28 Best Movies to Watch on New Year’s Eve
For many of us, New Year’s Eve represents not only the culmination of a long holiday season, but also a time to both reflect and look forward to what lies ahead—sometimes with optimism, sometimes with outright dread. (Mostly fear lately.)
The films often reflect the simultaneously hopeful and dangerous nature of the times. This could be a period of re-evaluation, renewal or major change. This selection of select New Year’s films runs the gamut, covering everything from romance and murder to comedy and tragedy, wild sex and heartbreaking loneliness.
Substance (2024)
New Year’s resolutions, for better or worse, often include promises to take better care of our bodies in the coming months, although often we simply mean that we want to find ways to look younger, thinner, and more beautiful. In this dark arthouse horror film, Demi Moore plays Elizabeth Sparkle, a staid, middle-aged celebrity who was fired from an aerobics show solely because of her age. She is soon introduced to the titular Substance, which allows her to create a younger version of herself using her own consciousness. It’s a grim warning about the potential costs of our endless thirst for youth, and the climax appropriately comes during a New Year’s Eve TV special that goes horribly awry. You can stream The Substance on Mubi or rent it on Prime Video .
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron’s classic follows Billy Crystal’s Harry and Meg Ryan’s Sally over 11 tumultuous years, with two major scenes set at New Year’s Eve parties: the first involves a midnight kiss that signals the beginning of potential romantic relationship between two; the second occurs at the film’s climax, when ten years of growth, separately and together, sees them in the same place at the same time, both literally and figuratively. You can stream When Harry Met Sally on Pluto TV or rent it on Prime Video .
Gold Rush (1925)
You could be forgiven for forgetting that one of the most memorable moments of early American cinema occurred on New Year’s Eve: in Charlie Chaplin’s early classic, his Seeker character meets Georgia (Georgia Hale), a dance hall girl who dances with him to annoy him. unpleasant fan. She accepts his invitation to New Year’s dinner, but almost forgets about it. While she is having fun at the big party, he is alone in his cabin, dreaming of company and entertaining his imaginary guests with a couple of dancing potatoes. (Don’t worry: Georgia will be there soon to see what “Prospector” is all about.) You can stream “Gold Rush” on Max , Tubi, The Criterion Channel, Prime Video and Freevee .
Phantom Thread (2017)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s film has a relatively short but important scene set on New Year’s Eve. The climax, perhaps, is the moment in which the entire film unfolds: famous dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is in a relationship with waitress Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps), who seems ready to break out of his carefully constructed routine. However, he turns down her request to go to the New Year’s party, and when she goes alone, he follows her and almost drags her away. This moment makes it clear that if this relationship is to have any chance of success, radical changes will be required. Contemplating such impending changes is, in a sense, what New Year’s Eve is all about. You can stream Phantom Thread onNetflix or rent it from Prime Video .
The Godfather Part 2 (1974)
The climax of the film and the most important moment in the life of Michael Corleone occurs at a New Year’s party in Cuba. This is the night Michael (Al Pacino) learns of his brother Fredo’s (John Cazale) betrayal. The fateful kiss that follows is a deliberate inversion of the traditional midnight kiss, which ensures that neither Michael nor Fredo have a particularly happy year. You can stream The Godfather: Part II on Paramount+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Rocky (1976)
Perhaps a little Christmas inspiration inspired by a movie with plenty of seasonal themes. Journeyman boxer Rocky Balboa gets his chance at big time when heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (the late, great Carl Weathers) discovers he needs an opponent for a planned fight. Not wanting to miss his big chance, Rocky finds a crappy trainer and an even more promiscuous love interest in preparation for the big battle on New Year’s Day. While the outcome isn’t entirely in Rocky’s favor, it reminds us that sometimes we can win by losing, dusting ourselves off, and fighting again (in about 80 sequels and spin-offs). You can rent Rocky from Prime Video .
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
It may be a lesser film in the Ghostbusters canon, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had with this sequel. The entire film builds around the climax of New Year’s Eve as the machinations of Vigo the Carpathian and company near the end of the year. Ultimately, New York is saved by some emotionally charged goo and a touching rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.” You can rent Ghostbusters II from Prime Video .
Waiting to Exhale (1995)
This Terry McMillan adaptation about the power of female friendship features a superb cast led by Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon. Bassett’s character, Bernadine, has an unusually powerful revelation on New Year’s Eve that leads to a memorable scene of revenge. You can stream Waiting to Exhale on Hulu or rent it on Prime Video .
