Meet Joe Black
MEET JOE BLACK (12)
D: Martin Brest
Universal/City Light (Martin Brest)
US 1998
180 mins
Romance/Fantasy
W: Ron Osborn, Jeff Wade, Kevin Wade & Bo Welch
[based on the play "Death Takes A Holiday" by Alberto Casella]
DP: Emmanuel Lubezki
Ed: Joe Hutshing & Michael Tronick
Mus: Thomas Newman
PD: Dante Ferretti
Brad Pitt (Joe Black), Anthony Hopkins (Bill Parrish),
Claire Forlani (Susan Parrish), Jake Weber (Drew), Marcia Gay Harden (Allison Parrish), Jeffrey Tambor (Quince)
This glossy remake of 1940's fantasy Death Takes A Holiday
is a movie totally in love with Brad Pitt. Overlong, pretentious and the only message it seems to convey is that true love is completely superficial, totally dependent on initial encounters
and has nothing to do with the content on one's character, beauty is skin deep and as long as somebody is ruggedly handsome, it doesn't matter if they have the personality of a
rock.
It's understandable that the character calls for Brad
Pitt's performance to be rather emotionless, but his acting in this is pretty woeful (particularly his Jamaican accent, mon!) and he spends the majority of the time gawping in wonder and
eating peanut butter. Claire Forlani's character lacks credibility and Anthony Hopkins tries his best with what is the movie's most believable character, but a better screenplay is
desperately needed. Thomas Newman's tender music is sweet, but is there really a need for it to play throughout every single scene?!
The only people I'd recommend this to is little girls with
absolutely no comprehension of what true love is. Pop singer Taylor Swift might like it.
4/10
