Stars: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Ludacris, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Héctor Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofía Vergara
Director: Gary MarshallGenre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: C-
When you get an ensemble cast like the one in New Year's Eve you should be able to expect something good. There are a lot of big names in this film and so despite it being a romantic comedy you should be able to expect it to be something great - you look at a movie like Love Actually and expect something great. New Year's Eve is a failure in that sense; despite having a stellar cast, it's really not that good of a movie. In fact, I doubt the word 'good' should be used at all when discussing this film.
New Year's Eve is a series of vignettes set on, surprise-surprise, December 31st, in New York. Swank plays the Vice-President of the Times Square Alliance and is in charge of the ball dropping on time - the biggest event of the year for Times Square. Despite the importance of her job, however, there's a meeting at midnight that she's debating going to, as is encouraged by her friend Ludacris. Berry is a nurse caring for terminal patient De Niro, who speaks fondly of memories of seeing the ball drop and only wants to see it happen once more before he dies. Elsewhere in the hospital, parents-to-be Biel and Meyers are anxious for their baby to be born, even more so when fellow expecting parent Schweiger lets slip that the hospital gives a huge bonus to the first baby born in the hospital in the new year. Pfeiffer is a wallflower of a woman who has quit her job and hired Efron in order to help her make a list of New Year's resolutions come true. Meanwhile, Bon Jovi is attempting to rekindle his romance with ex-girlfriend Heigl. Upstate, Duhamel is stranded after a friend's wedding; he must get back into the city in time to give a speech at a ball, but there's the memory of a girl he met on New Year's Eve the year before, and a promise to meet her again that's hanging over him. Parker is a somewhat highly strung single mother who is planning to do nothing on New Year's Eve but watch the ball drop on television with her daughter, much to daughter Breslin's disappointment - she was hoping to go to Times Square, without her mother, and experience her first kiss. Oh, and Kutcher and Michele get stuck in the elevator to their building.
There are two major signs in that this movie isn't good; first of all, I skimmed a lot and yet I still had to write 300 words to summarize the film, and second of all, without going onto Wikipedia, IMDb, or another website, I am unable to tell you the name of a single character in the film (other than Jon Bon Jovi's Jensen, whose name is said a lot). There are so many characters and different plots in this movie that it's hard to summarize it with less. There's a lot going on, and as a result you really don't get the chance to know and love nay of the characters. The only character who I really felt like I understood and had a feel for were De Niro and Berry; I was really moved by his struggles and desires and the way that he hopes to make it to midnight. Beyond that, though, none of the characters were particularly moving. Sure, some of the stories had potential and could have been great if they were developed more... but in the span of a single movie there was just way too much going on. You didn't get the chance to care about the characters - you didn't get the chance to learn their names.
The only way that this film is able to really be coherent despite the lack of development is the fact that New Year's Eve borrows heavily from plots of other movies. The guy who proposes to his girlfriend, gets cold feet and runs, then tries to make things up? I've seen it. The couple who's competing with another couple over something ridiculous? Seen it. The guy who's in love with the woman that he's met once years ago? Seen it. Dying guy wants to make things right with his family? Wallflower who finally works up the nerve to pursue her life long dreams? Person who has a major deadline for work and has to deal with things going wrong? Mother has to figure out how to deal with her teenager? Seen it, seen it, seen it, seen it. Oh, and pair who've never met before get stuck somewhere and have to deal (and of course fall in love)? Yeah, seen that one too. My suggestion for anyone debating seeing New Year's Eve is to watch Love Actually if you're looking for a touching holiday-themed movie filled with love and vignettes or see one of the many other romantic comedies out there that focus on at most a couple plots and actually develop them.
There are two major signs in that this movie isn't good; first of all, I skimmed a lot and yet I still had to write 300 words to summarize the film, and second of all, without going onto Wikipedia, IMDb, or another website, I am unable to tell you the name of a single character in the film (other than Jon Bon Jovi's Jensen, whose name is said a lot). There are so many characters and different plots in this movie that it's hard to summarize it with less. There's a lot going on, and as a result you really don't get the chance to know and love nay of the characters. The only character who I really felt like I understood and had a feel for were De Niro and Berry; I was really moved by his struggles and desires and the way that he hopes to make it to midnight. Beyond that, though, none of the characters were particularly moving. Sure, some of the stories had potential and could have been great if they were developed more... but in the span of a single movie there was just way too much going on. You didn't get the chance to care about the characters - you didn't get the chance to learn their names.
The only way that this film is able to really be coherent despite the lack of development is the fact that New Year's Eve borrows heavily from plots of other movies. The guy who proposes to his girlfriend, gets cold feet and runs, then tries to make things up? I've seen it. The couple who's competing with another couple over something ridiculous? Seen it. The guy who's in love with the woman that he's met once years ago? Seen it. Dying guy wants to make things right with his family? Wallflower who finally works up the nerve to pursue her life long dreams? Person who has a major deadline for work and has to deal with things going wrong? Mother has to figure out how to deal with her teenager? Seen it, seen it, seen it, seen it. Oh, and pair who've never met before get stuck somewhere and have to deal (and of course fall in love)? Yeah, seen that one too. My suggestion for anyone debating seeing New Year's Eve is to watch Love Actually if you're looking for a touching holiday-themed movie filled with love and vignettes or see one of the many other romantic comedies out there that focus on at most a couple plots and actually develop them.
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