New Year’s Eve (2011) 6/10

Starring : Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara
Director : Garry Marshall
Running Time : 118 mins

Two couples compete for the chance to win $25 thousand dollars for having the first baby born on New Year’s Day. Rock star Jensen (Bon Jovi) revisits a romance with caterer Laura (Heigl), who hates him for leaving her. Office worker Ingrid (Pfeiffer) quits her job after a near death experience. Teenager Hailey (Breslin) worries about telling her mum Kim (Parker) that she wants to send New Year’s with her friends. Randy (Kutcher) and Elise (Michele) get trapped in elevator together for the night. Sam (Duhamel) finds himself broken down at the side of the road, desperate to get back to town for an important speech. Stan Harris (De Niro) is dying and wants nothing more than to spend his final hours in Times Square. And Claire Morgan (Swank) is given the task of organising the Times Square celebrations for the residents of New York City.

I wonder what the next holiday will be to be given the ensemble random story treatment. Don’t get me wrong, they’re watchable. I’m just worried that next year someone will make Easter Sunday or Memorial Day. It’s fun to see the little vignette’s play out, but it does feel like a lazy way of making money because there’s bound to be at least one actor in this film that people like and will sit through two hours to watch the ten minutes that they’re in.

You’ll like this if you liked : Valentine’s Day