Meet Joe Black (1998)
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The story
Media mogul Bill Parrish is approaching his 65th birthday when he is approached by a mysterious voice that reveals itself to be Death. Death takes on the physical form of a young man whom Bill's daughter, Susan, had recently met at a coffee shop. In exchange for showing Death what it is like to live as a human, Death agrees to postpone Bill's death. Bill, now referring to the entity as 'Joe Black', must navigate the complexities of his family life and business dealings while his new companion becomes fascinated by the nuances of human existence, all while Susan develops a deep connection with the man who is not entirely human.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Media mogul Bill Parrish is nearing his 65th birthday and is approached by Death, who takes the form of a young man named 'Joe Black'. Joe is the same man his daughter Susan met at a coffee shop before he was struck by cars. While Bill acts as Joe's guide to humanity, Susan and Joe develop a romantic connection. Meanwhile, Bill's business rival, Drew, attempts to seize control of the company. As Bill's birthday arrives, Joe reveals his intention to take Susan with him. Bill pleads for her life, and Susan eventually realizes Joe's true identity. Joe ultimately decides to leave her behind, and after a final conversation with Bill, he reveals his true nature to the board of directors to help Bill reclaim his company. Bill delivers a final speech to his family before passing away. Susan is left with the man from the coffee shop, who is now just a man, while Joe is gone.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 180
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Martin Brest
- Writers
- Bo Goldman · screenplay; Kevin Wade · screenplay; Ron Osborn · screenplay; Jeff Reno · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Brad Pitt · Joe Black; Anthony Hopkins · William Parrish; Claire Forlani · Susan Parrish; Jake Weber · Drew; Marcia Gay Harden · Allison; Jeffrey Tambor · Quince
- Genres
- romantic fantasy drama
- Themes
- mortality; human experience
- Tone and mood
- romantic; drama
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; romance; supernatural
- Source material / true-story basis
- Death Takes a Holiday
- Reception
- Critical response was mixed: reviewers generally praised Hopkins's performance while criticizing the film's three-hour length, slow pacing, and screenplay.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 48% · scale: percentage · review count: 52; Metacritic · score: 43% · scale: percentage · review count: 24
- Awards and nominations
- Razzie Award · Worst Remake or Sequel · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was a platform for the first trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.; A two-hour version was made for television and airline flights.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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