Eight different storylines and a cast of A–list stars interact as the countdown approaches for the Times Square ball to drop on New Year’s Eve. Stories include 1) a couple (Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers) trying to have the first baby of the new year; 2) a man (Josh Duhamel) rushing back to a favorite hangout to meet up with the girl of his dreams; 3) two singles (Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele) who meet when their elevator gets stuck; and 4) a woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) who hopes to shake off her humdrum life by enlisting a delivery boy (Zac Efron) to help her meet her resolutions. And that’s not all! There are four other lackluster stories that are just as drab, lifeless and cloyingly predictable as the first four.
ClearPlay In Action!
New Year’s Eve is pretty tame stuff by today’s anything–goes standards, even before being ClearPlayed. ClearPlay cleans up about 30 instances of profanity that include an F–word, some lewd and anatomical references, and allusions to a sexual encounter.
Will New Year’s Eve lead to a happy New Year?…
The usually dependable director Garry Marshall and a cast full of former Oscar winners (Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank), seem to be going through the motions here, unable to rise above the hackneyed material. If you’re a fan of the actors, and are in a forgiving mood, you might enjoy it. If not, you’ll feel like you’re watching bad television, or community theater (and I’m doing a disservice to community theater by making the comparison). There’s scarcely a believable moment in the film. Dick Clark, we miss you more than ever!
Marty Nabhan—ClearPlay Father Time
Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual references;118 min; Directed by Garry Marshall
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