For millions of people, a close encounter with death has enabled them to see with fresh eyes the beauty and bounty of life. In this fantasy film directed by Martin Brest (Scent of a Woman), the process is reversed. Several members of a fabulously rich family teach death about the pleasures of the flesh and the transports of love. So far, so good. The problem is: this light parabolic vehicle is weighed down by a tediously slow pace and overwrought production values. Even so, its simple message is worth taking to heart.
Brought to his knees by a heart seizure, New York media tycoon William Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) hears death calling him. While one daughter (Marcia Gay Harden) is busy planning an elaborate celebration for his 65th birthday, his favorite daughter Susan (Claire Forlani), a physician, is being romanced by a handsome and charming stranger (Brad Pitt) in a coffee shop. When he is hit and killed by two cars, the Grim Reaper takes over his body and asks Parrish to serve as his tour guide in the land of the living. Adopting the name Joe Black, Death becomes addicted to peanut butter and eventually falls in love with Susan. In addition, he helps Parrish fend off the efforts of Drew (Jake Weber), his right-hand man, to sell off his company to a corporate raider.
In one of the opening scenes of the film, Parrish tells his daughter that he hopes she will find a lover who will enable her "to sing with rapture and to dance like a dervish." He wants her to be deliriously happy. That simple message about the spiritual firepower of love is what we are left with at the end of Meet Joe Black. Too bad it wasn't delivered in a more simple and lean package.
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Watch trailer
1998, Fantasy/Romance, 3h 0m
48 Reviews 100,000+ RatingsWhat to know
Meet Joe Black is pretty to look at and benefits from an agreeable cast, but that isn't enough to offset this dawdling drama's punishing three-hour runtime. Read critic reviewscritics consensus
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Meet Joe Black Videos
2:26
Meet Joe Black: Trailer 1
3:00
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - I Like You So Much
2:58
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Lightning Could Strike
2:30
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Mystery Man
2:51
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Joe Says Goodbye
3:00
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - That Was Wonderful
2:23
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Peanut Butter Man
1:53
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Bill Introduces Joe
2:34
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Am I Going to Die?
1:35
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Bill's Birthday Speech
2:35
Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Undressing Joe Black
View all videos (11)
Meet Joe Black Photos
View All Photos (18)
Movie Info
Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), businessman and devoted family man, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. However, before he reaches that landmark, he is visited by Death (Brad Pitt), who has taken human form as Joe Black, a young man who recently died. Joe and Bill make a deal: Bill will be given a few extra days of his life, and Joe will spend the same time getting to know what it's like to be human. It seems like a perfect arrangement, until Joe falls in love -- with Bill's daughter.
Rating:
PG-13
Genre:
Fantasy, Romance, Drama
Original Language:
English
Director:
Martin Brest
Producer:
Martin Brest
Writer:
Ron Osborn, Jeff Reno, Bo Goldman
Release Date (Theaters):
Nov 2, 1998 original
Release Date (Streaming):
Oct 5, 2004
Box Office (Gross USA):
$44.6M
Runtime:
3h 0m
Distributor:
Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Sound Mix:
Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio:
Flat (1.85:1)
Cast & Crew
Brad Pitt
Joe Black
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
Martin Brest
Director
Ron Osborn
Writer
Jeff Reno
Writer
Bo Goldman
Writer
Ronald L. Schwary
Executive Producer
Martin Brest
Producer
Thomas Newman
Original Music
Emmanuel Lubezki
Cinematographer
Joe Hutshing
Film Editing
Michael Tronick
Film Editing
Ellen Lewis
Casting
Juliet Taylor
Casting
Dante Ferretti
Production Design
Robert Guerra
Art Director
Leslie Bloom
Set Decoration
Aude Bronson-Howard
Costume Design
David Robinson
Costume Design
News & Interviews for Meet Joe Black
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Critic Reviews for Meet Joe Black
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (27)
Full Review… Lisa Alspector Chicago ReaderFull Review… Ann Hornaday Baltimore SunFull Review… Joe Morgenstern Wall Street JournalFull Review… Michael O'Sullivan Washington PostFull Review… Paul Tatara CNN.comFull Review… Owen Gleiberman Entertainment WeeklyFull Review… Total Film Staff Total FilmFull Review… John Ferguson Radio TimesFull Review… Philip French Observer (UK)Full Review… Zaki Hasan Zaki's CornerFull Review… Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie VaultFull Review… Robin Clifford Reeling ReviewsView All Critic Reviews (48)
Audience Reviews for Meet Joe Black
Oct 23, 2013
Far longer than it needs to be, and pretty silly at times, but unforgettable and fascinating. There's nothing out there like this film. It's a great look into the human mind and how it interacts with its environment, as shown in Pitt's almost childlike portrayal of Death. Good story, fantastic music and atmosphere...I just love how a lot of the scenes are set up in this film. Very unique.
Stephen S Super Reviewer
May 21, 2012
This movie really makes no sense, but I still enjoy it a lot by the grace of the willowy and wounded Claire Forlani. Death has been around since the beginning of time (just ballparking it), so how is he still so ignorant about friendship, passion, sex, success, greed, revenge - the ways of the world, essentially, including colloquialisms about Death and taxes? One would think he'd have a human dalliance every decade at least. The character is written to be a wide-eyed simpleton, and they had to pick the actor with the worst face and voice for that: Brad Pitt. He's so dead-eyed and dumb-sounding.
Alice S Super Reviewer
Dec 02, 2011
A very interesting film that I found to be really cool, however not as great as I had expected, it was very long an got stupid at times.
Wie endet Joe Black?
Drew gesteht seine Taten, woraufhin der Aufsichtsrat, der über eine Telefonleitung alles mitgehört hat, den geplanten Verkauf platzen lässt, Drew entlässt und Bill rehabilitiert. Schließlich nimmt Joe Bill mit ins Jenseits, lässt aber den Körper des jungen Mannes im Diesseits zurück.Wer streamt Meet Joe Black?
Prime Video Amazon Stand: 21.11.2022. Rendezvous mit Joe Black. ... .Sky Store Sky Stand: 22.11.2022. Rendezvous mit Joe Black. ... .Apple TV Stand: 21.11.2022. Rendezvous mit Joe Black. ... .Google Play Stand: 21.11.2022. ... .freenet Video Stand: 22.11.2022. ... .Microsoft Stand: 21.11.2022. ... .Rakuten TV Stand: 21.11.2022. ... .MagentaTV Stand: 21.11.2022..