Meet Joe Black Movie Review 1998

It's too long. And it's unremittingly hokey. But, it does have the savvy Hopkins and Pitt in full desirable object mode. In this reworking of 1934's "Death Takes a Holiday," Pitt plays a not-so-Grim Reaper who decides to see what living is all about by inhabiting the body of a recently deceased man. He grants some extra time to wealthy businessman William Parrish (Hopkins), if he'll serve as Death's guide. Now named Joe Black, Death takes to his new life but causes problems in Parrish's household, especially when he falls in love with Parrish's doctor daughter, Susan (a weak Forlani).

Distribution

Universal Studios Home Video, 100 Universal City Plz., Universal City, CA 91608-9955, Phone: (818)777-1000, Fax: (818)866-1483, URL: http://www.universalstudios.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 180 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Fantasy, Death & the Afterlife, Plays to Film: Maxwell Anderson, Corporate Shenanigans, Growing Older, Birthdays, Grim Reaper

Screenplay

Ron Osborn, Jeff Reno, Kevin Wade, Bo Goldman

Cast

Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeffrey Tambor, Jake Weber

Cinematography

Emmanuel Lubezki

Director

Martin Brest

Music

Thomas Newman

Producer

Martin Brest, Ronald L. Schwary, City Lights Productions, Universal Pictures