Rating: 
Summary: Bottom line: too slow
Review: This is a good story, for a 15 min short or a 90 min HBO movie. Definitely not for 3 hours. Hopkins and Pitt make a great acting. The problem in this film is that the director, Martin Brest, is also the producer. So it lacks of any, the most minimal empathy with the spectator. If you haven't see it, don't waste your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad
Review: I couldn't even manage to watch half of this movie. I was B---O---R---E---D. It was dull, sad, depressing, stupid, and a complete waste of the time I spent watching it, in the vain hope it would get better. It is S---L---O---W and it is NOT worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Sleeper With Caffeine
Review: Brad Pitt plays his stiff "in a body" experience very well. Character development and plot very well done. I could listen to Anthony Hopkins talk for hours on end. Not to be missed!
Rating:
Summary: Love at first sight
Review: When I saw this picture I fell instantly in love with it. Brad Pitt is so sweet that "I have this weak feeling in my knees!" during all the film. Characters were formidable performed: Claire is the perfect partenaire and Anthony is the perfect honorable rich man and a beloved father. And to this you have to add a wonderful and cautivated music. Besides, the most important thing is the message you received from this movie. Death is the center of the story but in fact, this is a film about life, pasion,love and human values. Sometimes you have to renounce your love in favor of your beloved and I think this is the most painful situation for a human being and in this picture it is so really recreated that you need some time to recover yourself from the impact of the scenes. If you are not sure and hesitate about seeing it or not, well, I think that "Yes, is the answer to your question".P.S.: This is for Brad: "I like you so much". (and sorry for my english but it is not my native language)
Rating:
Summary: This is a GREAT movie¿..to POOP on!
Review: The only thing that truly shines in this remake of "Death takes a Holiday", is Marty Brests' insufferable ego and his apparent belief that each frame of this film is pure genius and should remain untouched and unedited. The camera lingers and lingers and lingers on reaction shots to the point of being tedious and ultimately meaningless. To those who suggest this film is well paced, stimulating and does not drag, I would like to point out that a bright spot on one's shoe can also be highly entertaining.... hours of fun in fact! Ok, now that I have distracted all the people who saw and actually liked this movie, for a while, let me talk to the rest of you. This movie is only for insomniacs and hard core Pitt/Hopkins fans ONLY. Both actors do fine job, but the movie is still a total waste of time. Forlani manages to emote a total range of 3 different expressions (all she needs in this movie, but she is an actress capable of a great deal more). "Meet Joe Black" is sure to spark theological disscussions the likes of which have not been seen since "Heaven Can Wait" (a far superior film, watch it twice and skip Joe Black). On the more positive side, this film loses nothing in the TV version. If this movie were cut down to 120 minutes from it's present 181 minutes, it would still be two hours too long.
Rating:
Summary: Fine Acting From All
Review: This movie has what many lack...heart. Yes, it is long, and I'm sure there will be many complaints about that. However, it is not too long, but actually just the right length of time to develop the story AND keep the viewer's interest. The acting is formidable, especially by Hopkins. His character truly does posess many qualities that the average person should strive for...a commanding leadership and presence, honesty, sincerity, love for his friends and family, intelligence, and respect. Hopkins portrays this character with both flair and subtlety, which is not an easy task to pull off. Pitt gets stuck with an even more imposing task while trying to pull of the character of Death. Overall, I think he does just fine in a tough role. Forlani is just beautiful, and it is just so easy to fall in love with her in this movie...I know I did. Her tenderness and loving nature only reinforced her beauty. None of her films since have been able to drive me crazy about her the way this one does... Most important, and sometimes overlooked, is the chemistry that these actors had on stage together. They worked extremely well together. What more can I say..."Meet Joe Black" is a fine movie that most will enjoy. Oh yeah, and the sets and scenery (especially that of the mansion) were phenomenal. Go watch it if you haven't seen it yet. Watch it again if you have...
Rating: 
Summary: A fine, underrated film
Review: This is a charming, intelligent and visually elegant film that is far more deserving than the somewhat harsh treatment that it received from critics. Anthony Hopkin's portrayal of the mogul Bill Parrish is a study in how an elite actor can take a superior script and create a character with dignity and richness beyond what the writers could have envisioned. Despite the unbelievability in such a worldly figure maintaining the idealism that Parrish has, it is easily forgiven, because the focus is on the quality of the fated man's interactions rather than on his stature. Claire Forlani gives a graceful and expressive performance as the daughter in a role that highlights the persistence of feminine vulnerability even in the contemporary world of high-achieving women. The real star of the film, truth be told, though, is Pitt, whose tremendously charismatic presence is always the centerpiece of attention. His is a confused Reaper, but at times a grim one nevertheless, and it's an unnerving moment when this boyish actor becomes stern enough to convey fear to the Hopkins character. Not the least, it should be said, of the film's pleasures are the beautiful and elaborate sets and locations. Most of all, though, throughout its entire length, the dignity of and compassion for all the characters is maintained, the hallmark of all good entertainment. For someone who frankly does not like many movies, this was a refreshing and very recommendable experience.
