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New Year’s Eve (2011)

Director: Garry Marshall

Time Out rating

Average user rating

12 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Director Garry Marshall continues his systematic defilement of the calendar’s most romantic holidays with another romcom built and executed like a ’70s disaster movie. Repeating the formula from last year’s ‘Valentine’s Day’, Marshall assembles an all-star cast including (deep breath) Hilary Swank, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Sarah Jessica Parker, Seth Meyers, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Biel, Lea Michele from ‘Glee’ and many, many more for a labyrinth of intersecting melodramas and love stories set in New York City on, naturally, December 31. The hypothetical advantage of such a massive ensemble is the assumption that, somewhere among the high quantity of characters, there’ll be a few folks we actually like. Yet each plot thread is worse than the last: a welcome break from Katherine Heigl and Jon Bon Jovi’s interminable lovers’ quarrel simply means another trip to the hospital to watch Halle Berry console a cancer-ridden Robert de Niro. It all adds up to a celebrity-obsessed city symphony played on one painfully flat note.

Author: Matt Singer, Time Out New York

Time Out London Issue 2155: 8 – 14 December, 2011

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User reviews of this film

The Director said...

Posted on May 27 2012 13:25 Amazing film, the best film I have ever made I mean seen...

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Shazabella said...

Posted on Jan 21 2012 21:31 A truly awful film. There were laugh out loud moments but for all the wrong reasons.

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Geoff said...

Posted on Dec 28 2011 23:04 Certainly the worst film ever! How these actors coild deliver this awful script is beyond me. Product placement was way over the top, and the story lines were so unbelievable. The woman actress chef was a joke, she clearly had no idea how to cut up a pineapple!

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Evie said...

Posted on Dec 24 2011 19:19 It's utter drivel, obviously, but Zac Efron at least turns his cheesy lines into charm for the 5 minutes he's on screen. But it's still not worth the agony of sitting through the other 113 minutes. It was a complimentary ticket, dont judge me..

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frank said...

Posted on Dec 22 2011 12:28 Hey rebecca, I heard Time Out have been advertising for a film reviewer, I totally think you should go for it.

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rebecca said...

Posted on Dec 22 2011 12:15 this movie is amazing so people that has said it is bad or rubbish they are wierd.

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Henry Zakumumpa said...

Posted on Dec 21 2011 05:35 I almost didn't watch this movie because of the hideous reviews but I was pleasantly surprised! Go see this movie!
It clearly doesn't pretend to be intelligent or artful but it works. There are lots of genuine laughs which you can't say about many comedies this year. It's an ensemble cast with tons of stars. It follows the prototype of 'Valentine's day' which is clearly a superior film. The difficulty of such a movie is always meshing the multiple plot lines into one coherent one. But if you want glitz,one liners and a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, and has the spirit of the holidays, 'New Years eve' is your cup of tea. Don't go by the reviews and you will be pleasantly surprised when you will catch yourself liking it!

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Nefertiiti said...

Posted on Dec 16 2011 06:46 I agree with most of the reviews about how appalling this movie is but wonder how come no one noticed all the commercial brands shamelessly displayed in most scenes. Disgusting!! New Year's Eve=product placement central. That's mostly what kept me awake while watching, spot the next big brand.

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long cat said...

Posted on Dec 15 2011 12:34 Brilliant light hearted fun movie. Enjoyable romantic movie. great cast and thoroughly enjoyable, forget the story its not important, just enjoy the feel of the movie

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scrumpyjack said...

Posted on Dec 11 2011 11:36 Actually, I'm quite happy for rubbish like this to be shown now and again as hordes of office workers go to see it, buy revels and diet coke's for £6 and thoroughly enjoy it (and good for them!) and in doing so enable me to pay £15 a month to see far better films than this (Only Scre4m, 3 Mustyteers & perhaps a few others iv'e wiped from my memory were worse out of 140 visits) for £1.30 a pop. Women of the keyboard, HAPPY NEW YEAR! (and keep up the "good" work!)

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Ian said...

Posted on Dec 10 2011 20:39 Oh dear this is bad. To think Garry Marshall used to make such good stuff. Happy Daya and Mork & Mindy on tv and Pretty Woman on film and now two dire ensemble pieces in a row.
You feel no warmth for any of the characters and the film plot meanders around from cliche to cliche.
Avoid this like the plague. Not as bad as Sucker Punch or Immortals but not by much.
Please don't go and see it as it will only encourage him to make more rubbish like this.
Truly worth one star.

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scrumpyjack said...

Posted on Dec 09 2011 02:23 A perfect film for the ADD crowd, this isn't as awful as V.D but is in no way recommended. i found warmth and comfort in knowing (well, hoping) DeNiro donates as much to charity in a year as this pap paid. If not......a shitty 2012 to him! 4/10. Oh yes Time Out...lets save 1 stars for real STINKERS...not just whiffy ones like this fluff.

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