Meet Joe Black
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Movie Reviews of Meet Joe Black
Movie Review: Peanut Butter Man
Summary: 5 Stars
A little about the story:
In the first scene, we see William Parrish (Hopkins) sleepless and tired and also hearing a voice whipsering a distinguised "Yes".
We begin seeing Allison Parrish (Marcia Gay Harden) organize a grand birthday party for her father William Parrish (Anthony Hopkins). While his other daughter, Susan Parrish (Claire Forlani) is busy working at the hospital and dating his dad's right hand man Drew (Jake Weber).
On her way to work one morning, stopping at a coffee shop, Susan glances at a enigmatic man on the phone. After this stranger comes out from using the phone, Susan has a conversation with him that won't leave her mind.
Later that night, William has a strange feeling that there is someone at the door, and orders his maid to lead the gentlemen into the study. Going into the study, we first see nothing but an illumination of a person behind frosted glass. The voice seems to be identical to that of the "Yes" William heard last night.
The person emerges to be a well dressed man who William later introduces as Joe Black(Brad Pitt) who later develops a delicious fetish for peanut butter.
A little about the movie in it's entirety:
Before I begin, I wanted to make sure that you know that this movie is modeled after "Death Takes a Holiday" a 1934 motion picture.
After hearing so many horrible things about the movie, I had to see it for myself, because I couldn't stand not seeing a movie with Anthony Hopkins in it. Turns out, I believe all those people are fortunately wrong.
I absolutely loved Anthony's performance, especially the scenes where he reminisced his wife and gave advice to Claire, who also, along with Brad Pitt, achingly believable performances.
All in all, I believe that this movie couldn't have possibly made the same impact on me as it did, if Thomas Newman didn't score it. I absolutely loved the music of this movie and if Anthony Hopkins didn't get the nominations he deserved, I say Thomas is right up there with Anthony.
The only reason why I would give it 4.5/5 is that although, everything was great, it was also very lengthy which somehow took a little bit of the entire charm off.
My Rating: 4.5/5
Movie Review: Absorbing Exploration Of Meaning Of Mortality!
Summary: 5 Stars
A film that faces the issue of death head-on does not sound like a very appetizing or appealing subject for Hollywood to bring the big budget approach to, yet in this wonderful remake of an older black and white classic, "Death Takes A Holiday" Director Martin Brest does exactly that, serving up both Sir Anthony Hopkins as the befuddled and yet self-important mortal suddenly confronted with the knowledge of his own imminent demise, and a winsome Brad Pitt as Death himself. Of course, the lovely daughter that Hopkins has in tow attracts Pitt's character, and Death takes a little sojourn to get to know more about life in general and this family in particular. This is a thoughtful exploration of the fact of Death, its effect on us, and the way in which so many of us are in active denial of both its massive consequences and its finality. Indeed, most of us live our own days as if we were immortal, building up estates and relationships as though to last forever. Yet for us, forever cannot be achieved, at least not on this particular mortal plain. It is precisely in our denial, however, that we come closest to understanding what death really means, both for us in particular and for those meaningful others that surround us. It is this curious fact that the director spends his time so beautifully in exploring, albeit with some classic Hollywood twists and turns in the plot to show us that under the right set of circumstances, perhaps Death may be bargained with, after all.
Both Hopkins and Pitt do a wonderful job here, as does the lovely young actress, Claire Forlani. The sets are used to great effect, and the more than three-hour length of the movie transpires without one really noticing how much time has elapsed, a mark of an entertaining film. This is a quite thoughtful film, and one that requires a lot of introspection and careful attention. It is not for the faint of heart, and I don't think it will be of particular appeal to younger viewers, who very often are active denial regarding their own mortality and are unlikely to appreciate the thoughtful discussion they would discover here. This is a great movie, and one I would heartily recommend for those filmgoers mature enough to appreciate it. Enjoy!
Movie Review: A Masterpiece...
