Meet Joe Black (Reviewed on Nov. 27/98)
Starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani
In "Meet Joe Black", Brad Pitt plays Death.
That's all that really needs to be said, but nevertheless, I will provide the three of you that have seemingly been living in a cave with a plot description. Death decides to take a holiday, what with all the rigors of soul-collecting and all, and forces Anthony Hopkins into showing him what it's like to be human. Death assumes the body of Brad Pitt, and from there, much trouble ensues.
For one thing, Death-as-Pitt falls in love with Hopkins daughter, played by Claire Forlani. Obviously this enrages Hopkins, because really, what can Death offer? Besides eternal damnation, of course. There is also a sub-plot about Forlani's ex-boyfriend (she dumps him for Pitt) trying to take over Hopkins company.
"Meet Joe Black" runs just under three hours. I've always thought that such obscene running times should be limited to historical epics. "Meet Joe Black" is neither historical nor is it an epic, though I get the feeling Martin Brest (the director) desperately wants it to be. Every single scene in the movie goes on about 3-4 minutes too long. And the ending takes about 20 minutes longer than it really should. A severe editing job could have made this movie excellent, instead of just good, which is what it is.
Pitt, an actor I normally loathe, is actually quite engaging as Death. I believed his performance, and I could see why Forlani's character would fall in love with him. I have to agree with Roger Ebert, though, who found it hard to believe that an entity that's been around for all time wouldn't know what peanut butter was. That has nothing to do with Pitt's performance, of course, but it is a little distracting.
Hopkins gives his usual excellent performance. He's able to portray the angst of a man who knows he has very little time left, without making him an obnoxious whiner. And in her first major studio role, Claire Forlani is surprisingly good. She has a sweet tenderness that allows the audience to instantly root for her.
So, "Meet Joe Black" is a good movie hampered by it's ridiculous running time. Had the film been cut by an hour or so, I have no doubt that I would be calling it one of the best movies of the year in this review.
*** out of ****
-- David Nusair dnusair@chat.carleton.ca Come visit my "Reel Film Reviews" site! "http://chat.carleton.ca/~dnusair"
"The most annoying questions are the hypothetical, like, `what would have happened if you had quit after Siamese Dream?' Well, what would have happened? Probably, we all would have been playing samba somewhere." -Billy Corgan
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