By Megan Bianco
New Year’s Eve is a night to celebrate with friends, family or significant others. But for those who prefer to forego the celebratory din of a loud party for a cozy night in on the couch, there are plenty of films that invite viewers to experience NYE vicariously through fictionalized stories. Cinema’s latest addition, New Year’s Eve (2011), was a silly comedy with an all-star cast of characters getting caught up in romantic situations. But before that, there have been a number of classic on screen moments as characters ring in the New Year. Billy Wilder’s classic romantic comedy The Apartment (1960) has co-workers Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine brought together right before the big night. In Woody Allen’s charmingly nostalgic Radio Days (1987) old-time collaborator Diane Keaton sings on the last night of 1942. Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett try to prevent the world from ending during the last week of an alternate 1999 in Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days (1995). Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth awkwardly meet at a family party in Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001). Billy Crystal wins the affection of Meg Ryan at the stroke of midnight in When Harry Met Sally… (1989) and Charlie Chaplin gets stood up on the Eve of 1924 in The Gold Rush (1925). Even if your plans include a hot date or crazy party, it’s nice to know Hollywood has a number of entertaining flicks for the night as back up; just in case.
