The Best Films to Watch on New Year's Eve
Six films where midnight on December 31 matters, for anyone who would rather stay in.
Not everybody wants a crowded party and an expensive taxi home. For a lot of people the best New Year’s Eve is a sofa, something good to eat and a film that finishes just before midnight.
Each of the six films below has the turn of the year built into its story. Start any of them at about ten o’clock and you will be done in time for the countdown.
Six films for December 31
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Harry and Sally meet on a drive from Chicago to New York, dislike each other, and spend the next twelve years becoming best friends while arguing about whether men and women can be friends at all. Nora Ephron’s script has not aged a day.
The New Year moment: the final scene takes place at a New Year’s Eve party, and it is one of the most quoted endings in romantic comedy.
More about this film on TMDB
The Apartment (1960)
An insurance clerk lends his apartment to his bosses for their affairs in the hope of a promotion, and then falls for the elevator operator that one of them is seeing. Billy Wilder’s comedy won Best Picture, and it is sharper and sadder than you expect.
The New Year moment: the story ends on New Year’s Eve, with one of the best last lines in film.
More about this film on TMDB
About Time (2013)
On his twenty-first birthday, Tim learns that the men in his family can travel back within their own lives, and decides to use the gift to find love. A romantic comedy that turns into something bigger about family and time.
The New Year moment: it opens with a disastrous New Year’s Eve party that Tim goes back to fix.
More about this film on TMDB
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Bridget, single and in her thirties in London, starts a diary and resolves to improve her life, while caught between her charming boss and a stiff lawyer in a terrible Christmas sweater. Renée Zellweger is irresistible.
The New Year moment: it begins on New Year’s Day, with a list of resolutions that most of us will recognize.
More about this film on TMDB
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
A widowed father in Seattle is pushed onto a radio call-in show by his young son, and a journalist in Baltimore hears him and can’t stop thinking about it. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan barely share the screen, and it still works.
The New Year moment: the story runs from Christmas Eve to Valentine’s Day, with a quiet New Year’s Eve in the middle.
More about this film on TMDB
Trading Places (1983)
Two rich brothers make a bet and swap the lives of a wealthy commodities broker and a street hustler to see what happens. Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd are both at their best. This one is for adults.
The New Year moment: the plan to get even comes together on a train on New Year’s Eve.
More about this film on TMDBScores are TMDB user ratings recorded on October 8, 2026, and can change over time.
Timing your film for midnight
If you want the credits to roll just before the countdown, work backwards. Take the running time, add ten minutes for getting settled, and count back from 11:50 p.m.
- A film of about an hour and a half should start around 10:10 p.m.
- A two-hour film should start around 9:40 p.m.
Prefer something short so you have time to spare? Our list of great films under two hours has eight more. Looking ahead to February? See our Valentine’s Day films.
Questions and answers
What is the best film to watch on New Year's Eve?
When Harry Met Sally is the favorite for most people. It is funny, it runs about an hour and a half, and it ends at a New Year's Eve party.
Are these films suitable for the whole family?
Not really. These are romantic comedies and dramas written for adults, and Trading Places in particular has adult humor. For a family night, see our family movie night list.
What should I watch on New Year's Day?
Bridget Jones's Diary begins on New Year's Day, which makes it a good choice for a slow January 1.
