Rating: 
Summary: This is the BEST movie I have ever seen
Review: When my wife and I finished watching this movie (from video tape), we turned and looked at each other and simutaneously said "That was REALLY a good movie!" TOO BAD your price is so HIGH! I'll wait until it is available at a REASONABLE PRICE.
Rating:
Summary: A really enjoyable story ...about death?
Review: I figured this movie would be different because the concept is unusual. Never did I expect it to be so entertaining. It's quirky, eirie, comical, mysterious, sensitive, joyful and romantic. So many emotions wrapped up in a story is uncommon for movies these days.The movie starts out focusing on Hopkins health and upcoming death as announced by death himself. However, the story isn't about dying. Rather it emphasizes death as a character who wants to experience what life is all about. The spotlight shifts to death (Pitt) as the central character and all the experiences he encounters during his three day vacation living with Bill (Hopkins) and falling in love with his daughter. People who criticize this picture often target Pitt as the reason for their dissatisfaction. Well he is the central character and it's a role that's not seen in movies so who's to say how it should be played? Complaining about Pitt's performance is really a complaint against the director's and writers' judgement as to how the role should be portrayed. Brad is certainly delivering a performance with his own creativity and talent, but the director ultimately has the say as to what is shown in the movie. This movie was shot with hundreds of takes for some scenes, so you know the director is being very particular about what the audience sees. Personally I believe that Pitt's performance was the best he's done to date. But there is so much more to this movie than Brad Pitt -- The music and story is fantastic. The acting and cinematography are first rate. With all these things going for it why would anyone complain about it being three hours long. This is the best movie I've seen. It would be hard to top "Meet Joe Black".
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely under-rated
Review: I expected to hate this, and was pleasantly surprised. To those reviewers complaining about length - try getting an attention span - you'll find it quite useful. I read a book last week - it took me nearly 18 hours - that didn't seem too long. Shakespeare's plays come in at an average of 3 hours too - just because our soundbite generation seems to like its entertainment in little chunks doesn't mean thats the only way to tell a story! This movie is languid and relaxed, and manages to tell its story properly, because unlike most mvoies, this one has the time and space to breathe. Hopkins was great, Pitt was otherworldly - he's far from a bad actor (a BAD actor is Keanu Reeves - there's no comparison here)- I liked it a lot.
Rating:
Summary: "Meet Joe Black" has the best of everything.
Review: Great acting, fascinating story, inspirational music, beautiful cinematography and sets. The main characters played by Hopkins, Forlani and Pitt are wonderful to watch, but the supporting cast also does a great job adding comedy, sensitivity and depth to the movie. The movie has so much to offer that a viewer can't really grasp it all in just one viewing. This is a keeper that you'll want to see again and again. It seems the only area where this picture may be at fault is that it attempt to present too much. Not to say that the editing isn't well done -- just that the movie has several interwoven stories where the various threads eventually come together in the end. Not everyone will appreciate having so much to experience. Some movie critics and regular viewers indicated they don't like the movie because "it is too long." That reminds me of the scene in "Amadeus" where the official complains to Mozart that the symphony isn't right and needs to be changed. Mozart then asked specifically what is wrong with the music. The response was: "it has too many notes!"
Rating:
Summary: One thing people have left out
Review: I agree with all of the positives and was pleasantly surprised when this movie turned out to be much better than the critics said. One thing that other reviewers left out is that the video transfer quality is the best I've seen to date. This is my new standard for quality of transfer, very clean and not a single dark scene with dropout ( usually the most difficult for any video media to reproduce correctly). The anamorphic widescreen looked great on my 65" 16:9 aspect TV.
Rating:
Summary: What a sumptuous experience!!
Review: Like having a wonderful 7 course dinner at a 5 star gourmet restaurant with the best wine, music, and excellent company. Martin Brest put together this feast and the actors and composer (Thomas Newman) present it with such style! Every scene delivers yet another savory experience you want to devour it completely. You never get the feeling of being rushed during this movie. Everything is timed so that it can be enjoyed perfectly. When the three hour extravagansa is over you're completely satisfied. Later the exquisite blend of flavors come back to you and you want to sample this masterpiece again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary movie!
Review: I worried that this kind of movie might be sad and sappy, but it isn't. It's got a fascinating story, excellent acting and the music is just great. I watched it three times this weekend (not all at once!). The third time through I actually started to cry during the love scene of all places. Not out of sadness but from the joy the movie conveys. What an emotional movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Hopkins always great.
Review: This movie was not all bad, Anthony Hopkins can carry a movie. Brad Pitt has alot of talent but was not used effectively in this movie. The young female lead seemed to always be thinking about something else, eyes always wandering and mumbling her lines. Movie was too long.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Movie!
Review: I haven't seen a movie this good in years! The only movie that even comes close is "Somewhere in Time" and that was nearly twenty years ago. This movie is so much better in terms of complex relationships and interaction between characters. It's sort of a tapestry of stories woven together to form a masterpiece...and the music is fantastic! This is a romantic movie, but not a tear jerker that makes you confuse sadness and love. It has an unusual concept of death wanting to experience life and then finding himself falling in love. Susan is stangely attacted to "Joe" (death) even thought she doesn't know much about him. He's so mysterious and quiet about where he is from and what kind of work he does. The settings are very picturesque and rich with color. The acting is so well done among the main characters you get the feeling you're watching a play rather than a movie. Hopkins is great as ever. Forlani is surprisingly good and quite natural playing Susan. Pitt is impressive playing roles as Joe and the guy from the coffee shop. Finally a role where Brad Pitt plays a likeable character and he does it so well! The love scene is like no other I've ever seen in a movie. Beautifully tender and passionate shown in extreme closeup so you can see the facial expressions of both. The lighting, music and acting all come together to create a powerful moment in the story. The movie's message conveys so much about life and the ones we love. It also communicates a strong message about passion, rapture and finding someone who makes you feel alive. What a feel good movie -- makes you wish it would never end!
Rating:
Summary: Great performances by Forlani, Pitt and Hopkins!
Review: It's hard to believe this movie is three hours long. They packed so much into this drama/romance. Every scene introduces yet another aspect to the story that presents a source of tension or conflict. The romance between Susan and Joe is wonderful. There is definitely chemistry between Forlani and Pitt. The interaction between Pitt and Hopkins is also powerful. Hopkins slowly starts to show his anger with Joe for spending time with his daughter. Pitt reacts casually as he dismisses Hopkins objections. Bill (Hopkins) uses some strong language with Joe, which seems to have no effect other than to have Joe warn Bill to be careful. Later, Joe (Pitt) finally gets irritated with Bill, slams his fist down and says firmly "Enough! I know what I want and what I want is Susan." It's the first time Joe as death shows any sort of hostile emotion. This scene was a great demonstration of two powerful actors in verbal conflict. Very impressive how Pitt held his own against Hopkins in a battle over Susan!
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