New Year’s in Film

I believe, if I was given a calendar and an hour, I could assign a movie to every celebrated holiday (including ones like Labor Day and Mother’s Day). There are very few occasions that don’t warrant a relevant movie.

Because New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays, I have a laundry list of movies associated with its celebration. It’s a tradition of mine to watch When Harry Met Sally every December 31, on the cusp of the new year, ringing it in with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Whether or not I have grand plans, this is non-negotiable. The same goes for The Family Stone on Christmas. These are worlds — homes — I revisit each year for one night only. 

I like Christmas movies as much as the next person (perhaps more), but what I believe is seriously undervalued are the New Year’s Eve movies. It is a holiday for everyone, no matter your religion or belief system, spanning countries and cultures, and it can have a vastly different effect from person to person. Maybe it fills you with overwhelming joy. Maybe it breaks your heart. Maybe it inspires you. Maybe it pushes you to call someone you haven’t talked to all year. It is also a natural climax. The New Year’s Eve confession or resolution or celebration has been working its magic in film since the early days. Many of my favorite movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood feature epic New Year’s Eve scenes. I would almost argue the holiday was better utilized back then than it is now…

When Harry Met Sally (1989) is the obvious choice. Nobody has ever or will ever execute the run-across-town-to-confess-your-love-just-as-the-ball-drops as well as Billy Crystal. I don’t need to spend so many words explaining this movie’s perfection. We all know it to be true. What I will venture to say is that there are others — other movies that capture the joy, overwhelm, and despair of the new year.

1. The Apartment (1960)

Now I’m not saying anything revolutionary here. I think the general public can agree that this movie is as classic as it gets. Billy Wilder directing Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine to be neurotic and vaguely in love? It doesn’t get better than that. But I’m not convinced we’re using The Apartment to its full New Year’s Eve potential. This is another one I watch every year around this time because it acts as a reset for me. The movie is fast-paced and a bit melancholic, but perfectly sets itself up for a simple and sweet conclusion — a reminder to end your year on a similar note. Shirley MacLaine’s character finally makes up her mind while at a New Year’s Eve party with her horrible boyfriend and leaves him in the dust to play a card game with the head-over-heels Jack Lemmon. “That’s the way it crumbles, cookie-wise.”

For those looking for hope and reassurance that everything will work out in the new year, might I suggest Billy Wilder’s The Apartment. 

2. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

This is a New Year’s movie through and through and I feel like we constantly overlook that fact. The entire premise revolves around Bridget Jones setting herself unrealistic New Year’s resolutions that make her feel like a loser. From one January to the next, Bridget eventually realizes that she’s forcing herself to be someone she’s not. She learns (with the encouragement of Mark Darcy) to accept herself “just as she is.” It is also wickedly hilarious. I read the novel a few years back and deemed it the funniest book I had ever read. The movie is very much the same. Though I’m pretty sure it couldn’t have been made today, Bridget Jones’s Diary is one of the best early 2000s rom-coms. It might even teach you a little something about resolutions. 

If you’re hoping for a year of romance and ridiculousness, let Bridget Jones show you the way.

3. New Year’s Eve (2011)

From the masterminds behind Valentine’s Day (2010), New Year’s Eve is about so much and nothing at all. It is objectively the worst movie on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad selection. What people refuse to admit is that it rocks. Something can be bad and also rock. Anyway, New Year’s Eve is one of those multi-character stories where everyone’s lives end up intertwining (i.e. Love, Actually). It features an absolutely stacked cast and that lovely Garry Marshall touch. Some of my favorite storylines include (but are not limited to): “Lea Michelle getting stuck in an elevator with a gross-looking Ashton Kutcher so that she’s late for her gig as Jon Bon Jovi’s backup singer” and “Zac Efron being paid to scooter an anxious and annoying Michelle Pfeiffer around the city so she can accomplish her New Year’s resolutions.” That is only a glimpse into the absurdity of this movie.

For people seeking a fun and carefree 2024, give New Year’s Eve a watch this December 31.

4. Holiday (1938)

This is my most recent addition to the list and now, frankly, one of my favorites of all time. I’ve taken to watching it on January 1, after the festivities, to start the year on a positive note. Holiday, a George Cuckor film, stars Cary Grant as a boyish, working-class man intent on living his life well and Katharine Hepburn as a whip-smart woman held back by her rich, domineering father. Essentially, it’s a romance — a love-triangle romance — but avoids all the stale tropes to invent something delightfully refreshing. Grant’s character is engaged to marry this girl who takes him to her family’s New Year’s Eve party, where he meets her strict father and enchanting sister (Hepburn). During the big party, Grant gets to know each family member better and realizes he may be marrying the wrong sister. It’s a movie about choosing your life for yourself — no matter your age or status, you can create the life you want to live and, if you’re lucky, there might be someone willing to join you. 

If you need some inspiration and encouragement in the new year, I cannot recommend Holiday enough. I hold it very near and dear to my heart.

To conclude this piece, I wanted to shoutout some of my favorite New Year’s Eve parties seen in film, even if the movie isn’t specific to the holiday. First, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention While You Were Sleeping (1995) at least once. It really is more of a Christmas rom-com in my opinion, though it takes place the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. The tension between the two love interests comes to a head at a small NYE party. Lucy (Sandra Bullock) is loudly accused of being pregnant with her fiancé-who’s-in-a-coma’s baby by his better brother (Bill Pullman) while everyone overhears them. It’s a hilarious scene, but would make significantly more sense if you simply watched the whole movie.

Phantom Thread (2017) also features an incredible New Year’s party, in which the two protagonists, who equally hate and love each other, must grapple with the complexities of their relationship. The image is beautiful: they’re the last slow-dancers on the floor lingering long after the party ended. Balloons and party paraphernalia litter the venue and our couple is dwarfed by the size of the empty ballroom. In a similar vein, the big turning point of Sunset Boulevard (1950) comes during a creepy NYE party for two. The protagonist (William Holden) becomes starkly aware that he is the captive of an insane silent-film star when they dance alone in the giant party hall and she whispers to him that no one else is coming. Sunset Boulevard isn’t a particularly fun watch to ring in the new year, but certainly a good reminder to let go of the past.

That is all I have for you, in this piece and in this year. See you in the next one.