Opened: December 9, 2011

Directed by: Garry Marshall

Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Cary Elwes, Alyssa Milano, Common, Barbara Marshall, Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers, Sarah Paulson, Til Schweiger, Carla Gugino, Katherine Heigl, Jon Bon Jovi, Sofía Vergara, Russell Peters, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Jim Belushi, Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Jake T. Austin, Mara Davi, Nat Wolff, Katherine McNamara, Josh Duhamel, Joey McIntyre, Sean O’Bryan, Larry Mukker, Penny Marshall, Christine Lakin, Cherry Jones, Hilary Swank, Ludacris, Kathleen Marshall, Héctor Elizondo, Matthew Broderick, John Lithgow & Ryan Seacrest

Much can happen in one night and New Year’s Eve is one of the craziest nights of the year. With an all-star cast, director Garry Marshall weaves many of these stories together.

Among the stories being told, there’s Stan (Josh Duhamel) trying to get into New York City to find a girl. Hailey (Abigail Breslin) is trying to get her first kiss from Seth (Jake T. Austin). Elise (Lea Michele) and Randy (Ashton Kutcher) get stuck in an elevator. And, Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) employs Paul (Zac Efron) to make her bucket list come true.

Most of the stories are light and there’s not a whole lot of depth in them – except the heart-wrenching stories from Halle Berry and Robert De Niro’s characters. But there’s a lot of heart at the center of the film.

Final say: Festive and fun. ★★★★☆