New Year's Eve

Right now you can watch New Year's Eve on Crave and Starz Amazon Channel — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Hilary Swank — stay for everyone else around them. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Crave.

There is a reason New Year's Eve keeps coming up in conversation. New Year's Eve gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. The lives of several couples and singles in New York intertwine over the course of New Year's Eve. The chemistry Hilary Swank and Robert De Niro bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. It was released in 2011. New Year's Eve earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, New Year's Eve is a strong candidate. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Hilary Swank is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.