Meet Joe Black
Meet Joe Black

Meet Joe Black

1998Movie178 minEnglish

Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, 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?

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Insights

IMDb7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes30%
Metacritic41/100
Google Users76%
Director: Martin BrestGenres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Plot Summary

Death, in the form of a young man named Joe Black, comes to visit wealthy media mogul William Parrish. In exchange for a few days of extended life, Parrish agrees to let Death experience human life and learn about the world. As Joe Black, Death finds himself falling in love with Parrish's daughter, Susan, leading to a complex and poignant exploration of life, love, and mortality.

Critical Reception

Meet Joe Black received mixed reviews from critics, who often praised its performances, particularly from Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt, and its ambitious themes. However, many found the film's lengthy runtime and deliberate pacing to be a drawback, and some critics felt that the romantic storyline was underdeveloped or overly sentimental. Audiences, on the other hand, were generally more receptive, drawn to the film's emotional depth and star power.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its strong lead performances and thoughtful exploration of life and death.
  • Criticized for its excessive length and ponderous pacing.
  • The romantic elements were seen by some as compelling and by others as overly saccharine.

Google audience: Audiences generally appreciated the film's emotional resonance and the intriguing premise of Death experiencing human life. The performances of Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins were frequently highlighted as strong points, though some viewers found the movie to be too slow or a bit melodramatic.

Awards & Accolades

None notable.

Fun Fact

Brad Pitt's character, Joe Black, was originally intended to be played by Tom Cruise, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

4 reviews
Hadam10Rose

Hadam10Rose

Death takes a holiday. Not only the name of the play it was based off, but the general premise of the film. A real fish out of water story, with death trying to understand life and why people don't usually want to give it up. I can see this...
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Billionaire "Parrish" (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is feeling a bit under the weather as his birthday approaches, and a potential corporate merger looms too. His daughter "Sarah" (Claire Forlani) is, meantime, rather keen on one of his hotshot emp...
tensharpe

tensharpe

Joe Black ( Brad Pitt ) as the Grim Reaper arrives on the doorstep of wealthy businessman Bill Parrish ( Anthony Hopkins ) after borrowing a body of a man killed that morning. After experiencing chest pains and hearing voices Bill Parish is...
Wuchak

Wuchak

***Captivating commentary on love, life and death*** The Grim Reaper (i.e. the Angel of Death) comes to take billionaire industrialist Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) but instead decides to take a holiday in the corporeal universe by poss...