Rating:
Summary: Best Romantic Movie I've Seen
Review: Unlike any movie I've seen, this talks about life and death and how love can be appreciated by death. Brad Pitt played a wonderful job as the Spirit of Death (codenamed Joe Black by Anthony Hopkins) inside the body of man who Claire Fontani met in a diner somewhere in New York. Claire is a very beautiful actress and I hope she will do another romantic movie with her charm. For Anthony Hopkins, who plays as a rich CEO of a communications company, has done a good job as a man trying to deal with Joe Black in his house. At first, when Anthony Hopkins hears the voices of death in the beginning, he felt strange but he learns who the person is talking to is in his house and that he is Joe Black. The reason Death is in the body of the man from the diner Susan met is because the man got knocked out in an accident and Death occupies the body because he is on vacation. Joe Black soon gets aquainted with the essence of people and falls for Susan Parrish who was in love with this man who thought Joe was pretty weird with his obsession with peanut butter, jelly cookies, and nice tea. Susan leaves the boyfriend behind and loves Joe Black. However, Joe Black has to deal with Susan's Father's fate, which could be the end of his life during his vacation. This was a great movie because it talked about what love is and it shows who Death really is.
Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT & PERFECT!
Review: The idea of the film is one of a kind, the story is well told and the acting is so great! This could be one of the very best movies for Anthony Hopkins! Claire Forlani was so beautiful, sexy and perfect. This movie is the only good movie for Claire Forlani. The emotions in this movie are so genuine and Anthony's speech at the end of the movie is BRILLIANT! Good drama, good actors, one of a kind story and very surprising. I highly recommend watching this movie if not buying it.
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming with Brilliant Performances!!!
Review: I just watched this movie for the first time, and it barely finished before I felt compelled to write about it and how it touched me so. This movie is amazing, and there are literally no words to describe how wonderful the acting, script, and directing was in this movie. I cannot begin with anyone but Anthony Hopkins. His performance in nothing short of flawless, and respect for him as an actor jas increased even more than what I thought it could be. This is the first movie I have seen of his where he wasn't the canabal Hannibal Lector. I even loved him in those roles, where he played an intellectual, but "slightly" disturbed convict. Watching him play this mild-mannered, sweet, caring, and elegant man, it didn't feel like he was acting, but was being the man he is in person. He has graceful and sincere presence about him, and the way he carried himself in this movie left me speechless (except for this LONG review I'm writing). There really are not enough words to describe how taken I was with him, and his quiet elegance is something that it his alone. Yes, there are other people in this movie, and yes, they were outstanding as well. Brad Pitt gave another great performance as Death, or the better sounding role of Joe Black. I felt his character cold and distant in the beginning, then reasoned that Death must not be a people person, unaccostomed to meeting living people. He really grew on me, and at the end of the movie, I grew to really like his character, and the way Pitt chose to play him. Claire Forlani was also great, and played the daughter who loved her father more than life realistically and honestly. She held nothing back, and her performance really added a truthful touch about the fear we all have of losing a loved one. Hopkins, Hopkins, and Forlani all had amazing chemistry on-screen, and it made you feel like you were a part of the story. you were there every minute with them, feeling what they were feeling, and, unfortunately, knowing what was ultimately going to happen in the end. There are many movies about death and the characters awaiting it, but this movie dealt a little further. It made me think about how I would act if I knew the time was coming, and although not a cheerful thought, it made me realize what we have in this life that means so much to us. The end of this movie is true tearjerker, and I even started crying when Hopkins and Pitt's character met for the first time, knowing that soon the time would come. The three hours it took to get there though was soo worth my time because at the end, there was not a dry spot left on my face. I grew to love each of the characters and their sorrow was my sorrow. The final scene at the party is enough to make even the most hardest of hearts tremble and weep. There are many movies that I like enough to give 5 stars to, but there are not many that stay with me after the credits are over. This will be one that I will take with me, however, and will keep it locked away in my heart. This movie has a message, and anyone who watches it will know what it is. I urge everyone who even glimpses at this page, even if it's just to see who's ion the movie. It is a passionate, life-changing movie, and if you want to see a unique and one of a kind movie with exceptional acting and a meaningful script, look no further than this movie!!! Enjoy!!!
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