hello! i know it's been a while, and my sincerest apologies everyone for being away for so long. i'm...
hello! i know it's been a while, and my sincerest apologies everyone for being away for so long. i'm going to catch up on as many ops as i can in the next few weeks! sorry again x
Member since:04.02.2003
Reviews:19
Members who trust:38
When this first came out in November 1998, I was quite young, (young enough not to know what the big deal about Brad Pitt was, and young enough not to understand the true brilliance of Sir Anthony Hopkins). Back then I thought that this film was rubbish. Then, about two years ago, my mum brought it home, so I thought that I would give it a shot and I was not disappointed.
The film is about a successful media tycoon, William Parrish (Hopkins) living in New York with his two daughters, one of which, Susan (Claire Forlani), is in a relationship with his brilliant, yet slimy colleague, Drew, (Jake Weber). One day whilst on her way to her job as a doctor at the hospital, she meets a fascinating, attractive young man in a coffee shop. The two establish an instant spark, but do not discover anything about each other. The two leave the coffee shop without exchanging names or numbers. As they walk away in different directions, Pitt turns to run after her and is hit by a van, killing him. Later that evening, a mysterious character turns up at Parrish’s door claiming to
be death. To our surprise, it is Pitt. Death makes a deal with Parrish, telling him that he will soon die, but until then, he wants Parrish to show him around until he decides that it is time to go. Not wanting his family to know Death’s true identity, he introduces him as Joe Black, and to Susan, who believes that Joe is indeed the same incredible guy that she met that morning in the coffee shop, things begin to get a little complicated on all parts. Eventually, a romance blossoms between Susan and Joe, (who still does not know who Joe really is), much to the frustration of Parrish. I made my dad watch this film, all of a sudden he agreed that some the guy’s that I’ve brought home didn’t seem all that bad. Problems also arise at Parrish’s company as Joe insists on accompanying him to all of his board meeting and business dealings. Drew feels as though he is being replaced as Parrish’s number two and as Susan’s partner and decides to make like difficult for Parrish.
The story line is exciting and complicated, requiring your full attention all of the way through. The film takes a variety if interesting twists and turns. I was totally gripped by the growing relationship of Susan and Joe. It seems pretty obvious that they’re going to get it together at some point, but it is a complete mystery as to how it is going to work out, will she discover that her perfect man is in fact the grim reaper, will he want to stay with her forever and abandon his… erm… ‘job’? At first, I thought that the concept of Brad Pitt playing death was a tad bizarre, but its one of those film that you cannot question or think about, you just have to accept. This film is anything but predictable and will leave you wondering exactly how Joe is going sort out the chaos that he has brought.
The acting is absolutely marvellous, I wouldn’t expect anything less of Sir Anthony Hopkins. He is arguably one of the greatest actors of all time. Also, a fantastic performance by both Pitt and Forlani (I adore this woman’s eyebrows, it’s just a shame that she always seems to look as though she’s got salt in her eyes! Sorry, slightly bitchy, got a bit carried away). Performances by Jake Webber (The Cell, Pushing Tin), Marcia Gay Harden (Flubber, The First Wives Club), and Jeffrey Tambor (Girl, Interrupted, There’s Something About Mary) are also utterly convincing and brilliant.
My main problem with this film is the sound quality. The music by Thomas Newman to accompany the film was dazzling, except that most of the time it was so loud that what was actually being said could not be heard. You may think that this may be due to the quality of the video, but it was exactly the same in the cinema. There are some lines that are still a mystery to me! However, each scene within of the plot is quite long and drawn out with a lot of unnecessary silences, especially between Hopkins and Pitt. These may add a great deal of dramatic effect, but they are too many and they are far too long, (then again, maybe they aren’t actually in silence, it may be that I just can’t hear it!) These pauses make the film seem a lot longer than it actually is and can make certain scenes quite boring.
This film doesn’t really need any special effects to make it what it is. However, the effects that are used are convincing and well done, like the road accident involving Pitt, quite outstanding.
Meet Joe Black is definitely worth the watch; fantastic acting, brilliant plot and a exhilarating love story between a mortal and death (as strange as that sounds).Totally different from Martin Brest's previous work, such as Beverly Hills Cop, but equally as good, if not better!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
I bought this reduced for about £4 on video, but I could not get into it at all! Great op though!
lozmarne 24.04.2003 23:43
I loved the steamy sex scene which, for once and thank God it's about time, wasn't concentrating only on the woman! Who cares if Brad Pitt can't act? Take care, Loz x.
Meet Joe Blackseemed almost fated to fail when it was released in 1998, but this romantic ... more
fantasy--a remake of 1934'sDeath Takes a Holiday--deserves a chance at life after box-office death. Although many moviegoers were turned off by director Martin Br...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Meet Joe Blackseemed almost fated to fail when it was released in 1998, but this romantic ... more
fantasy--a remake of 1934'sDeath Takes a Holiday--deserves a chance at life after box-office death. Although many moviegoers were turned off by director Martin Br...
Postage & Packaging: £2.69 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Meet Joe Blackseemed almost fated to fail when it was released in 1998, but this romantic ... more
fantasy--a remake of 1934'sDeath Takes a Holiday--deserves a chance at life after box-office death. Although many moviegoers were turned off by director Martin Br...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his ... more
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 se...
![Meet Joe Black [DVD] [1999]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/80525588.jpg "Meet Joe Black [DVD] [1999]")
![Meet Joe Black [VHS] [1999]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/74877749.jpg "Meet Joe Black [VHS] [1999]")
![Meet Joe Black [DVD] [1999] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/75113040.jpg "Meet Joe Black [DVD] [1999] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
Mar 5th, 2003
very helpful by (100%):
