Writer: Katherine Fugate
Starring: Halle Berry
Jessica Biel
Jon Bon Jovi
Abigail Breslin
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges
Matthew Broderick
Robert De Niro
Josh Duhamel
Zac Efron
Héctor Elizondo
Robert De Niro
Josh Duhamel
Zac Efron
Héctor Elizondo
Carla Gugino
Katherine Heigl
Ashton Kutcher
Seth Meyers
Lea Michele
Katherine Heigl
Ashton Kutcher
Seth Meyers
Lea Michele
Alyssa Milano
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Paulson
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Jake T. Austin
Til Schweiger
Til Schweiger
Yeardley Smith
Hilary Swank
Sofía Vergara
Hilary Swank
Sofía Vergara
Rating: ****
Release Date: Out Now
There will be a lot of sore celebrity heads after this New Year's Eve party. A follow up of Valentines Day from director Garry Marshall comes a funny, sweet and emotional ensemble movie.
The cast, including Jessica Biel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashton Kutcher and Halle Berry all have there own stories to tell through the film, and as it develops you discover they are all connected somehow. Robert De Niro's story is especially poignant and emotional throughout as he drags himself into 2012 with his last dying breath. Because of the amount of stories in the film, everything is set up pretty quickly, and while some of the stories don't grab you emotionally, the ones featuring the better actors like De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer really make you feel for the characters.
Pfeiffer plays against type as bitter hag Ingrid, who has slowly watched her life go by from behind a desk and finally resolves to make her dreams come true...all before midnight. She's helped with this mammoth task by the one I call Zefron, but most call Zac Efron, who is a cocky delivery boy who helps her for his own personal gain, party tickets. This leads into a series of sweet and funny sketches, the funniest of which sees Pfeiffer swinging like a lifeless corpse from the rafters of a Broadway theatre. Elsewhere, we have Jessica Biel being vaguely amusing as a preggers woman determined that her child be the first born of 2012. With the help of her dozy partner, Seth Meyers, there is plenty to chuckle at but it does get a bit repetitive by the end.
The cast, including Jessica Biel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashton Kutcher and Halle Berry all have there own stories to tell through the film, and as it develops you discover they are all connected somehow. Robert De Niro's story is especially poignant and emotional throughout as he drags himself into 2012 with his last dying breath. Because of the amount of stories in the film, everything is set up pretty quickly, and while some of the stories don't grab you emotionally, the ones featuring the better actors like De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer really make you feel for the characters.
Pfeiffer plays against type as bitter hag Ingrid, who has slowly watched her life go by from behind a desk and finally resolves to make her dreams come true...all before midnight. She's helped with this mammoth task by the one I call Zefron, but most call Zac Efron, who is a cocky delivery boy who helps her for his own personal gain, party tickets. This leads into a series of sweet and funny sketches, the funniest of which sees Pfeiffer swinging like a lifeless corpse from the rafters of a Broadway theatre. Elsewhere, we have Jessica Biel being vaguely amusing as a preggers woman determined that her child be the first born of 2012. With the help of her dozy partner, Seth Meyers, there is plenty to chuckle at but it does get a bit repetitive by the end.
Amongst the comedy and hijinx there are of course some romantic stories to pick from. Katherine Heigl and Jon Bon Jovi are a couple who have both sacrificed what they love for each other, but after a hard year apart they come together as the ball drops. On
the other side of town, a moody Ashton Kutcher is trapped in a lift with one of Bon Jovi's backing singers, played by the often annoying Lea Michele. She helps him to love both New years and her by the end of the film in a sweet but dull story. Sarah
Jessica Parker is a fussy mum to Abigail Breslin while they both look for love, and Hilary Swank gets in a flap as the
events organiser trying to ensure the ball drops in Times Square come
midnight.
Laughter is, of course, the best medicine, and in this film, surprisingly, there is plenty. A lot of the humour comes from my absolute favourite at the moment, Sofia Vergara, who is as loud, sexy and hilarious as ever, playing Heigl's Sous Chef. Meyers and Pfeiffer also supply a lot of the humour, and rather unintentionally, so does Sarah Jessica Parker's face. All in all the film was actually pretty good, and I was pleasantly surprised. Despite a lot of stories and some being better than others, a stellar cast and experienced director made it an extremely touching and festive film. I highly recommend it, especially if you were a fan of Valentine's day or Love Actually (although this will never be as good as Love Actually, but it tries).
Laughter is, of course, the best medicine, and in this film, surprisingly, there is plenty. A lot of the humour comes from my absolute favourite at the moment, Sofia Vergara, who is as loud, sexy and hilarious as ever, playing Heigl's Sous Chef. Meyers and Pfeiffer also supply a lot of the humour, and rather unintentionally, so does Sarah Jessica Parker's face. All in all the film was actually pretty good, and I was pleasantly surprised. Despite a lot of stories and some being better than others, a stellar cast and experienced director made it an extremely touching and festive film. I highly recommend it, especially if you were a fan of Valentine's day or Love Actually (although this will never be as good as Love Actually, but it tries).
New Year's Eve - Trailer
(and just for fun, some spoof trailers.)
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