Meet Joe Black (1998) – Review

Doomed love affairs are a staple of the romance genre and in 1998 director Martin Brest and Universal Pictures brought us a romantic fantasy mystery film that did its best to provide an interesting take on the subject matter, sadly, it didn’t completely work.

Loosely based on the 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday, which itself was an adaptation of the 1924 Italian play La Morte in Vacanza by Alberto Casella, Meet Joe Black revolves around William Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), a wealthy media mogul who is celebrating his 65th birthday with a lavish party at his extravagant mansion. Despite his success in business, William is grappling with his mortality and the realization that his life may soon come to an end. Meanwhile, his youngest daughter Susan (Claire Forlani) has had a “meet cute” with a handsome young man (Brad Pitt) at a coffee shop – unbeknownst to her, directly after their cute back and forth he is struck fatally by multiple cars – later that night William gets an unexpected visitor, Death personified, who has taken on the human form of that newly killed young man so as to experience what it means to be alive. He offers William a proposition: he will postpone William’s death if William agrees to be his guide and show him the wonders of human life.

“I am Death, destroyer of dinner parties.”

William reluctantly agrees to this proposal, and now going by the name Joe Black, he begins to immerse himself in the world of the living. As Joe explores life as a human, he becomes enamoured with Susan but things are a little complicated as he’s wearing the Meat Suit of the guy she had kind of fallen for at the coffee shop. Unaware of Joe’s true identity, she is drawn to his enigmatic charm and profound insights into life. As Joe spends more time with Susan, their bond deepens, and he begins to question his role as Death. He starts to experience human emotions and desires, particularly his growing love for Susan. However, Joe’s newfound humanity complicates his mission, and he must ultimately confront the consequences of his actions.

Can true love survive Death?

Stray Observations:

• Death taking on a young and handsome personage is nothing new, a young Robert Redford played Death in the 1962 Twilight Zone episode “Nothing in the Dark.”
• Death’s knowledge is rather inconsistent, in one moment he is caught off guard by the saying “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” but in the next, he knows the idiom “Money can’t buy happiness.”
• When Susan asks Joe if he’s gay he responds “No” but can Death even have a sexual orientation? Or is his heterosexuality a leftover remnant from the body he’s using?
• La petite mort or “little death” refers to the sensation of post-orgasm as likened to death, but when Susan and Joe have sex is that even more literal?

Could this tryst result in a baby with the powers of Death?

Martin Brest’s Meet Joe Black explores profound themes about life, death, and the significance of human connections. It delves into the choices we make and the impact they have on ourselves and those around us. The emotional dynamics between Joe Black and Susan, as well as the relationship between Joe and William Parrish, form the core of the narrative. Unfortunately, the screenplay fails those core relationships. The love story between Joe and Susan isn’t so much tragically doomed as it is forced and non-existent. In 1934’s Death Takes a Holiday, he sacrifices his own happiness so that the woman he loves can stay and live with her friends and family, and when he reveals his true appearance to her as Death and tells her, “Now you see me as I am” her response shocks them all. “But I’ve always seen you like that. You haven’t changed.” And when he asks her “You have seen me like this?” she responds “Yes, always.” Death then declares “Then there is a love which casts out fear, and I have found it! And love is greater than illusion and as strong as death.” And the two of them then go off to the great beyond together.

That doesn’t quite happen in this film.

Instead of a powerful love story that transcends life in death, we have Susan refusing to recognize Joe as Death. He says “You know who I am” and she sputters, “You’re… you’re Joe.” So rather than two lovers truly recognizing each other and the depth of their love, we get a girl in denial and Death giving her the Brad Pitt meat suit he’d been wearing as some sort of consolation prize. This doesn’t even qualify as a bitter-sweet happy ending, it’s just lazy. And sure, she did have a connection with the guy at the coffee shop but she fell in love with Joe Black, who knows where this relationship is going to go after the credits roll. Worst is the fact that there is almost no screen chemistry between Brad Pitt and Claire Forlani, which I don’t fault the actors for as Pitt playing this supernatural being awkwardly operating his meat suit was a hard element to overcome.

Hopkins and Pitt had better screen chemistry.

Plot problems aside one cannot deny the cast all bring their best with the material provided. Anthony Hopkins shines as William Parrish, portraying the wisdom and vulnerability of a man confronting his mortality with remarkable depth. Claire Forlani’s portrayal of Parrish’s daughter, Susan, adds a poignant layer to the narrative, as her character becomes entangled in a rather complicated romance with Joe. I particularly love the character of William’s older daughter Allison (Marcia Gay Harden) who deeply loves her father even though she knows that she’s not the favourite. But it is Brad Pitt who really delivers the goods here, giving a hauntingly enigmatic performance as Joe Black, capturing the character’s otherworldly essence with subtle grace. His portrayal of a supernatural being dances between comic moments to those of pure malevolence – he is not one to be trifled with – and this performance also has that “Fish out of Water” element and reminded me of Jeff Bridges in Starman, with him moving around as if being in a human body is a new thing and experiences many things for the first time.

The joy of discovering peanut butter.

However, despite its strong performances and visual appeal, Meet Joe Black suffers from significant pacing issues and a lack of focus in its narrative. Clocking in at over three hours, the film struggles to maintain momentum, with numerous scenes feeling unnecessarily prolonged or repetitive. While the leisurely pace may be intentional to evoke a sense of contemplation and introspection, it often detracts from the overall impact of the story, leading to moments of tedium and disengagement. There is a subplot of Susan’s boyfriend Drew (Jake Weber) scheming behind her father’s back in some kind of corporate raiding plot, that should have been entirely jettisoned as the movie certainly didn’t need it as it added nothing to either the primary conflict between Joe and William or the love story between Susan and Joe.

Note: There is a two-hour version made to show on television and airline flights, which cuts out most of the plotline involving William Parrish’s business dealings. I’d like to see that cut.

In conclusion, Meet Joe Black is a visually stunning and emotionally resonant film but one that falls short of its lofty ambitions. While it boasts strong performances and moments of poignancy, its pacing issues and romantic failings cripple it. And while this film pales in comparison to Death Takes a Holiday it does have some great performances that elevate the material and remains a compelling exploration of life’s mysteries, albeit one that ultimately leaves viewers wanting more.