When the countdown begins and the confetti starts to fall, some of the best movies ever made are the ones that capture the chaos, romance, and reflection of New Year’s Eve itself. Whether you’re staying in with champagne or recovering from too many Christmas cookies, these films are the perfect way to ring in 2026 without having to leave your couch.
Here are ten New Year’s Eve movies that set the stage for fresh starts, questionable resolutions, and a little cinematic sparkle.
The Apartment (1960)
Billy Wilder’s bittersweet masterpiece ends on New Year’s Eve with one of the most quietly perfect romantic gestures in movie history. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine’s final card game might just outshine every fireworks display.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
New Year’s Eve is where Harry finally figures out what the audience knew all along. Nora Ephron’s timeless rom-com is not only one of the best love stories of its era, it is the definitive New Year’s Eve movie.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Boogie Nights (1997)
The new year turns dark in Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic look at the 1970s adult film industry. The tension-filled New Year’s Eve party scene marks the film’s turning point and one of cinema’s most unforgettable countdowns.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and a crew of professional charmers pull off their big Vegas heist over New Year’s weekend. Stylish, funny, and endlessly rewatchable, it is the slickest way to close out a year.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Trading Places (1983)
This Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd comedy of class, greed, and revenge wraps its wildest set piece at a New Year’s Eve costume party aboard a train. Equal parts satire and chaos, it is 80s comedy at its peak.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Ghostbusters II (1989)
The Ghostbusters save New York on New Year’s Eve as the Statue of Liberty marches through Manhattan to the sound of “Higher and Higher.” It is ridiculous, nostalgic, and pure feel-good energy.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Sandra Bullock’s holiday classic transitions from Christmas to New Year’s with romance, family, and mistaken identity. The resolution sequence makes it the perfect comfort watch for year’s end.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Few films bookend the New Year as memorably as Bridget Jones’s Diary. From lonely resolutions to snowy redemption, it is charming proof that fresh starts can be messy and still work out.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
New Year’s Eve (2011)
It is cheesy, overloaded with stars, and exactly what you expect from a movie literally called New Year’s Eve. Garry Marshall’s ensemble comedy is all clichés, but sometimes clichés are exactly what the night calls for.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
About Time (2013)
This time-travel romance uses New Year’s moments as emotional milestones, from awkward beginnings to bittersweet reflections. Richard Curtis makes even the smallest countdown feel profound.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Why New Year’s Eve Works on Screen
The holiday naturally blends endings and beginnings, the perfect recipe for storytelling. From heartbreak to heists, from first kisses to final shots, filmmakers return to it again and again because it makes every character feel like a work in progress and every viewer feel the excitement of a blank slate.
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