The 10 best movies to count down with on New Year’s Eve
‘Forrest Gump’ (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)Given that Robert Zemeckis’ classic schmaltz-fest takes place across multiple years, it’s no surprise that we see the title character ringing one of them in. Gump and his old military buddy (and the film’s best character), Lieutenant Dan, spend a rather miserable New Year’s Eve in a bar in 1971. If you want your own celebrations to link up with Forrest’s, then start watching the film at 10:55pm on the 31st. You too can revel in the joy of confetti getting stuck in Lt Dan’s frizzy hair and then watch a very awkward scene involving two sex workers. Happy New Year!‘An American in Paris’ (Vincent Minelli, 1954)If you want to get your new year off to a riotous start, then why not invite yourself to one of cinema’s greatest ever parties? An American in Paris concludes with Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron’s characters attending a wild New Year’s party in the titular city; a bash that makes The Great Gatsby look like a church raffle. I couldn’t find an exact timestamp for the big soiree, but it comes near the end of the film’s 118-minute runtime, and if you really want to get into the swing of things, why not dress up in your finest chessboard-themed attire to match the characters on screen?‘The Poseidon Adventure’ (Ronald Neame, 1972)Not every New Year’s celebration needs to be happy, and the classic disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure is set aboard a cruise ship that is doomed to capsize with looming questions like – why are these people out cruising? – because it’s New Year’s Eve, of course, keep up! While this film lacks a traditional countdown, you can always time things so the clock strikes midnight when the ship first starts to tip over. This happens around 25 minutes in, so you can sit back, relax, and begin 2026 by watching a bunch of people drown. Sheer bliss. ‘Carol’ (Todd Haynes, 2015)Though more closely associated with Christmas, Todd Haynes’ multi-generational queer love story is also good for celebrating New Year’s, where the title character (Cate Blanchett) and her younger lover (Rooney Mara) attend a pivotal party to commemorate the occasion, and this is where they kiss for the first time, and you can be there to watch this moment like the horny little goblin you are. Start the film at around 10:45pm if you want this beautiful expression of love to sync up with midnight, nothing like a bit of tasteful sex to start your 2026 off right.‘Rocky’ (John G. Avildsen, 1976)Though not a New Year’s film in the traditional sense, the blockbuster fight between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed in the first Rocky movie actually takes place on January 1st, and there isn’t a countdown scene, but there is another iconic moment you can watch instead.If you’re talking Rocky, you have to talk about that famous montage. If you start watching the film at 10:42pm, then the ‘Italian Stallion’ will summit those legendary steps just as 2026 kicks into life. If you want your New Year’s to pack a punch, this is the movie for you.‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (Sharon Maguire, 2001)If you want to start your new year with a full movie, then give this classic ‘chick flick’ a try, since Renée Zellweger’s maiden outing as Bridget Jones actually begins at a New Year’s Eve party, and when hen you think about it, this makes a lot of sense, because diaries start on January 1st, so why wouldn’t a film about one do the same?If you’re looking for a specific moment to sync up to, then try the first time Bridget meets Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). That happens about four minutes in, giving you a further 93 minutes to enjoy everything else.‘Phantom Thread’ (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017)Many people’s pick for the best New Year’s Eve scene in films goes to this delightfully dark entry from Paul Thomas Anderson. Phantom Thread, which details the twisted relationship between a dressmaker and his muse, has an actual countdown in it, which is a godsend for listmakers like yours truly. Start the film at 22:14pm and you can kick 2026 off by looking at Daniel Day-Lewis’ conflicted face. Perhaps this isn’t one for a big party setting, but for a more intimate venue, it’s perfect.‘Sunset Boulevard’ (Billy Wilder, 1950)Here’s a good idea – celebrate New Year’s by watching a woman cut her own goddamn wrists, because that’ll go perfectly with those little cubes of cheese on cocktail sticks, and this is the fate that awaits you if you stick Sunset Boulevard on.Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) admits her love for Joe Gillis (William Holden) during this wonderfully tense scene, and when he rejects her, she attempts to take her own life, lurching the drama even further forward into insanity, with the party itself starting around 38 minutes into the film, so adjust your start time accordingly.‘The Godfather Part II’ (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)Around one hour and 44 minutes into this epic gangster sequel, Al Pacino delivers one of the most chilling lines of dialogue of all time, after having discovered that his brother (John Cazale) has betrayed him, Michael Corleone (Pacino) confronts him at a New Year’s Eve party, giving him the dreaded ‘kiss of death’, whispering the immortal line, “I know it was you, Fredo” into his ear. Few lines are better served to accompany the New Year’s fireworks. If you have your own treacherous sibling, then why not double down on this moment by ordering a hit on them?‘When Harry Met Sally…’ (Rob Reiner, 1989)2025 was a pretty rotten year in many ways, but one of the absolute worst things that happened was the loss of Rob Reiner, and what better way to honour the life of this legendary figure than to bid farewell to the year with one of his best scenes? After years of obvious chemistry, the title characters of When Harry Met Sally… finally get together at a New Year’s party, and if you start the film at 10:27pm, you’ll celebrate the holiday with them, a perfect way to spend this time of year with the ones you love.
