New Year's Eve...

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday! And, let me assure you it was probably much better than the movie I'm going to discuss. This past Friday, despite low expectations, I went to go see New Year's Eve. And, just as suspected it didn't deliver much substance. I'm sure most of you know, but the movie follows the paths of numerous characters in New York City who vie on the promise of fresh starts, love, hope, forgiveness, and second chances. Each of the stories are intertwined with one another among a very "Hollywood" cast. I am an avid fan of chick-flicks (and Seth Meyers :) ) so part of me figured I would enjoy it no matter how cheesy it would be. Ironically, the reason as to why this movie was such a letdown was due to the shallow and predictable series of events. Moreover, much of it was just way too tacky and unbelievable. There was definitely promise and hope for this, especially with such a star-studded cast and the New York City setting, but I believe the script was much to blame. I was mostly disappointed by some of the wasted talent. The roles of Robert de Niro and Halle Berry did not justify their abilities in my opinion. But, then again, it is not easy for this kind of movie to be highly emotionally empowering when there are so many different perspectives to be considered. So, I would recommend it if you have nothing else to do, and aren't in the mood for a "thinking" movie, because it doesn't involve any of that. There are some funny moments and enjoyable scenes, yet I barely heard anyone laugh in the theater except when the bloopers came on. To end my little rant, I believe that Gary Marshall who also directed the very similar Valentine's Day, seemed to rely too much on star power here. I would suggest watching Love Actually instead. Sorry if you saw this too and loved it, but it ended up being too generic for me.