We all know that when it comes to holiday-themed movies, Christmas reigns supreme, but with 2010’s star-studded Valentine’s Day, director Garry Marshall officially opened the door for new and untraditional offerings. Now, despite lukewarm critical reception, audiences flocked to Valentine’s Day in droves, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that another holiday-themed romantic comedy would be in the works. When the first teaser posters and trailers for New Year’s Eve hit, it was painfully obvious that an even larger ensemble cast would be coming together, filled with celebrities from across a number of different genres. I have to admit that there was a certain amount of appeal to seeing diverse cast members like Halle Berry, Jon Bon Jovi, Robert De Niro, and Hilary Swank interact with each other, but early critical reception was downright cruel, so my hopes regarding quality weren’t exactly high. Promising a number of different vignettes set around New York City, there was still a chance that New Year’s Eve could prove entertaining; and let’s face it, I know I’ve sat through far worse for the sake of writing a complete blog.
It is not that much of a surprise that this billed “romantic comedy” is far more corny and pandering than it is emotional or clever, but regardless, New Year’s Eve is not as bad as many critics would have you believe. A majority of the cast is given little time to make any kind of a memorable impression, and by-and-large, most of those with more screen time simply overact, but a select few seem to make the most out of a bad situation. The biggest standout in this regard is undoubtedly Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays against her normally confident persona in such a sweet way that you cannot help but focus most of your interest on her character’s storyline. As far as the narrative goes, the story is razor-thin with little depth, and though a few last-minute twists try and keep things afloat, one is so idiotically unbelievable that momentum falls flat…thank god the end credits started rolling. In the end, with so many celebrities, an upbeat soundtrack, and an uplifting message, New Year’s Eve is still entertaining and is surely capable to get viewers into the end-of-the-year holiday spirit.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
