While it’s not explicitly set on New Year’s Eve, there’s never a bad time to celebrate Cher. She plays Italian American widow Loretta, who has just decided to settle down with nice guy Johnny (Danny Aiello)—before she falls in love with his prickly, estranged younger brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage).
While Cher goes big on the accent, and bigger still on the covetable winter coats and wardrobe, director Norman Jewison presents a cozy ode to big and awkward romance, family, and life changing whether we want it to or not. Scenes at home are sumptuous and larger-than-life, as they should be during the holiday season, with nonnas dishing out big plates and gossip. Say it with me, in your best Brooklyn accent: “Everything is temporary!”
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
In one of the most iconic scenes ever committed to film, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) grabs his brother, Fredo (John Cazale), by the head and kisses him during a rowdy NYE party in Cuba, before revealing that he knows about Fredo’s betrayal. The pain in Michael’s eyes as he utters, “You broke my heart” will stick in the crevices of your brain for decades.
