You may not be able to rely on a New Year's kiss with your crush, but you can rely on the protagonist's New Year's kiss in the totally anticipated, completely cliche, but can't-take-your-eyes-away from the screen, infamous ~rom-com~. I said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm a sucker for a good romance story — no matter how cheesy it may be. So, obviously, when the holiday season approaches, I start my list of the best New Year's Eve movies that I plan to watch, and right now, I've got 27.
Let's be real — most movies about/featuring NYE are romances because this is lowkey a more romantic holiday than Valentine's Day. But don't stop here if you're not so much a rom-com lover like me. From musicals to post-apocalyptic thrillers, there's something for everyone. Any cozy night in requires a good movie, and if you want to get in the mood by watching something that fits the theme of the holiday, there are plenty of options out there that are perfect for New Year's Eve.
If you have some big plans to ring in 2022 with a sparkly outfit and a bottle of champagne, anticipate the big event and get in the celebratory mood by watching some festive films beforehand. However, if you're one who prefers to spend the holiday in and cuddled up on the cozy couch, a glass of champagne and one of these New Year's Eve movies from the list will complement each other perfectly.
Happy New Year's Eve, and happy watching!
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1An American in Paris
The New Year's party at the end of this movie is actually legendary. The film follows a WWII veteran who stays in Paris after the war and falls in love with two separate women. It all comes to a head on one fateful NYE.
This is a bit of a stretch for a New Year's eve movie, but there is one really pivotal scene in this porn-industry film, in which Mark Wahlberg plays a porn star that loses his way, that revolves around a very depressing NYE get together.
A man and a woman meet—and fall in love—on a cruise across the Atlantic. They promise to meet each other in six months, but a terrible accident keeps her from going. This movie *starts* with NYE, but it goes to a very, very emotional place from there.
Released in 2020, this movie starring Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey touches the feels of everyone who finds themselves without a plus one during the holiday season. Sure, I can't lie, this is a rom-com that is totally and completely cheesy, but it's super cute nonetheless.
If you're into romance but want something a little more serious, Carol is the drama for you. Set in the 1950s, a young Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) pursues an older, married, and extremely elegant Carol (Cate Blanchett). The two find themselves in a whirlwind romance that comes with huge consequences. While this isn't exactly a traditional NYE flick, the Oscar-nominated film takes place during the holiday season and the couple's first kiss takes place on New Year's Eve, of course.
If you're more into thrillers, this movie may be the one for you to ring in the new year with. Imagine celebrating NYE with your family and friends on a luxurious cruise ship, and then all of a sudden, a rogue wave slams the boat causing it to capsize. Probably not the way you were expecting the New Year to begin. You'll be at the edge of your seat rooting for the remaining passengers to survive.
It doesn't get much worse than getting dumped by your husband on NYE. But it also doesn't get much better than watching Angela Bassett's character, Bernadine, torch said husband's expensive clothing and BMW.
If you've got some baggage you're eager to be rid of in the new year, save yourself the matches and arson charges and enjoy this catharsis —along with the beautiful friendship of four women (Bassett, Whitney Houston, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon)—from the comfort of your home.
Blake Lively's immortal character was born on New Year's Day and makes a habit out of attending NYE parties in a series of fabulous dresses. It's at one of these parties where she meets Ellis Jones (a dashing Michiel Huisman) and her carefully constructed world begins to unravel as she falls in love with him and has to come to terms with both her past and her future.
No surprises here, About A Boy is another rom-com on the list. Hugh Grant makes this movie a must-see for his portrayal of Will, a womanizing and wealthy man who only sees life through one, egotistical view. It all changes for him when a young boy is introduced to him on New Year's Eve.
Watching two people fall in love over the course of several years is always gratifying, but Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal perfected the process in When Harry Met Sally. Their climactic New Year's kiss is one of the all-time most romantic, slow-burn smooches of all time. Treat yourself to watching it while the ball drops.
Some might argue that this is not one of Gary Marshall's best works, but it's truly the pinnacle of 'cramming-as-many-stars-as-possible-in-to-one-movie-and-calling-it-a-day' films. From Taylor Swift to Leah Michelle to Ashton Kutcher to freakin' Bon Jovie, there actually is something for everyone in this New Year's Eve celebration.
While New Year's Eve gets all the hype, the '90s movie 200 Cigarettes pretty much serves the same function. This film about "a collection of twenty-somethings who try to cope with relationships, loneliness, desire, and their individual neuroses," may not have T-Swift or Ashton Kutcher, but it does have Paul Rudd, Ben Affleck, and Kate Hudson. Who knows, maybe that's more your speed.
In this positively swoon-worthy romantic comedy, C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) climbs his way up the ladder at work by lending his apartment to his superiors so that they can use it to cheat on their wives... only to discover that his crush Fran (Shirley MacLaine) is one of those miserable mistresses. The film ends with new beginnings on New Year's Eve.
