Well, as my first time blogging, I thought it would be fitting to talk about the newest movie I've most recently seen. The Blockbuster, "New Years Eve" Directed by Garry Marshall is yet another addition to a new trend of movies that are jam packed with celebrity actors, and guest cameos. I'm not going to insult you by listing off every cast member you may or may not have heard of, but I will reference them throughout my review. If you really have no idea what movie this is, or who may be in it...You're on the internet, look it up.
Now that we got that out of the way...
The movie, as a whole, was a fairly good movie. There's nothing overly spectacular about the movie, and chances are, it won't overly affect you, or leave a long lasting impression. But let's face it, we weren't expecting an academy award winning feature, were we? This is the type of movie you bring your girlfriend too on a Sunday evening, where the two of you can cuddle up in the back row, and share a few chuckles, and heart warming scenes. The plethora of actors that play a role (whether big or small) gives you the chance to connect with at least one of the characters, and helps deliver a spark of interest to virtually anyone in the theatre.
Much like many movies that have preceded this one with the same genre (Valentines Day, He's Not That Into You...) the plot is actually a handful of sub plots that intertwine together throughout the movie. There were some stories that were a lot more interesting, in my opinion, than others. Some were funny, and some were serious. Some were great, and some weren't. The story that stood out to me most was one that involved long time fan favorite, Robert De Niro. I'll try not to give too much away here, but just incase *Spoiler (possibly) Alert*. "The Don" played an elderly man in the hospital who had been living on "borrowed time" as the doctor put it. He refuses any more treatment, and has decided to accept the inevitable. However, he is fighting to get through the day, just so he can witness, for one last time, the ball drop at midnight in Time Square. Most of his scenes are simple dialogue with a nurse (played by Hali Berry), and although there isn't an abundance of insight into his past, there is a definite connection that is made between the audience and the characters.Are we surprised? It's Robert friggin De Niro!
I think, for myself anyways, seeing him in that hospital bed, with tubes and plugs sticking out of him, hair all grey and disheveled, pale skin, and fatigued body language, made me come to the realization that De Niro is getting older. He won't be around forever, and the day we don't have the greatest mobster of all time on the silver screen, will be a day where the entertainment world is hurt. I can't imagine it, and I think that made me connect with the scene all the more. Whether or not that was a subtle intention, I'll never know. Either way, I sympathized for the character. So job well done.
Most of the other actors in this film played their typical role, but their were a few curve balls.\
I'll start with Russel Peters. Yes, that Russel Peters. I didn't know going into the movie that he had a role (all be it minor) in the movie. So, when I saw his comical face on the big screen, a smile couldn't help but emerge. What happened next straight up had me laughing. Peters played a F.O.B. Indian equipped with thick accent and all. I must admit, I didnt see it coming, and it was definitely entertaining. However, as the movie went on, the few times he was given dialogue, I felt the joke wore itself out rather quickly. Russel Peters is great at dropping the accent as a joke. But when he takes on a whole role with it, it gets stale. I couldnt help myself thinking "Okay, that's enough of the 'Apu' accent, let's just get Russel Peters in here". Maybe that's just me though.
Another actor who displayed a new sort of character was Mr. High School Musical himself, Zac Efron. I'm sure most men my age (I speculate) hear or see Zac, and think "Here we go...the singing pretty boy...great" but I immediately wanted to give him a chance. I had one reason, and one reason only: Entourage. When he cameo'd on Entourage as himself, he played an angry, and slightly arrogant Zac Efron. And in all honesty, he pulled it off. So, with that in mind, I was curious to see what he would bring to the plate.
Now, I'm not going to sit here and say he pulled out a heart wrenching, tear jerking, soul squeezing performance. BUT, he didn't do half bad. To be fair, his character was a goofy young adult looking to party at any means. So it's not like he had a chance to wow me, but, he played the character well. There were a few scenes and a few lines that left his performance quite bland, and lackluster. I have no idea if the Director didn't give him the opportunities to retake those, or if that was truly his best effort. In any case, Efron is still a very young actor, who is only now really breaking out of his teenage "pretty boy" persona. So good luck to him, he has potential. He almost reminds me of Di Caprio or Pitt when they first started making their mark.
I'm not going to touch on the cameo by Bon Jovi, because despite his appearance in this feature film. He really just played himself. A famous rock star who is performing at Time Square. Yes, he did have some dialogue, and conflict, but it wasn't like he was looked upon to pull of a real acting job. He didn't do bad, so don't think thats what I mean. I just feel like, he's not worth too much focus. Sorry Jon!
Well, I wont go into much more detail of the movie, as I don't want to give anything away. But in my honest opinion, its a good date movie, and isnt a waste of a movie ticket. If you're a group of guys, or even a group of friends, it wouldnt be my first choice, but it definitely wouldn't be my last. As stated before, the many interconnecting stories vary in interest and development, but in the end, the writing was well done when it wasnt being cheesy, and the overall production was good.
I hate giving ratings to movies, so I'm going to shy away from that in my blogs, for the time being anyways.
Thanks guys, I hope you guys found this helpful...or at least entertaining.
These blogs are just a product of my opinion, and in no way do I claim to be an expert.
-BMarz