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Parrish ( Anthony Hopkins) is a media tycoon who is about to celebreate his 65th birthday. Unfortunately, it is also his time to die as well, because Death ( Brad Pitt) decides to pay Bill a visit. Bill manages to make a deal with Death to keep him alive a little bit longer, in exchange for teaching him what it is like to be human. Things become complicated however, when Death not only takes up an interest in life, but in Bill's beautiful daughter Susan ( Claire Forlani) as well.For some reason "Meet Joe Black" has received mixed reviews from critics and moviegoers. In my opinion, this remake of the 1934 film "Death Takes a Holiday" was one of the best films I have seen in quite some time. The movie has gained a reputation for being long and drawn out because it is 3 hours long. I did not find the film to be drawn out at all, and time flew by for me when watching this film. Brad Pitt is actually a very good actor and shows it in this film. Pitt accurately portrayed how Death would react to the world around him with his endless curiousity and naive behavior. The scene where Death discovers peanut butter for the first time is priceless!! Anthony Hopkins was great as usual, and turns in another oscar worthy performance as Bill Parrish. You come to legitimately feel for his character because you know that it is only a matter of time before the inevitable is coming. The thing that impressed me most about the film, was that the romantic story between Death and Claire Forlani's character Susan is extremely well done, despite the gloom setting that Death's presence brings. I also highly recommend picking up the soundtrack to this film. The musical score used was outstanding.
The only piece of advice I can give with this film, is to ignore its reputation and give it a shot. Overall, "Meet Joe Black" is a captivating and touching film with great performances given from the actors and an incredible soundtrack.
A solid 5 stars...
Movie Review: What a range of acting by Brad Pitt!
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, the guy has played some weird roles in some rather bad movies -- but he's always played them well. This movie takes full advantage of Pitt's talent by having him play the nice guy, tough guy, intelligent, sensitive, compassionate and romantic. There are scenes where he is actually funny even though it's presented in a subtle way. I found myself laughing out loud several times and couldn't believe I was watching a movie about death! So now Brad is playing his best role ever in a great movie and the critics seemed to pan the movie anyway. Hopkins and Forlani are also excellent in their roles. Hopkins gives a wonderful performance as a loving father and powerful business man faced with death, but having to hide it from his family. Claire Forlani plays the part of his beautiful and intelligent daughter so well. She's constantly probing into Joe's situation to find out why he is living in her father's house meanwhile falling in love with this stranger and teaching Joe about love (something that is obviously new to him).
The contrast between Pitt, the lawyer in the coffee shop and Pitt as Joe is fascinating. The guy in the coffee shop is opimistic, fun, lively and a great conversationalist. He smiles and laughs easily making Susan extremely attracted to him. Pitt as death (Joe) is quite different even though he looks the same. Joe is quiet, serious, mysterious, and somewhat clueless about people. As time goes on, Joe becomes more comfortable and Susan gets him to smile after his first kiss and he get a "week feeling" in his knees. The love scene is beautifully done and shows Susan undressing Joe. They get to the point where he can't get his shirt off all the way and he has this huge grin looking at Susan. I loved that part!
There is a lot of conflict in this movie too. Many of the characters have personal issues to work out. It seems like a simple story but actually has several stories being told.
Movie Review: Hopkins/Pitt...a perfect match
Summary: 5 Stars
There is a reason this remake of `Death Takes A Holiday' works. Simply, this, Hopkins is Hopkins, and Pitt actually ACTS.
Death assumes the body of a man Hopkin's daughter has met. Death decides he/it wants to experience the human life that he is so used to taking. The thing is, Hopkins (Bill)is not your average man, and his daughter (Susan)is not the average woman. And it near destroys him.
This film is not so much about Hopkins (absolutely incredible performance as always) trying to deal with Death (he is due to die within 24 hours), as Death trying to deal with human emotions and justify his/its own actions.
Pitt/Death, learns from Hopkins that there can be a morality in the powerful, and that it must be meted properly. He learns to repect the man, and also learns what love means from Hopkins daughter, Susan, whom he falls hopelessly in love with. Discovering his feelings, Death decides to take Susan, along with Bill. Hopkins (Bill), shows Death that his actions are selfish, and argues that Susan should be allowed her true future.
Death is supposed to be without feeling, without remorse, but because he has assumed the guise of a man, he is flooded with emotions and ultimately the desire to do right. Something Death is not supposed to consider.
Most viewers will see this as a man dealing with his impending death, but it is really about Death (set as a real figure) dealing with newfound emotions and the struggle between right and wrong.
While this film may have been slow at the box-office, it is so worth seeing. The cinematography is excellent, the soundtrack excellent, and the team of Hopkins and Pitt excels. Hopkins is always good, but Pitt as Death really acts in his role. He underplays nicely, and allows the story to supercede his stardom.
The dvd is 2 1/2 hours long, but I was never bored, and felt every emotion the movie was supposed to convey.
This is a great love story, with a nice twist.