Apartment (1960)
The film, set almost entirely between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, was innovative in its approach to sexuality. Jack Lemmon plays Bud Baxter, an insurance clerk who rose through the ranks by renting out his apartment to his bosses for their extramarital affairs. In the midst of this, a tense attachment develops between Bud and Fran (Shirley MacLaine), an office building elevator operator, a woman who herself was in a joyless affair with Bud’s boss (Fred MacMurray). A rather bad New Year’s Eve party gives way to something more hopeful when Fran realizes that love might be worth the risk. You can stream The Apartment on Tubi, Freevee and Prime Video .
Il Posto (1961)
In the same brooding spirit, the Italian classic satire Posto tells the story of Domenico (Sandro Panseri), a young man who is pressured by his family into jumping into a career, which he does by signing a contract with a soul-crushing corporation. At work, he meets Antonietta (Loredana Detto), a young woman in a very similar boat, with whom he spends a few minutes at the office New Year’s party. The film doesn’t offer tangible hope of escape from the endless grind of modern capitalism, but it serves as a timely reminder that work is meaningless and time spent with kindred spirits is much more valuable. You can stream Il Posto on the Criterion Channel .
Snowpiercer (2013)
Bong Joon Ho’s post-apocalypse is fast approaching, and Snowpiercer is set in 2031. Here, survivors of climate catastrophe live together on one giant train that travels across a frozen, lifeless globe. The annual celebration here takes place once a year when the train makes a full circuit around the world. It is one such train New Year’s celebration that the oppressed and abused residents at the rear of the train use as an opportunity to rebel against the privileged and pampered passengers at the front of the train. Honestly, not the worst New Year’s resolution. You can stream Snowpiercer on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
In the original The Poseidon Adventure , a star-studded triumph from the golden age of disaster cinema, Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson, Shelley Winters and Red Buttons (among others) were trapped on a cruise ship capsized by an undersea earthquake; one that takes place moments after the ball drops and a big party. They’ll all have to spend the New Year clawing their way back to the surface, which is as good a hangover metaphor as you’re likely to find in a movie about an upside-down boat. You can rent The Poseidon Adventure on Prime Video.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
New Year’s Eve represents the past in Nora Ephron’s romantic comedy-drama, where architect Sam (Tom Hanks) has a sweet but imaginary conversation with his late wife during the holiday celebrations. Future? It’s Valentine’s Day when Sam and Annie (Meg Ryan) meet at the top of the Empire State Building. You can rent Sleepless in Seattle on Prime Video .
After the Thin Man (1936)
The carefree, heady chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy is the highlight of the entire The Thin Man series, and it’s still going strong in this first sequel, as married detectives Nick and Nora Charles expect a boring New Year’s Eve but find themselves in the midst of a kidnapping and murder (featuring Jimmy Stewart in his first major film role). The previous movie takes place at Christmas, so you might want to watch that one too. You can rent After the Thin Man from Prime Video .
Holiday (1938)
Would you rather spend New Year’s Eve with William Powell and Myrna Loy or with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant? Why it’s worth choosing – The Holiday and After the Thin Man are short enough that you can watch both in less time than Avatar alone. Here, Grant plays Johnny Case, a self-made millennial (hey, it was the Depression) who wants to take a vacation and enjoy the money he makes, and also plans to marry Julia, who is fine and fun and all, but ends up can’t compare to her bubbly older sister Linda (Hepburn). A series of memorable New Year’s flips set them both on a path to discovering each other, but George Cukor’s film doesn’t make it that easy. Each needs to decide what they want from life and what lengths they are willing to go to get it before they can truly see each other. You can stream Holiday on Prime Video .
New Year’s Evil (1980)
Is this one of the best works of the slasher genre? It’s not. It’s rather charmingly silly, however, when a killer calls into a radio show in New York and promises to kill people across the United States as midnight hits in each time zone. In harsh daylight it probably won’t fit the bill, but it might be perfect in the heady post-midnight haze. It also has a very solid title track . You can stream New Year’s Evil on MGM+ and Pluto TV .
Midnight Kiss (2019)
Technically an episode of Hulu’s Into the Dark anthology, the feature-length Midnight Kiss follows a group of gay friends (and their straight girlfriends) as they head to a gorgeous desert location as part of an annual tradition: they’ll each pick someone. randomly kiss at midnight. Old grudges resurface, brought on (unbeknownst to most of them) by a serial killer. It wouldn’t be a spoiler to suggest that not all of them will make it to the New Year. You can stream Midnight Kiss on Hulu .
