The Best New Year's Eve Movie Scene Has Nothing To Do With Romance

For all intents and purposes, New Year's Eve tends to be considered a romantic holiday. (That is unless you have kids and can't wrangle a sitter.) Obviously, it's not on quite the same level as Valentine's Day, but there's just something about the process of saying goodbye to one year — while also starting a brand new one — that makes you want to spend it with someone special. It feels like a fresh start and makes you think anything is possible. And typically, when you feel that way, you want to share the moment with another person. In movies, this usually plays out in some sort of romantic fashion where the two central characters kiss at midnight.

But as fun and swoon-worthy as all that can be, there's a lot of untapped potential when it comes to this holiday and what it means to all kinds of relationships. In fact, one of my absolute favorite New Year's Eve movie scenes isn't romantic in nature at all. It focuses on a different type of connection between two people that many could argue is even more special: that of friendship.

"You're not alone."

The scene I'm referring to takes place during the first (and best) Sex and the City movie. Carrie is still hurting from her breakup with Big, and Miranda is struggling with her separation from Steve after learning he had cheated on her. The women aren't in a great place emotionally, which is why Carrie is more than happy to go to bed early on New Year's Eve.

Then, she receives a phone call from Miranda. Brady is with Steve that night, and she's all by herself with a ton of Chinese food. Carrie asks if she wants her to come over, but Miranda insists that she's fine and tells Carrie to go back to sleep. Carrie can tell, though, that her good friend is hurting a lot more than she's letting on. So, she gets up and does what any good best friend should do: She goes to comfort her.

The Art of Showing Up

A beautiful rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” starts to play in the background as we see all of the show’s central players celebrate the New Year, waiting eagerly for the ball to drop. And through it all, Carrie makes her way downtown, even going so far as to take the subway — an unheard form of transportation for these characters. It’s snowing. She’s trudging through slush and the cold (all while still looking fabulous, of course).

It certainly wasn’t how she had envisioned spending her evening. All of us have had times where we just wanted to go to bed early and have a day be over with. But instead of giving in to her own wants and desires, Carrie did what she knew deep down her friend really needed: for her to be there.

“You’re not alone,” she tells Miranda when she arrives at her door, giving her a big hug just in time to see the ball drop on TV. It ends with them sitting on a couch, eating Chinese food, and laughing together.

A Different Kind of Intimacy

It wasn’t a grand gesture or a high-stakes moment of intimacy between two partners. There wasn’t romantic music swelling or a passionate makeout session. Instead, it was about being there for a friend, even when you don’t feel like it. It was making the effort to show someone important to you that you have their back. It was an act of love in its truest form.

Sex and the City always gets talked about for its steamy sex scenes, but for me, this franchise has always been about sisterhood more so than anything else. And that’s why I can’t think of a better film to help ring in the New Year.