Robert De Niro is one of Hollywood’s biggest names, but his current output is bizarre. He was a lead in The War With Grandpa three years before appearing in Killers of the Flower Moon. For every excellent masterpiece, he pops up in a few real wastes of time. His current elder statesman period keeps him in the public eye, but it also tarnishes his reputation. New Year’s Eve is one such mess, but he shares the blame with a star-studded cast.
Director Garry Marshall is responsible for this holiday affair. He’s a somewhat legendary figure among romantic comedy fans. His decline in recent years is a sign of the genre’s similar downfall. Marshall directed Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, and The Princess Diaries, but his more recent output is less impressive. If rom-coms return, he’ll come with them.
Robert De Niro Joins a Stacked Cast for New Year’s Day
Director Garry Marshall came up with a brilliant pitch for a series of rom-coms. He stopped after three, but he could have easily pumped out 10 or more. Valentine’s Day was the first obvious candidate. It’s a sloppy mess of tropes and familiar stories with a massive ensemble cast and holiday references. It wasn’t very good, but people went to see it because the title referenced its opening weekend date. If you’re taking a date to see a movie on Valentine’s Day 2010, you’re probably not buying a ticket for The Wolfman. Marshall followed that example with New Year’s Eve, which is essentially the same film with a different date attached. He finished the trilogy with Mother’s Day, but none of them were especially enjoyable. If you love the Times Square ball drop and recognizable celebrities, you’ll notice and forget New Year’s Day.
Robert De Niro stars alongside Zac Efron, Ludacris, Cary Elwes, Hilary Swank, Ashton Kutcher, and nearly every other famous person on Earth. This generic appeal to people who only vaguely know famous names falls flat in a hurry. For kicks, the film throws in a bunch of people you’d associate with New York City. Michael Bloomberg gets a brief cameo, along with Jon Bon Jovi, but only one of them is in character. This cynical trick worked, drawing in $142 million on a $56 million budget. If you need an example to prove that people don’t listen to critics, check out New Year’s Eve‘s tragic 7% score. People simply didn’t care that the film was bad as long as they saw that many famous people at once.
There’s no secret to New Year’s Eve‘s current streaming success. Once again, people saw the name of the current holiday and leaped at the opportunity. It’s a grim look into the tastes of the masses. There are definitely worse films out there, but at least most of them have a slightly more compelling reason to exist. I’d rather see a terrible film with an interesting idea behind it than another cynical celebrity bash.
