"New Year's Eve" is an 18-minute live action short film from 2002 written and directed by Col Spector and among his more known works. This one has its 15th anniversary this year. It is a British production in the English language. The star here is of course a very young Keira Knightley, who wasn't a nobody at that point, but also far from the star she is today. Peoplw who watch the show "Episodes" will also recognize Stephen Mangan. I personally thought this was a pretty good little movie, not really for the romance, but for the comedy. The conversations about "Taxi Driver", being a couple months too late, women acting available and, last but not least, palm reading are quite entertaining to follow. And Knightley's looks certainly aren't hurting either. It is definitely a writer's movie and the actors do not have that much to work with, but they all do a fairly decent job and it is a bit of a pity it is this short and was never turned into a full feature film. I'd have checked it out for sure at 90 minutes too if Spector had taken this path. Of course, I recommend this one here. Well done to everybody involved.
2 Reviews
It's New Year's Eve and there's a middle class party to attend.
Benny_Brown3 January 2004
I managed to see this film in 2003 at the Kino film festival, along with other Britsh short films. I found this film....rubbish.
It reminded me too much of Richard Curtis, and that is not a compliment. Like Richard, this short film focuses on a main character (i cant remember his name)who happens to be middle class. He is on his way to, funnily enough, a New Year's Eve party, and the film begins with him and his friend in a taxi, chatting with a working class, stereotype cockney driver. They end up inviting the taxi driver to the party.
Here the middle class character starts to talk to an attractive young lady (played by the gorgeous Keira Knightley). She lies to him that she is 17, but later on we find out she is much younger. This middle class a**e who is supposed to be sharp witted and humorus to us the viewer takes a liking to her, but offends the host and is kicked out. He leaves the party alone.
It is rubbish because as a viewer I found myself impossible to like any of the characters. It was impossible to care for them. For example, when he was asked to leave the party he approached his friend who attended the party with him and asked him if he was leaving to. At this point we were supposed to have some sort of feeling for their friendship. I just wanted the film to end.
It was the kind of film Hugh Grant would love to appear in, again, not a compliment. If you love Richard Curtis type films, then this is a must see, if, like me, you feel that Richard Curtis is a one trick pony remaking the same script over and over again, who is obsessed with middle class a***s and is giving British Cinema a bad name, then avoid this like the plague.
It reminded me too much of Richard Curtis, and that is not a compliment. Like Richard, this short film focuses on a main character (i cant remember his name)who happens to be middle class. He is on his way to, funnily enough, a New Year's Eve party, and the film begins with him and his friend in a taxi, chatting with a working class, stereotype cockney driver. They end up inviting the taxi driver to the party.
Here the middle class character starts to talk to an attractive young lady (played by the gorgeous Keira Knightley). She lies to him that she is 17, but later on we find out she is much younger. This middle class a**e who is supposed to be sharp witted and humorus to us the viewer takes a liking to her, but offends the host and is kicked out. He leaves the party alone.
It is rubbish because as a viewer I found myself impossible to like any of the characters. It was impossible to care for them. For example, when he was asked to leave the party he approached his friend who attended the party with him and asked him if he was leaving to. At this point we were supposed to have some sort of feeling for their friendship. I just wanted the film to end.
It was the kind of film Hugh Grant would love to appear in, again, not a compliment. If you love Richard Curtis type films, then this is a must see, if, like me, you feel that Richard Curtis is a one trick pony remaking the same script over and over again, who is obsessed with middle class a***s and is giving British Cinema a bad name, then avoid this like the plague.
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