Of all of the holidays, New Year’s Eve is the that has sort of gotten a raw deal from Hollywood. I mean, there are lots of Christmas and Easter movies. Many are rooted in our Independance Day, and the number of war movies which pay respects to our Veterans is a big one.
But what movies have been made specifically about New Year’s Eve? I’m sure there are more but I can only think of one: 1999’s “Entrapment,” when the plot centered around the end of the year, decade, century and millennium.
There are, though, plenty that feature a scene or segment which revolves around the new year, so if you’re bored with the typical Times Square, Dick Clark or Vegas drop on your tube, perhaps one of the following is worth buying on cable or renting from the store, all having key scenes on New Year’s Eve:
“When Harry Met Sally,” with Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal and Carrie Fisher;
“About a Boy,” with Hugh Grant and Toni Collette;
“Holiday Inn,” with Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby;
“Bridget Jones’ Diary,” with Renee Zellweger and a New Year’s resolution;
“The Poseiden Adventure,” with Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine;
“Havana,” with Robert Redford and a great supporting cast;
“The Godfather, Part II,” with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro;
“Happy New Year, Charlie Brown,” …which may be tough to find!
Pacino’s powerful scene–kissing his brother and proclaiming “I know it was you, Fredo,” ranks as the most powerful in my mind. I hope you find a good one to usher the year in with. Moreso, I hope someone makes a great new one sometime in the future which celebrates the magnitude of this big night, when we all get a chance to start fresh in the new year.