Speaking of fabulous dresses, a pivotal moment in Paul Thomas Anderson's twisted romance takes place at a New Year's Eve party. It might seem high-brow, but the darkly funny film is a perfect way to pay homage to the mood that was this year's past (if you get what I'm saying).
Okay, this one is certainly high brow. But if we're all watching Mank on Netflix over Christmas just to figure out WTF a "Mank" is anyway, we might as well watch Orson Welles' classic faux biography that Mank is kinda sorta about. The NYE scene in Citizen Kane is brief, but it's one of the most memorable moments (and probably meme-worthy, if it were 80 years later) in the film.
I've never understood why people object so hard to "Happy Holidays"—even if you do celebrate Christmas, what's wrong with grouping it together in one cheerful greeting with other holidays like Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve? That's what the Irving Berlin film does. "White Christmas" may be the big runaway hit single from this film, but there are actually two NYE scenes in this classic Hollywood musical.
We're living in peak scammer times, but would today's con artists have the guts to tell a comatose man's (Peter Gallagher) family that she is his fiancée, when in fact he doesn't even know she exists? In an even bolder move, Lucy (Sandra Bullock) then goes and falls in love with his brother, Jack (Bill Pullman). The NYE scene is a swoon-worthy turning point in the movie, and that just gives us an excuse to recommend this quintessential rom-com that would never work in the age of selfies.
When Tim (Domhall Gleeson) finds out from his father (Bill Nighy) that he has inherited the ability to go back in time, the first thing he does is return to their New Year's Eve party the night before and kiss the girl he'd been hanging out with. Rather than change the world, Tim uses this gift to correct awkward conversations and make sure he can woo the woman of his dreams (Rachel McAdams). Watch this movie on your own NYE for its moving lesson YOLO-ing the heck out of your life.
Young Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci are adorable in this 1960s-set coming-of-age story. But we're here for their fabulous free-spirit mom, Cher, and the iconic mermaid costume she wears to ring in 1964. Because if you're going to invite Cher to a NYE party, why not make it a costume gala?
What better way to celebrate a new decade than to watch what went down on New Year's Eve 1999? Or...director Kathryn Bigelow's depiction of ex-husband James Cameron's dark vision of a future 1999 from the perspective of cyber-punk obsessed 1995. (Eh...it'll make more sense when you watch it. Trust.)
Strange Days stars a very hot Ralph Fiennes as an ex-cop who sells virtual reality minidiscs filled with gruesome crime content that allow the viewer experience the emotions of the person who filmed the footage. The result is surprisingly prescient about our current voyeuristic culture (not to mention police brutality). Angela Bassett is breathtaking as the chauffeur/limo driver who consistently saves his ass.
While Sex and the City takes place over the course of a year, its standout sequence is the New Year's Eve montage that shows Carrie running through the snowy streets of New York (in heels, obviously) to get to her buddy Miranda while Mairi Campbell's "Auld Lang Syne" plays in the background. I'm not crying, you are.
The original Ocean's 11 stars Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin as part of the OG Ocean crew led by a pre-Clooney Danny Ocean. Their casino heist takes place on New Year's Eve, with an explosive twist punctuating the moment the clock strikes 12.
Musical fans everywhere will recognize RENT as a favorite. Its first act takes place in the time between Christmas Eve and New Year's and genuinely captures the hope that a new year might bring to anyone.
Snowpiercer is a bizarre, post-apocalyptic adventure that takes place entirely on a train, but as weird as the premise sounds, it works. There's something about bearded Chris Evans, gorgeous sets, plot twists, and the oddest New Year's celebration ever filmed that make the movie completely unforgettable.
Listen, Eat Pray Love might not have anything to do with New Year's Eve, but if running off to Europe to find yourself—while indulging in amazing food and falling in love—doesn't sound like fulfilling all your New Year's resolutions, then I don't know what to tell you. Plus, JULIA ROBERTS.
Sleepless in Seattle, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, is a total classic—and it takes place over the entire holiday season, from Christmas to Valentine's Day, which means it definitely qualifies as a New Year's Eve movie.
It's impossible to watch High School Musical too many times, and Disney+ subscribers are in luck if they want to make this one part of their NYE celebration. After all, Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) meet and sing together for the first time at a New Year's Eve party.
As another movie that covers the entire holiday season, The Holiday definitely deserves a place in this lineup — if you haven't already watched it 100 times before Christmas, of course. Then again, watching Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet trade houses never gets old.
Forrest Gump covers a huge span of time, and yes, New Year's Eve is included in that. Forrest (Tom Hanks) and Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) go to a NYE party in NYC, and it definitely doesn't work out the way either of them planned.
Leah Marilla ThomasLeah Marilla Thomas is an entertainment writer, UNC alum, and former Hasbro Toy Tester (yes, that's a real thing) who loves The Good Place and Love Island equally.
Siena Gagliano As one of Cosmo’s Digital Associate Editors, Siena contributes across all beats on the digital site with a special love for beauty and fashion.
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