Meet Joe Black
by Martin Brest
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Claire Forlani, Jake Weber, Marcia Gay HardenDirector: Martin Brest
Brand: Universal
Writer: Alberto Casella
Writer: Bo Goldman
Writer: Gladys Lehman
Writer: Jeff Reno
Writer: Kevin Wade
Writer: Maxwell Anderson
Writer: Ron Osborn
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 178 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-11-16
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Meet Joe Black
Movie Review: Intelligent love story, a parable for the ages
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazingly I didn't see this film until nearly 10 years after its release. It is a grand scale masterpiece. If you missed it, don't bother renting it...buy the DVD to rewatch and treasure with people you love. Superbly cast and wonderfully acted, with breathtaking cinematography and a beautiful musical score, Meet Joe Black is truly unforgetable. Take time out to really enjoy it without distraction. It envelopes you like a great book. Anthony Hopkins is simply fabulous. The scenes of him describing his wife and imparting love and wisdom to his daughters are deeply moving. Brad Pitt delivers an amazing, both tender and haunting performance as Death seeking a taste of love and life. Clare Forlarni is absolutey exquisite throughout. This is a smart love story that guys will enjoy as much as the ladies.
Summary of Meet Joe Black
Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black (Brad Pitt), who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan (Claire Forlani).Meet Joe Black seemed almost fated to fail when it was released in 1998, but this romantic fantasy--a remake of 1934's Death Takes a Holiday--deserves a chance at life after box-office death. Although many moviegoers were turned off by director Martin Brest's overindulgent three-hour running time, those who gear into its deliberate pace will find that Meet Joe Black offers ample reward for your attention.
Brad Pitt plays Death with a capital D, enjoying some time on Earth by inhabiting the body of a young man who'd been killed in a shockingly sudden pedestrian-auto impact. Before long, Death has ingratiated himself with a wealthy industrialist (Anthony Hopkins) and pursues romance with the man's beautiful daughter (newcomer Claire Forlani), whom he'd briefly encountered while still an earthbound human. Under the assumed identity of "Joe Black," he samples all the pleasures that corporeal life has to offer--power, romance, sex, and such enticing pleasures as peanut butter by the spoonful.
But Death has a job to do, and Meet Joe Black addresses the heart-wrenching dilemma that arises when either father or daughter (the plot keeps us guessing) must confront his or her inevitable demise. The film takes its own sweet time to establish this emotional crisis and the love that binds Hopkins's semidysfunctional family so closely together. But if you've stuck with the story this far, you may find yourself surprisingly affected. And if Meet Joe Black has really won you over, you'll more than appreciate the care and affection that gives the film a depth and richness that so many critics chose to ignore. --Jeff Shannon
Meet Joe Black seemed almost fated to fail when it was released in 1998, but this romantic fantasy--a remake of 1934's Death Takes a Holiday--deserves a chance at life after box-office death. Although many moviegoers were turned off by director Martin Brest's overindulgent three-hour running time, those who gear into its deliberate pace will find that Meet Joe Black offers ample reward for your attention. Brad Pitt plays Death with a capital D, enjoying some time on Earth by inhabiting the body of a young man who'd been killed in a shockingly sudden pedestrian-auto impact. Before long, Death has ingratiated himself with a wealthy industrialist (Anthony Hopkins) and pursues romance with the man's beautiful daughter (newcomer Claire Forlani), whom he'd briefly encountered while still an earthbound human. Under the assumed identity of "Joe Black," he samples all the pleasures that corporeal life has to offer--power, romance, sex, and such enticing pleasures as peanut butter by the spoonful. But Death has a job to do, and Meet Joe Black addresses the heart-wrenching dilemma that arises when either father or daughter (the plot keeps us guessing) must confront his or her inevitable demise. The film takes its own sweet time to establish this emotional crisis and the love that binds Hopkins's semidysfunctional family so closely together. But if you've stuck with the story this far, you may find yourself surprisingly affected. And if Meet Joe Black has really won you over, you'll more than appreciate the care and affection that gives the film a depth and richness that so many critics chose to ignore. --Jeff Shannon
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