Ah New Year’s Eve, a time for wearing silly hats, drinking too much, kissing strangers and paying too much for a taxi. According to Garry Marshall, it’s also a great night for living your dreams, following your heart and wishing upon a dozen Hollywood stars.
Following up schmooze-fest Valentine’s Day with another heart-shaped box of celebrity pick’n’mix, Marshall rings in 2012 with a sticky-sweet parade of high-gloss New York love stories. Overstuffed with A-listers (some of whom look like they only put in half a day’s work), it’s almost easier to name everyone who’s not in it.
Hilary Swank is the stressed exec in charge of the Times Square ball drop, Katherine Heigl is catering the aftershow party and Jon Bon Jovi is the headline act-slash-unwelcome-ex.
Glee ’s Lea Michele is supposed to sing back-up but gets stuck in a lift with Ashton Kutcher’s grumpy hipster instead. A dying Robert De Niro wants to watch the fireworks but nurse Halle Berry won’t let him.
Pregnant Jessica Biel is trying to squeeze out the first baby of the New Year, Sarah Jessica Parker is an over-parenting mom, Josh Duhamel is stranded in the snow and Zac Efron is helping Michelle Pfeiffer tick off her bucket-list resolutions before meeting up with best bud Kutcher at Swank and Heigl’s party. Apparently, all the good-looking people know each other in New York.
Packed with meet cutes, second chances, teary dashes through snowy streets and even a sassy Latino stereotype, New Year’s Eve comes at you like a silly drunk demanding a hug.
A nice turn from Abigail Breslin as SJP’s daughter and some heart-toasting moments between Pfeiffer and Efron help a couple of stories stand out from the all the glitter and fluff.
Every emotional string is shamelessly pulled, the signposted comedy is lighter than air… it’s just adorable. Sickeningly so.