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Former movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) is quite frankly a mess, and that’s never more apparent than during her elaborate New Year’s Eve party for two: her and Joe (William Holden), who we already know is will end up dead in Norma’s pool. Perhaps this is the moment when we realize how delusional the diva has become. On the other hand, New Year’s is a time for some sloppiness, and while Swanson is treated like an ancient relic, Swanson was only 50 years old when this was filmed, so maybe we can relax a little. You can stream Sunset Boulevard on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video .
Repeat performance (1947)
What if we thought for just a moment that the change of years may not be a time of blessed renewal, but an opportunity to travel back in time and try to undo some of the things you royally screwed up in the previous year. Considering we’re firmly in noir territory here, don’t expect a runaway success. On New Year’s Eve 1946, Sheila Page (Joan Leslie) stands over her husband’s corpse, wishing she could have done things differently. And voila! she returned earlier in the year and is trying to stop the breakdown of her marriage with some help from her gay best friend (Richard Basehart). You can stream the Replay on Kanopy .
About Time (2013)
Another time travel movie with a key New Year’s episode, with significantly less murder. Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson play Mary and Tim, a couple whose history is constantly changing thanks to Tim’s ability to travel through time, an ability that is especially useful when he wants to keep trying to kiss until the right one comes along. You can rent About Time on Prime Video .
An American in Paris (1951)
We love New Year’s Eve party themes, and they don’t get much better (or more elaborate) than the black-and-white party at the center of Gene Kelly’s An American in Paris , the film that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. in your year. You can rent An American in Paris from Prime Video .
Ocean’s 11 (1960)
It’s less an elaborate piece of cinema and more an excuse for the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop) to hang themselves – but this cool, boozy chemistry goes a surprisingly long way. Sinatra plays Danny Ocean, who teams up his old army buddies with an elaborate New Year’s Eve plan to simultaneously rob five Las Vegas casinos: the Sahara, the Riviera, the Desert Inn, the Sands and the Flamingo. You can stream Ocean’s 11 on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Happy New Year (2014)
Inspired by the 2001 version of Ocean’s Eleven , this Hindi-language action comedy stars Shah Rukh Khan as a courageous street fighter who plans a heist to take revenge on the man who wrongfully imprisoned his father. His goal? Real Atlantis hotel in Dubai. Trick? He and his team have to sneak into a dance competition, even though none of them can dance. The result, unsurprisingly, is magnificent. You can stream Happy New Year onNetflix .
High School Musical (2006)
Try not to worry that a feel-good Disney Channel movie is itself old enough to start sending out college applications. Just enjoy the 2000s vibe and especially the opening scene. Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez (Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens) meet at a ski resort on New Year’s Eve to perform a very seasonally appropriate duet called “The Start of Something New.” You can stream High School Musical on Disney+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Rent (2005)
The musical adaptation (starring much of the original cast) opens on a cold New Year’s Eve in New York City and asks the question that’s on all of our minds at this time: How do you measure a year? You can stream Rent on Hoopla or rent Rent on Prime Video .
Are we there yet? (2005)
Ice Cube stars here alongside Nia Long, Jay Mohr and Tracy Morgan in a delightfully silly (and family-friendly) movie about a New Year’s trip to the airport. Sure, it sounds simple, but Nick (Ice Cube) is determined to impress the woman he likes by picking up her kids and bringing them to meet her for a flight to Vancouver. Suffice it to say that this is not easy for children. If you have even more time to kill on New Year’s Eve, there is a sequel ( Are We Done Yet? ) and a spin-off series, all currently airing. You can stream Are We There Yet on Hoopla or rent it on Prime Video .
Diner (1982)
In 1959, a group of close college-aged friends reunite in time for Eddie’s (Steve Guttenberg) New Year’s wedding. New Year is a time for reflection, so why not? Kevin Bacon, Mickey Rourke, Daniel Stern and Tim Daly make up the rest of the group. You can rent Diner from Prime Video .
Trading Places (1983)
Trading Places begins on Christmas Day and climaxes with a New Year’s Eve train ride involving a robbery, two gorillas (one real, one fake) and many disguises. The comedy here is often very silly, but Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd have amazing chemistry and, unusually for the 1980s, the film has some very pointed commentary on corporate greed. You can rent Trading Places from Prime Video .