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

'New Year's Eve' just happened to be on television on New Year's Eve, and my younger sister and this reviewer mutually decided to make it our film of choice. Despite having talent like Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfieffer and have also liked some of Gary Marshall's other films (even thought the still highly uneven 'Valentine's Day' wasn't that bad),expectations were not high having heard for a while nothing but bad things about it from trusted friends and sources and often heard it described as one of the worst films of the year.

Both of us were bitterly disappointed and intensely disliked 'New Years Eve', having watched it anyway because it intrigued conceptually, there were some good ideas and the talent sounded too good to resist, and we are not always on the same page when it comes to opinions. These feelings were felt by both of us very early on, and we did consider turning it off when we were still not finding ourselves getting into it half an hour in. We didn't because the premise was intriguing and the individual story-lines sounded like they could be amusing and moving if done well. Almost everything fell flat and almost everything was wasted. Complete share the dislike from most and while not among the very worst of that respective years it is in the lower end of the spectrum rather than the higher end or in the middle.

There are a few good things. New York looks lovely, then again when did it not. The photography is nice.

Michelle Pfeiffer is the cast highlight, she had the most interesting character for me in the film and she seemed very committed. Jessica Biel has amusing moments.

However, the rest of the cast do not work. There is an uncomfortable mix of over-compensating (Katherine Heigl and Sarah Jessica Parker) and blandness (Zac Efron and especially Ashton Kutcher, actually forgot that Kutcher was in it after finishing the film and that is not a good sign). Robert De Niro might not as well have been there because he was practically wasted, while Jon Bon Jovi's cameo is one of the most pointless and redundant ones in existence in a subplot that was far too low-key and could easily have been cut. One of the worst assets was the flabby script, which was also flimsy in development, completely banal and stilted with some heavy-handed moralising. Didn't care for any of the characters pretty much, pretty much all of them were underdeveloped cliches (with the most developed one being Pfeiffer's) and neither interesting or likeable. Some were unpleasantly neurotic too, especially Heigl's, Parker's and Swank's. Also there were far too many of them, which is the reason why all those problems happened.

Just like there were too many subplots, pretty much all neither interesting or emotionally investable and are instead a mix of contrived, dumb and overly schmaltzy. Even half an hour in, one feels hit with too much going on in characterisation and storylines with neither properly growing that it bogs down the pacing, pacing so dreary that it makes the length longer than it is, the sentiment really gets too much and it takes itself far too seriously. The various storylines give an episodic hodge-podgy feel, the constant back and forth confuses and is choppy and they don't really connect together at the end and resolved too conveniently and predictably. De Niro's subplot, weightier than the rest of them, sounded poignant and relatable on paper, the problem sadly is that it felt out of place with the rest of the film and fits uncomfortably with everything else (as well as having a lack of credible motivation),like there was an attempt to devote time to it while underdeveloping the rest of the subplots. Marshall's direction is never in control and struggles to balance everything together.

In conclusion, weak film and very disappointing. 3/10 Bethany Cox

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.