4.5 out of 10
'New Year’s Eve’ is exactly what you expect, a clichéd, superficial, overly cheesy film that would fit better on television or as a straight-to-video. However, it’s hard to hate. The film is definitely not good, but it’s far from horrible. There are too many storylines in a very predictable plot. The dialogue is pretty simplistic and unoriginal. But, there is something about the star power that saves this one from being comparable to films like ‘Red Riding Hood’ or ‘Season of the Witch.’
Even if you liked ‘Valentine’s Day’, which is essentially the same film, wait and rent this one. It may not be a complete waste of your time, but a theater ticket would be a waste of your money.
Any spoilers will be clearly marked so you can avoid reading them if you so choose.
New Year’s Eve opens in Baltimore on December 9, 2011.
The Good
It is so hard to figure out why this review is not entirely negative. New Year’s Eve is not a very good movie. In fact, it’s a pretty bad one. But, there is just something about it that prevents you from hating it with all your might as you spew out a string of curse words that would make a sailor in a sports bar blush. My guess, it’s the star power. With so many big name actors in very small roles it’s hard not to find at least a few of the characters interesting. And the fact that no one is on screen for more than about 20 minutes of the 2 hour runtime is actually a positive. You don’t get tired of anyone or find yourself sighing when a character returns to the screen. After all, a bunch of mildly amusing things in small doses is definitely better than large doses of a few bad things. Still with me?
Sofía Vergara is hilarious and without her the film would have lost another couple of points.
The Bad
Clichés, clichés, clichés. There are 5 or 6 different storylines that the film switches back and forth to. Each is a little different and like a mini romantic comedy. But, they all use many of the common clichés for each type of romantic comedy. Seriously, if you’ve seen a couple similar films you could write this one. There is nothing original…nothing.
It is also a good thing that each storyline does not occupy too much time because none of them are interesting. In a film full of big stars the most interesting stories followed Zac Efron and Michelle Pfeiffer as they went all over New York City and a brief story about a dying Robert De Niro.
The outtakes at the end of the film as the credits start to roll are exponentially more entertaining than the film itself.
Two hours long! Seriously? Ridiculous.
The Bottom Line
If you are a fan of these types of films then you know you’ll get some satisfaction out of New Year’s Eve. But, please don’t waste your money on a theater ticket. There is nothing in this film that needs to be appreciated on the big screen and you can enjoy it just as much and spend a lot less on a rental. This film is not good, but it’s not horrible either. It’s below average, but I’ve seen a lot of films that felt like a much larger waste of time. Parents this one is rated PG-13 and there is some brief strong language, but it is pretty mild without too much humor relying on sexual themes.
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