Review | New Year's Eve

Opens: Friday 12/9

Us Rating: *1/2

It's time to put an end to these tedious ensemble rom-coms. Following He's Just Not That Into You and Valentine's Day, this dopey  jumble of star-packed sketches -- set just before the Times Square ball drops -- is the most shallow and insipid effort so far. In one sequence, a womanizer (Josh Duhamel) drives into a sign, causing air bags to deploy in his face. Hilarious! In another, a holiday-hater (Ashton Kutcher) changes decorations from HAPPY NEW YEAR! to CRAPPY NEW YEAR! (Are 10-year-old boys the target audience?) And for a movie filled with love stories, it has little sizzle. Katherine Heigl and Jon Bon Jovi -- as a duo who broke up the previous December 31 (gosh, how will this end?) -- never feel connected. There's one bright spot: Zac Efron charms as a bike messenger. But the only truly funny moments come during the end credits. The outtakes burst with the spontaneity and laughs the rest of the flick desperately lacks.