Culture
The Best New Year’s Eve Movies & TV Shows To Ring in 2023
Because all you need for a great New Year’s is something sparkly, real Champagne, and to not leave your house.
The only consistent thing about New Year’s is that it’s almost always a bust. Expectations are too high; Uber supply is too low. But the secret is that all you really need is a sparkly dress, real Champagne, and one person you actually want to hang out with. You don’t even need to leave your house. In fact, better not to! Instead, pop the bubbly and watch the gorgeous New Year’s Eve scene in Phantom Thread, or The O.C. New Year’s Eve episode ft. a perfect soundtrack and the evil Oliver. Read on for 10 of our favorite New Year’s movies and shows to ring in 2023.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
The movie’s final scene takes place at a New Year’s Eve party, where we’re taking notes on Meg Ryan’s fit: a blue satin sweetheart neck strapless dress and long gloves (!). She’s going to leave the party early because she has nobody to kiss, just as Billy Crystal is sprinting through the streets of NYC to try to catch her before midnight. (Showtime)
200 Cigarettes (1999)
It’s New Year’s Eve 1981 in New York City and everyone’s having the worst night ever in maybe the only movie that really gets at the expectations and reality gap that is New Year’s. The cast, however, which includes young Christina Ricci, Paul Rudd, Dave Chapelle, Casey Affleck, Ben Affleck, Janeane Garofalo and Courtney Love exceeds all expectations. (Only available on DVD. Sorry!)
Bridget Jones Diary (2001)
Bridget Jones is alone and wasted listening to the radio when she decides to take her New Year’s resolutions seriously and get her life together by starting her infamous diary, where she wants to lose weight, stop smoking cigarettes, and get a nice boyfriend — which she semi-achieves! (HBO Max)
The O.C., Season 1, Episode 14 (2003)
I can’t think about this scene without the song, “Dice” by Finley Quaye and William Orbit running through my head. Marissa goes to her creepy new friend Oliver’s New Year’s Eve party, which Ryan refuses to attend until he realizes he should go get his girl — so he sprints up to the penthouse and arrives just in time for a midnight kiss. More importantly, there’s the stellar B-plot of Sandy and Kirsten inadvertently attending a swinger’s party. (HBO Max)
Rent (2005)
It’s been a hard 525,600 minutes of a year for the denizens of Alphabet City but they light sparklers and pop champagne bottles in the streets anyway — only to come back to their loft to see they’ve been evicted and all their stuff has been taken. But it’s okay, because they sing! (Hulu)
Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)
Miranda is alone with Chinese food (of course she is) and calls Carrie right before midnight; not only is Carrie uncharacteristically asleep, but she also uncharacteristically takes the subway to go be with her friend? And while we can’t exactly get behind Stanford and Anthony’s relationship, the NYE scene is its origin story as the two begrudgingly kiss at midnight. But nobody has a better New Year’s than Samantha and Smith in their matching black sequin bathrobes. (HBO Max)
Gossip Girl, Season 5, Episode 11 (2012)
This season sucks, but it does give us a juicy NYE scene. Nate’s gossip rag The New York Spectator has a New Year’s Eve party that gives us flashbacks of Blair and Chuck’s car crash that almost killed him — and Dan and Serena make the self-destructive decision to kiss at midnight. (HBO Max)