Not since the similarly themed film “200 Cigarettes” made its debut, has there been such an immensely star-studded production depicting the New Year’s holiday.
“New Year’s Eve” centers on rekindling relationships of all sorts. With a cast as eclectic as the host city itself, this movie walks viewers through what they’ve already seen dozens of times in Times Square, but with a number of twists.
“New Year’s Eve” is overwhelmed with different dilemmas. The beauty lies in seeing how those dilemmas are solved, not with some magical fairy dust, but rather by making the most with what is at hand.
Even though some viewers may hope to see certain actors paired with someone other than who they appear with on screen, the actors are promisingly coupled. By far, the most exciting relationship in the film is the one between a very Mary Tyler Moore-esque Michelle Pfeiffer and the young man-about-town, Zac Efron. Their portrayal is an odd one, but funny and charismatically cute. They aren’t necessarily in a romantic relationship in the traditional sense, but they deftly maneuver through a quirky partnership that keeps the film rolling.
“Glee’s” singing sensation Lea Michele and current “bad boy” Ashton Kutcher have a quaint platonic romance brewing in the few scenes depicting them together. Meanwhile, Hilary Swank and Ludacris make quite the tag team when it comes to getting things done at work. “Saturday Night Live” funny man Seth Meyers partners with Jessica Biel to “deliver” nothing short of a nice surprise.
Spoiler alert: If your stomach can handle it, picture a love match between Josh Duhamel and Sarah Jessica Parker at the very end of the film. Apparently Hollywood couldn’t make a movie about New York without sprinkling a dash of Carrie Bradshaw into the mix. The good news about it is the scene is finished quickly, allowing more interesting matches to appear on screen
once again.
Katherine Heigl attempts to portray a love-scorned ice princess, but honestly, she’s too sweet to make the audience believe she’s truly that cold. Foreign bombshell Sofia Vergara may overdo it at times with her voluptuous accent, but she’s fun to watch nonetheless. Added to that, a hot Halle Berry presents herself, briefly, but with just enough sass to please the crowd. And the list goes on. There are too many cameos to mention.
Moviegoers feeling patient and daring should stay seated through the credits and watch the outtakes. The clips are amusing to say the least.
Bottom line: if viewers enjoyed “Valentine’s Day,” they might take pleasure in watching this. Like “Valentine’s Day,” this film is great for a date night: Only replace chocolates and romance with champagne and a midnight kiss.
