Photo from poster for "200 Cigarettes"
If the annual Twilight Zone marathon on SyFy isn't enough for you to fill your last moments of 2009 with, there's always New Year's festivities on film. There are countless movies out there that delve into that last night of the year -- for the young and old, the dramatic and giggly. Below you will find a handful of options to busy yourself with on this merry end of the year. Some spend their whole feature length in the holiday, and some only visit it briefly, but all get into the party at least a little bit.
"200 Cigarettes" -- Martha Plimpton hosts a New Year's Eve party in the Big Apple in 1981, and struggles to find anyone to stay and party. (Also stars the likes of Ben Affleck, Christina Ricci, Kate Hudson, Paul Rudd, Janeane Garofalo, Dave Chappelle, and Courtney Love.)
"Sunset Boulevard" -- A Hollywood classic about the woes of the cinematic system, one of "Boulevard's" key moments finds Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond alone and forgotten on New Year's Eve, after a failed attempt at seduction.
"About a Boy" -- Ringing in a New Year brings Hugh Grant's Will a taste of love. Unfortunately, meeting Rachel Weisz doesn't bring out the most honest and straightforward behavior in the man.
"Happy New Year, Charlie Brown" -- It's simple family fun when Charlie is involved. This time, the Peanuts gang tries to whip up a New Year's Eve hootenanny, but Charlie has to write a paper on"War and Peace."
"Bridget Jones' Diary" -- Sometimes being alone on New Year's Even means wallowing in self-pity while singing "All By Myself" ... or having a laugh as Renee Zellweger does it.
"Trading Places" -- Old-school Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd, New Years Eve finds them partaking in train shenanigans, and includes this classic scene.
"High School Musical" -- In the song and dance tween realm, there's Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens belting out a tune to "rock the house."
"Waiting to Exhale" -- A story framed by two New Year's Eve nights, it stars Whitney Houston and Angela Basset and focuses on women "holding their breath" -- so to speak -- in their troubled relationships.
"When Harry Met Sally" -- If it wasn't for two particularly important New Year's Eve parties, there wouldn't be a Harry and Sally story to talk about with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
"After the Thin Man" -- There is no classic fare as fun as the exploits between William Powell's Nick and Myrna Loy's Nora. In this sequel, they must solve a murder on New Year's Eve.
"The Apartment" -- Ringing in another year brings everything to a hear in this Billy Wilder classic starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.
"Boogie Nights" -- This Paul Thomas Anderson film adds both the sauce and grotesque to the year-end party, revolving around William H. Macy and porn star Nina Hartley.
"Perpetual Motion" -- A little foreign flavor, this Chinese film follows a group of women as they ring in the New Year with luscious food, conversation, and chicken feet fervor.
