Review of New Year's Eve (2011) by Mrmoviebuff — 10 May 2017

'New Year's Eve' is a manipulative comedy drama that tries to go for that "Feel-good" and sparkly tone, but unfortunately it boils down to a rather sappy comedy, with unrealistic characters and convenient plot points.

We see many different stories about people's day to day lives and what they plan to do during the special and "magical" night of New Year's Eve. Director Garry Marshall ('Pretty Woman' and 'Valentine's Day') continues his all-star and holiday themed comedy from what he did with 'Valentine's Day' (2010) and it still manages to be as bland and unconvincing as the last.

Some of these stories include; Hilary Swank's character trying to make the best New Year's broadcast by having the iconic ball drop on midnight. Halle Berry is a nurse at a hospital who cares for a dying Robert DeNiro who really wants to see the ball drop from the roof of the hospital.

Zac Efron is a mail delivery boy who attempts to make the list of Michelle Pfeiffer's wishes come true before midnight. Jessica Biel and Seth Meyers play a couple who are having a baby and hear about some $25,000 prize if the baby is born on midnight of New Year's, they begin to compete with another couple played by Sarah Paulson and Til Schweiger.

Bon Jovi has stooped low as he tries to beg his ex-girlfriend Katherine Heigl for forgiveness, if I were him, if Heigl was someone who was mad at me, I would just live my life as normal. There are so many disconnected stories here, but all I could remember was wishing for that clock to strike midnight, so this movie would be over sooner.

There is too much going on here, and the movie tries to go for that warm and fuzzy, sentimental tone, but it just comes off as emotionally manipulative. It also doesn't help that the characters are so bland and are nowhere near as unique as each other, even Chris "Ludacris" Bridges gives a very bland and uninterested performance.

He looks and sounds so bored, I couldn't help but feel that he may have been doing an impression of me as I'm sat there watching this film. There is just too much nonsense going on here, I just wanted the clock to strike midnight so I could forget that I even saw this film.

If you want to find a way to spend the night of New Year's Eve, do anything except watch this film, you will regret it if you do.