Meet Joe Black (1998)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Martin Brest

Writers (WGA):

Ron Osborn (screenplay) &
Jeff Reno (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

He's Expecting You.

Plot:

A media mogul acts as a guide to Death, who takes the form of a young man to learn about life on Earth and in the process, fall in love with his guide's daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Love | Media Mogul | Birthday | Dance

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Brad Pitt	...	Joe Black / Young Man in Coffee Shop
Anthony Hopkins	...	William Parrish
Claire Forlani	...	Susan Parrish
Jake Weber	...	Drew
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Allison
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Quince
David S. Howard	...	Eddie Sloane
Lois Kelly-Miller	...	Jamaican Woman
Jahnni St. John	...	Jamaican Woman's Daughter
Richard Clarke	...	Butler
Marylouise Burke	...	Lillian
Diane Kagan	...	Jennifer
June Squibb	...	Helen
Gene Canfield	...	Construction Foreman
Suzanne Hevner	...	Florist

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for an accident scene, some sexuality and brief strong language.

Runtime:

178 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Aldrich Mansion - 836 Warwick Neck Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island, USA

Company:

City Light Films

Trivia:

Received a significant sales boost, as this was one of the first films the trailer for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) was attached to. This resulted in the near legendary occurrence of people paying full fare just to see the trailer, as well as a projected boost of those who stayed through the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the coffee shop, Claire pours cream into her coffee three times, and puts sugar in twice.

Quotes:

William Parrish: Don't blow smoke up my ass, it will ruin my autopsy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

Soundtrack:

Where Or When

Purely Captivating!

I first saw this film many years after its first release and let me tell you I have never since or will I ever see such a moving and purely captivating movie.

Anthony Hopkins is already my idol and I have admired him for many years. There's something about the unique persona he brings upon any character he plays in a movie, as if he leaves part of himself behind on the film reel each time. From psychological thrillers like The Silence of the Lambs to emotional dramas, he also strikes me as a modest man and is, in my eyes a true genius!

Meet Joe Black is a strange tale that challenges our preconceptions of death. You come out of the film not so much enlightened but convinced that Bill Parrish is happy with the fate that comes upon him and that everyone else is too. It's immensely sad yet happy at the same time and thought-provoking. It is also a very long movie, which I believe strengthens it as you feel you have a bond with the main characters having known them for a long time and thus share the highs and the lows emotionally throughout the plot.

Providing you can stick to the 3hour film length it will truly be one of the most memorable films you'll ever watch. Excellent!