It is that time of year again…or is it the start of those kinds of jokes? However you frame it, New Year’s Eve is here. And that means people want to celebrate with movies and television shows that are centered around the holiday. There aren’t as many New Year’s Eve-centric movies and shows but there are enough to make a list!
There are the classics, the ones people turn to every year, but what about the lesser-known movies? Or the ones you don’t think of as a “New Year’s Eve” kind of movie or television show episode? Let’s break down the best things to watch this New Year’s Eve that aren’t the series finale of Stranger Things.
New Year’s Eve
After the success of Love Actually, we had a series of vignette films set around the holidays. Neither were quite to the calibre of the Christmas classic but the 2011 film New Year’s Eve came close. It has an all-star cast of characters that include Lea Michele, Ashton Kutcher, Robert de Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and so many more. But it is only really tolerable to watch on the holiday itself. So just be prepared for an aggressively okay movie that does happen to have Zac Efron in it.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother had plenty of themed episodes and one was “The Limo,” an episode in season 1 that was all about New Year’s Eve. A classic How I Met Your Mother set up mixed with the holiday? Sounds like a perfect rewatch. The episode is described as follows: “It’s New Year’s Eve, and Ted hires a limo so they can all party together in style. Things don’t go quite according to plan when all the parties they want to get to turn out to be useless.”
About Time
If you want to fall in love this New Year’s Eve, why not do so by watching About Time? The Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams movie features time travel, love, and New Year’s Eve kisses. So what’s not to love? One of the pivotal parts of the film is Tim (Gleeson) going back in time to fix a kiss that he messed up the first time around. And what’s more romantic than a New Year’s Eve kiss?
Gossip Girl
Like many television shows, Gossip Girl has more than one option for New Year’s Eve episodes. And if you know anything about the teens of Manhattan, you know they love a fancy party. But one episode sticks out: Season 2’s “In the Realm of the Basses.” It centers on Blair’s (Leighton Meester) hook-up with Jack Bass (Desmond Harrington).
The Office
Back in the age of network television, we used to have plenty of shows that would build in episodes about holidays to run throughout the year, like The Office‘s episode “Ultimatum“. The season 7 episode features Pam (Jenna Fischer) forcing the staff of Dunder Mifflin working on their resolutions and sticking to them.
Bridget Jones’ Diary
Talk about a romantic kiss! Bridget Jones’ Diary gives the hopeless romantic plenty of holidays to watch it on. But the best moment in the film happens on New Year’s Eve. Well…maybe the second best but still, it is a great kiss. Bridget (Renée Zellweger) and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) have an up and down relationship but when he steps out to get her a new journal, she runs after him in just her underwear and the rest is movie history.
Y2K
One of the most infamous moments in every millennials life was the Y2K scare. We all thought the world was going to come to an end and so Kyle Mooney made an A24 movie about it. Y2K gives us an alternative world where the world really did end that fateful night and honestly, it is a fun watch so why not ring in the New Year with a fun comedy.
That 70s Show
Miss That 70s Show? Why not watch the series finale? Well, if you want to watch a New Year’s Eve themed episode, you’ll have to dive right in to the end of the series. “That 70s Finale” features the beloved characters living in Wisconsin dealing with moving on, making the best decision for them, and coming to terms with what makes them happy in the New Year and isn’t that the best time to do it?
Phantom Thread
Want to watch Daniel Day Lewis fall in love with a woman who is poisoning him? Then Phantom Thread is the holiday movie for you. In the Paul Thomas Anderson film, Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Alma (Vicky Krieps) dance at a party that is the aftermath of a New Year’s Eve celebration and it is one of the film’s most beautiful moments.
When Harry Met Sally
And the best and most romantic New Year’s Eve movie of them all? Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally. The iconic rom-com ends at a New Year’s Eve party with Harry (Billy Crystal) confessing his love for Sally (Meg Ryan) in one of the most quotable and romantic scenes of all time. When you find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want it to start right now, right? So why not ring in the New Year by falling in love?
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