Page

Meet Joe Black

❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).

Watch trailer

02:23

Meet Joe Black

Save

Summary

Romantic fantasy drama starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. Media tycoon William Parrish has lived a rich life in every sense, but fears that his days are numbered. He is offered a temporary reprieve, however, when Death takes over the body of an attractive young man and decides to spend some quality time on Earth. The stranger is drawn to Parrish's daughter, Susan, but she's puzzled by his failure to recognise her from an earlier meeting.

Ad

Powered By

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

David Oppedisano

Lightning strikes in an elegant and rather meditative way in this extraordinary fantasy drama, in which a beautifully packaged messenger of death (Brad Pitt, as Joe Black) does a deal with ailing and hugely successful businessman Bill (Anthony Hopkins) ahead of the latter's all-out 65th birthday party. Joe informs Bill of his impending doom but offers him a short stay of execution in exchange for lessons in how to be a human. Joe then falls in love with Bill's daughter (Claire Forlani), who mistakes Joe (Death) for the man she'd met briefly and fallen for, unaware of his fatal run-in with a car shortly thereafter, with Death then taking over his body. Director Martin Brest's immaculately measured and absorbing remake of Mitchell Leisen's 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday is both long and economical, slow but never dragging, and eschews sentimentality while locating a profound depth of feeling in the most subtle of ways. This is Hollywood at the crossroads of glossy and classy, with Hopkins at the peak of his powers and Pitt at his most transcendent.

imdb-square

7.2/10

How to watch

Loading

Streaming

Credits

Cast

rolenameJoe Black / Young man in coffee shopBrad PittWilliam ParrishAnthony HopkinsSusan ParrishClaire ForlaniDrewJake WeberAllisonMarcia Gay HardenQuinceJeffrey TamborEddie SloaneDavid S HowardJamaican womanLois Kelly-Miller

Show more

Crew

rolenameDirectorMartin Brest

Details

Released on

1999-01-15

Languages

English | Dutch

Guidance

Contains violence, some swearing and a sex scene.

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

Ad

Ad

Ad