So long, 2025, we certainly won’t miss you. It’s time to enter a new era—but there’s more than one way to usher in the new year. If you’re not planning to kiss anyone at midnight, might we suggest staying home and watching New Year’s Eve movies?
Christmas movies get all the hype—and there’s certainly a bunch more of them—but there’s something much more romantic about the days that follow, as everyone prepares to put the stress of the holidays behind them and make a bunch of plans and resolutions for the next year that they may or may not complete. You may think that’s a dig, but what’s wrong with a bit of daydreaming even without guarantees?
That’s what’s so charming about so many of these New Year’s Eve movies, which don’t always center around the countdown to a big romantic gesture. Eat Pray Love perfectly captures the feeling of starting over while George Clooney & co. set their alarms to rob a casino at midnight in Ocean’s 11.
Of course, there are plenty of romances on this list, including About Time and When Harry Met Sally, which may include the greatest New Year’s Eve monologue of all time. And if you’re a “Christmas lights up ‘till January” type of person, there’s always The Holiday.
Sure, some people actually like popping bottles with their crews on the holiday—but we doubt those people are searching “New Year’s movies” on Google right now. So hello, likeminded folks who also prefer skipping the crowded bars in favor of a cozy blanket, New Year’s Eve appetizers that aren’t overcooked, and a winter cocktail that didn’t cost $20.
For you we’ve rounded up the best New Year’s Eve movies to take your mind off the past 12 months—from Sleepless in Seattle to the aptly titled celebrity fever dream that is New Year’s Eve. Without further ado, here are the best movies to watch on New Year’s Eve.
