for a victory Man Hug.
- Treehouse of Fun: Nat has a treehouse in his backyard, and is comfortable enough for Daniel to sleep in when he initially hides there. After being welcomed in Nat's house, Daniel goes on to create a plane cockpit set-up inside the treehouse so that he can give Nat piloting lessons, which will turn out to be very helpful later.
- Wham Line: When Daniel sees a picture of Helen with a two year old Susan Finley, he claims it's impossible until she drops him The Reveal: "Helen's alive".
- Wham Shot: When Claire notices that Nat isn't in the car and puts two and two together that he went aboard Daniel's bomber.
