Happy New Year

Director Garry Marshall delivers what Hollywood thinks is the new chick flick formula. Take a holiday, add a whole bunch of stars, and put them in separate plot lines that are related in the least important ways. This one is set on New Year's Eve in New York city. Kim (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the concerned single mother of Hailey (Abigail Breslin) who wants to kiss the boy at midnight. Chef Laura (Katherine Heigl) is cooking a corporate New year's Eve party, and her ex Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi) is singing at the party. Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) quits her job and asks Paul (Zac Efron) to help fulfill her resolutions.

I could keep go on for a half dozen more plot lines. There is one where Randy (Ashton Kutcher) who gets stuck in an elevator with Elise (Lea Michele). At least they seem to have some chemistry. This is not a good movie. It's a sad day when this calculated series of movies continues. This is a formula that deserves to die.

There were so many stars in this film that it felt like a Hollywood casting office. This film was a jumble of story lines that somehow crashes together in the end. I really like all the actors in the film, but the film itself lacked substance. I think that director Garry Marshall took it a little too far when he got Matthew Broderick to make a cameo appearance as Mr. Buellerton. Really, Garry? This film reminds me of the other slapped together film that Garry directed (Valentine's Day). What happened to the brilliance that Garry displayed in films like Pretty Women and Beaches? There were a lot of Oscar-winning actors in this film such as Hillary Swank (Claire Morgan), Robert De Niro (Stan Harris), Halle Berry (Nurse Aimee) and Michelle Pfeiffer (Ingrid). I know that these people did not need a paycheck, so why would they want to add this film to their resume? Ashton Kutcher (Randy) is a man who hates New Year's Eve (as we can tell from the trailer). I think he hates New Year's Eve because he read the script. And another thing…. Why was Ashton wondering around New York City in his pajamas? I've been to New York City in the winter and this is not even close to being believable. I do have to make a comment about Sarah Jessica Parker's character, Kim. I can understand her having a teenage daughter, but what I cannot understand is the inappropriate love interest she ends up with. He is much too young for her (but who am I to talk – smile). I love SJP from way back from her Sex In The City days, but come on!!! The only character that was slightly believable was Hailey (Abigail Breslin), who acted pretty much like a typical teenager. The rest of the story lines were just pure nonsense. Emma's daughter-in-law brought her baby to the film and he slept through the whole thing. I felt like I could have done the same thing. I hate to say it (not really) but the best parts of this film were the outtakes at the end of the movie. If you feel like you need to see this film, I recommend that you wait until it comes out on DVD and rent it. I am not celebrating and I refuse to do a count-down for this film and am giving it a red light.

I admit I didn't see New Year's Eve in a theater, where I might have resented spending the money. I saw it on TV and for what it was - a holiday movie, I thought it was cute.

Okay, I'm a sap. I've read the reviews here. I didn't find the story lines a jumble at all. This is a feel-good film with expected endings and so what? I for one do not want to be made miserable around the holidays when I'm already sad because so much of my family is gone.

There were also complaints about the cast - too many stars. So what? All-star casts have been around since 1931. Hillary Swank, Zach Efron, Robert de Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Katherine Heigl, Bon Jovi, Lea Michele, Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Biel, Carla Gugino, Seth Meyers, and Sofia Vergara.

The film is episodic, about happenings in New York City on New Year's Eve: Swank is responsible for getting the ball to drop at midnight; de Niro is a dying man who wants to go on the hospital roof to see the ball drop; two couples want to have their babies at midnight and win $25,000; Katherine Heigl comes face to face with Bon Jovi, who dumped her the year before; Michelle Pfeiffer is a secretary who leaves her job and asks Zach Efron to fulfill her bucket list; Lea Michele and Ashton Kutcher are stuck in an elevator; etc.

"New Year's Eve" is an old-fashioned film, the kind you would see in the '50s. It's not Citizen Kane and it's not supposed to be. It seems to me that many people on IMDb are incredible snobs, sorry, and don't understand simple entertainment and taking a movie for what it is instead of what it isn't. You didn't know George Bailey would come out okay in "It's a Wonderful Life"? You didn't know they'd pull off honoring the general in "White Christmas"? I'm not sure what the problem is. I want predictable around the holidays. For those of you who wanted the ball to blow up and kill everyone at the end of the movie, you'll need to watch something else.

NEW YEAR'S EVE falls into that class of films best labeled 'cute'. Lots of stories, most of little consequence, an attempt to pull everything together with the premise that new Year's Eve gives everyone a chance to make things different in the following year (the New Year's Resolution carried to the extreme), some funny jokes pushed over the edge toward silly, and a script full of holes. But the bouncing around from micro story to micro story works OK because it gives the actors involved a chance to come on set for a day or two of work and leave unstressed and financially healthy. Katherine Fugate wrote the stewed ingredient stories for Garry Marshall to stir, and the list of actors involved is staggering: Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Cary Elwes, Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers , Sarah Paulson, Til Schweiger, Carla Gugino, Katherine Heigl, Jon Bon Jovi, Sofía Vergara, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Josh Duhamel, Larry Miller, Penny Marshall, Cherry Jones, Hilary Swank, Ludicrous, Hector Elizondo, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew Broderick, John Lithgow and more.

This is a razzle dazzle movie with some good moments, improbable though they mostly are, and a nice mindless evening to enjoy popcorn. Enter with low expectations and take it for what it is - entertainment.

Grady Harp

Films like Garry Marshall's New Year's Eve are hard to talk about in terms of story because this one has so many different stories weaving in and out of the narrative. This one is like Crash many different characters weaving and out of the film and no real central story. In fact the appearance of characters from one story in another film is tangential almost coincidental.

If I had to pick a favorite of any of the stories it would be the reporter story with the reporter Hillary Swank and the man who makes it all happen Hector Elizondo. Apparently Hector is one special maintenance man who is in charge of that Times Square ball that marks the coming year the world over. You'd think we'd all be stuck in the previous year if Hector does not keep the ball in working order. Anyway it gets stuck on the way up to come down and Hector's been laid off. Swank is the one who has to send out a clarion call so New Year's Eve can reach its climax officially. But Hector has his pride and this sequence easily outranks the others.

Michelle Pheiffer has an interesting sequence when she walks out of her job with an arrogant boss and has a New Year's Eve with messenger boy Zac Efron that promises to rock their worlds. Life ends for dying cancer patient Robert DeNiro and begins for new mother Jessica Biel at midnight. Someone I think is trying to give us a subtle hint about reincarnation there.

Jon Bon Jovi gets to play a rocker like Jon Bon Jovi the central attraction of New Year's Eve the way Guy Lombardo used to be. And New Year's Eve threatens to be a bummer for Ashton Kutcher and Lea Michelle trapped in an elevator.

Gary Marshall may have tried for a grand-slam with all the stars he managed to fit into this urban panorama. But he got a double with runs scoring with New Year's Eve.