Meet Joe Black

Starring: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins
Director: Martin Brest
Genre: Drama
Year: 1998
Rating: 3 / 5

As I was preparing to enter into the world of Joe Black, also known as Death, I happened to turn on the radio, where every critic seemed to indicate that acceptance of this movie would fall strictly upon gender lines. A male caller had even offered that the appropriate length for the three-hour epic was just over forty-five minutes. A female caller replied, declaring that the romantic tale was perfect just the way it was. Happily, I can say that did not agree with either of these statements. Meet Joe Black is actually a rather humorous romantic tale, which suffers not from lenghth, but from a lack of genuine excitement. Well-acted and visually stylish, Black nonetheless fails to capture the heart, until, of course, the inevitable tear-jerking conclusion.

Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) is due to celebrate his sixty-fifth birthday in a matter of days, yet he is too busy with business to give a care in the world to the planning efforts of his eldest daughter Allison. He and his young protege Drew (Jake Weber), beau of Bill's younger daughter Susan (sultry newcomer Clair Forlani), are about to close a deal that will ensure the financial viablility of Bill's corporation into the next millenium. Into this tumultuous world steps Death (Brad Pitt), who not so subtly informs Bill that his days are numbered.

This, of course, is where the true fun begins. We travel along with Bill and Death, who is given the name Joe Black, as this unlikely duo attempts to experience what the world has to offer. As an added twist, the body Joe Black inhabits happens to have belonged to a young man who had recently captured the fancy of the slightly unhappy Susan. Not being truly in love with Drew, she is swept off of her feet by the handsome stranger at a local coffee shop, only to have circumstance keep them apart. Imagine her surprise at the sight of this random gentlemen trotting alongside her father to the dinner table. Such begins one of the first of many comedic angles to this movie.

In the course of his tour of the city with Joe Black, Bill begins to realize that he does not want to pass into the great hereafter without getting his life in order. He cannot bare to leave knowing that his business might soon fall into the hands of individuals who do not possess his integrity and hope. Even more, he worries about his daughter Susan, who he feels is merely making her way through life, and not really living it to the fullest. While preaching this message, though, Bill has no idea that Susan will take him up on his word, and she soon finds herself falling for Joe, who is quite receptive to the idea as well. Entanglements do inevitably come up in these situations, do they not?

Brad Pitt does a commendable job in his quirky role as Death, conveying equal parts knowledge and bright-eyed wonderment. Yet even with his golden frock of hair, Pitt can still barely hold a candle to Hopkins, one of the true masters of film. He and the enchanting Miss Forlani truly rise to the occassion, as both offer characters we can easily find ourselves moved by. The movie's conclusion might not bring tears to everyone's eyes, but it will at the very least push one in that direction. Though at times you may find yourseld sneaking a peel at a nearby clock, worry not - Death comes to us all.

Cast:

Brad Pitt..........	Joe Black
Anthony Hopkins..........	William Parrish
Clair Forlani..........	Susan Parrish
Jake Weber..........	Drew

Certification: PG-13 for sexuality and language.
Running Time: 180 minutes.

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