Meet Joe Black

1998 Drama

The cycle of life on Earth hangs in the balance when Death becomes emotionally involved in this romantic fantasy. William Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) is a tremendously wealthy and powerful man who oversees a worldwide multi-media empire. Despite the loss of his wife, whom he dearly loved, William is content with his life, and he's very close to his two daughters, Allison (Marcia Gay Harden) and Susan (Claire Forlaini). One night, as William is fighting a hostile takeover of his company and Allison is planning an elaborate party to celebrate her dad's 65th birthday, William begins displaying the symptoms of a severe heart attack, and he is visited by a mysterious stranger, Joe Black (Brad Pitt). Joe is actually the angel of death, who has taken the form of a man who recently passed on to pay William a call. It seems that William is due to move on to the next world, but (no great surprise) he doesn't want to go. Joe, on the other hand, is curious to know what life is like for mere mortals, so the two men strike a deal -- William will have some time to get his affairs in order, and Joe will wait and see what it's like to be a human being. Joe decides that he likes it very much when he falls in love with Susan, but negotiating the slippery slopes of romance is no easier for Joe than for any ordinary man. Meet Joe Black is an updated version of Alberto Casella's play +Death Takes a Holiday, which was adapted for the screen in 1934. more..

Director: Martin Brest

Starring: Brad Pitt,Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani, Jake Weber, Marcia Gay Harden

Reviews

  • The movie contains elements that make it very good, and a lot of other elements besides. Less is more.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • Sometimes clever and enjoyable, even touching, yet too often the film makes you feel as if you're in Sunday school.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • Meet Joe Black flows nicely, and the whole of the film is bathed in some of the most sumptuous cinematography (courtesy of "Like Water for Chocolate's" Emmanuel Lubezki) of the year.

    Marc Savlov - Austin Chronicle

    26 April 2013

  • Clocking in at a self-important two hours and 59 minutes, this elongated romantic fable is impossible to sustain at a running time better suited to the fall of the Roman empire.

    Kenneth Turan - Los Angeles Times

    26 April 2013

  • It's not just that Pitt's performance is bad. It hurts.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Actor

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (1999)

     
  • Bogey Awards, Germany (1999)

  • Worst Movie

    Csapnivalo Awards (2000)

  • Best Sound Editing - Dialogue & ADR

    Motion Picture Sound Editors (1999)

     
  • Worst Remake or Sequel

    Razzie Awards (1999)