15. An American in Paris (1951)
Why not class up your party with a little Gene Kelly before water scarcity makes murderous savages of us all?
14. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Can a man and a woman really just be friends? That was an actual question people asked in 1989. You know what, it’s kind of refreshing to see we have evolved a bit in the past three decades or so. We never figured out sustainability or how to keep a planet alive, but half of us got like 2% less hung up on traditional gender roles before the end times, hey gang, that’s something!
13. Money Train (1995)
The penultimate New Year’s Eve train movie on our list, it’s 1995’s “Money Train.” The world could have used more movies starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. Not saying it would have changed things or averted us from the collision course with armageddon we’re currently at the tail end of, but it would have been nice! Maybe we can squeeze in a “White Men Can’t Jump” sequel before the end of days. Old Men Can’t Jump?
12. About Time (2013)
No, absolutely not. We don’t know exactly when the world will end, but we do know it’s soon enough that no one has time for anything “from the creators of ‘Love Actually.'”
11. 200 Cigarettes (1999)
A bunch of young people act like young people on New Year’s Eve, the holiday for young people. It’s a curious mess with way too many people that goes nowhere, so, a pretty solid New Year’s Eve movie.
10. Footloose (1984)
Enjoy this movie while you can because in a few years dancing will actually be illegal. The sounds of stomping feet will lure the Boston Dynamics drones to the underground bunkers where the last remnants of humanity are huddled, so yeah, by 2026 or so you’re gonna wanna keep those Sunday shoes on.
9. Terror Train (1980)
The #1 New Year’s Eve movie set on a train, which, as we’ve established, actually means something. Fans of cozy horror will love this gem from Jamie Lee Curtis’s slasher era, and the film serves as an important reminder that we have precious little time left, so do all your revenge now.
8. Poseidon (2006)
This adventure remake about a doomed cruise ship takes place on New Year’s Eve, and not to sound all Republican but a sinking ship on New Year’s? Sounds about right.
7. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
If you’re going to watch a romantic comedy for New Year’s Eve, which again you shouldn’t do because New Year’s Eve is possibly the least romantic day of the year with all the yelling and vomiting and pressure, at least make it a Nora Ephron movie. It’s not the only one of hers on this list but it beats out “When Harry Met Sally” by a mile because it’s free of Billy Crystal, as we all should be. Can you dig it? I knew that you could.
6. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Another one not strictly centered around New Year’s Eve but with an iconic scene set at the holiday, and overall a great reminder that the good times do not last forever.
5. Phantom Thread (2017)
Yet another romance movie, and one that is not centered around New Year’s Eve, so why is it in the top 5? Well, because it features a pivotal scene at a New Year’s party, and because it’s the only film on this list that attempts to capture the real, disgusting, brutal complexity of love. Pretty heavy take for a lisitcle on a punk satire site huh? Well, we’re going through some stuff.
4. Four Rooms (1995)
Now THIS is a New Year’s movie. It’s disjointed, there’s too much going on, and it’s extremely difficult to enjoy because of how much pressure is on it. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez and Chuck Jones and Madonna? It’s a wild fucking mess and it’s the movie this holiday deserves.
3. New Year’s Evil (1980)
Even by Canon Films standards, this movie is unhinged and features some of the most wildly inaccurate outsider interpretations of the American punk movement ever captured on film. When the aliens excavate the ruins of our civilization decades from now, let’s hope they find an artifact of punk culture a little more authentic than this one, otherwise they’ll think we were all posers.
2. Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
This movie almost perfectly encapsulates New Year’s Eve for two reasons:
1. It features The Statue of Liberty itself coming to life on New Year’s Eve and marching right through Times Square.
2. It is hugely disappointing.
1. Boogie Nights (1997)
It may seem weird to give the top spot to a movie that is not, strictly speaking, centered around New Year’s Eve, but there is a New Year’s Eve scene, and it’s a big one. If William H. Macy blowing his brains out to foretell dark times ahead doesn’t capture the energy we all feel going into 2024, what does?
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