It’s hard to believe 2017 is coming to a close — its twists and turns have made it a big year for pop culture, politics, and everything in between.

As the year moves quickly into the rearview mirror, perhaps the best way to look ahead to fresh opportunities is through a New Year’s-themed movie.

[lz_ndn video=33379799]

Here is a look at some films that celebrate the holiday — and could help kick off a brand new year.

1.) “When Harry Met Sally” (1989). Starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, this favorite film (also co-starring Carrie Fisher) is the kind of love story we don’t see much of today. It may not be for the younger kids in the family — there are a handful of sexual references — but it’s not cynical about love, as with so many of today’s pictures. Harry (Crystal) and Sally (Ryan) are too afraid to dive beyond a platonic relationship for fear of losing their friendship. The film covers years of their lives, with New Year’s Eve always playing an important role.

“When Harry Met Sally” is a wonderful celebration of love — perfect to help viewers start a new year feeling hopeful, ready, and with a few laughs, too.

Related: The 10 Films of 2018 That Should Be on Your Radar

2.) “Ocean’s 11” (1960). There’s nothing like the Rat Pack today in music. You may have seen the George Clooney-headlined “Ocean’s” trilogy and may even have planned to catch the female-led “Ocean’s Eight” in 2018. But before those films came the Rat Pack-driven “Ocean’s 11” in 1960. Starring Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and others, “11” features the style and swagger of its main characters.

A group of World War II compatriots, led by Danny Ocean (Sinatra), get together to rob five Las Vegas casinos in one night — on New Year’s Eve. The film “11” is a reminder of the power and grace that stars like Martin and Sinatra once had onscreen. It’s a perfect film to show the kids, too, as a reminder that it wasn’t always Clooney wearing a sharp suit and robbing Vegas as Danny Ocean.

Related: Rosie O’Donnell Spent Christmas Insulting Conservatives

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

3.) “Ghostbusters II” (1989). A cruel joke still stings from 2016, and it had to do with the polarizing and aggressive pop culture debate surrounding the female-led “Ghostbusters” reboot that year. Supporters insisted that those deriding the movie were misogynist and dinosaurs of another era.

The film was a complete flop. “Ghostbusters” wasn’t funny; it chose to ignore the original films and characters. As an antidote to any leftover feelings from the absurd debate surrounding that film’s casting, there is “Ghostbusters II” from 1989. While not nearly as funny as the original, the gang’s back together in this one and playing off each other as comic experts. The conclusion takes place on New Year’s Eve, so this is the movie to remind us all that “Ghostbusters” wasn’t always so polarizing or political. It was once just good fun.

Related: Churchill’s Christmastime Speech United Two Great Nations

4.) “New Year’s Eve” (2011). The most obvious movie to celebrate New Year’s Eve is … you guessed it. Intertwining several stories into the night before a new year, 2011’s “New Year’s Eve” fits comfortably between “Valentine’s Day” and “Mother’s Day,” two similar movies that followed various characters over the days of their title holidays — all directed by the late Gary Marshall.

[lz_third_party align=center width=630 includes=https://youtu.be/h_dt27_0vL4]

“New Year’s Eve” stars Halle Berry, Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, and other familiar faces. It’s a nod to the holiday and all it can entail — new beginnings, hope, love, forgiveness. It’s also a movie that can work as a celebration of the life and work of director Marshall, a man who brought a lot of joy to the world over a long career in film and TV. Aside from directing hit pictures like “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” Marshall created the TV shows “Mork and Mindy” and “Laverne & Shirley.”

5.) “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972). Disaster movies have always been strong successes for studios, from classics like 1974’s “The Towering Inferno” to “San Andreas” (2016). It seems people just can’t get enough of seeing favorite stars fight fictional disasters and beat the odds. In “The Poseidon Adventure,” Gene Hackman leads a group of survivors on a passenger ship that’s capsized at sea. The film is set during New Year’s Eve, with all the characters attending a New Year’s party on the ship before the accident.

Watching people beat nearly impossible odds and fight Mother Nature might make film viewers walk into the new year standing a little taller and a little more determined. After all, if these people can survive this — what’s going to stop the rest of us?

PopZette editor Zachary Leeman can be reached at [email protected]