Meet Joe Black (1998)

Death, who takes the form of a young man, asks a media mogul to act as a guide to teach him about life on Earth, and in the process, he falls in love with his guide's daughter.

Director:

Martin Brest

Writers:

Ron Osborn (screenplay), Jeff Reno (screenplay)

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Pitt	...	Joe Black / Young Man in Coffee Shop
Anthony Hopkins	...	William Parrish
Claire Forlani	...	Susan Parrish
Jake Weber	...	Drew
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Allison
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Quince
David S. Howard	...	Eddie Sloane
Lois Kelly-Miller	...	Jamaican Woman
Jahnni St. John	...	Jamaican Woman's Daughter
Richard Clarke	...	Butler
Marylouise Burke	...	Lillian
Diane Kagan	...	Jennifer
June Squibb	...	Helen
Gene Canfield	...	Construction Foreman
Suzanne Hevner	...	Florist

Storyline

William Parrish (Sir Anthony Hopkins), media tycoon, loving father, and still a human being, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. One morning, he is contacted by the inevitable, by hallucination, as he thinks. Later, Death enters his home and his life, personified in a man's body: Joe Black (Brad Pitt) has arrived. His intention was to take William with him, but accidentally, Joe's former host and William's beautiful daughter Susan (Claire Forlani) have already met. Joe begins to develop certain interest in life on Earth, as well as in Susan, who has no clue with whom she's flirting.

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Plot Keywords:

death | birthday | wealth | death personified | fear of death | 

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Taglines:

He's Expecting You.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for an accident scene, some sexuality and brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt appeared in Legends of the Fall (1994).

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Goofs

When Susan is kissing Joe goodbye after having made love, her medical bag is on the floor. Even though she doesn't bend down to pick it up before she walks away, she has it in her hand as she exits.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Construction Foreman: Please. Please. Don't worry. Don't worry.
Allison: It's utter chaos around here. And I'm terrified we're running out of time. Am I trying to be too perfect?

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Alternate Versions

The airline version, shortened by about 50 minutes, was disowned by director Martin Brest and is credited to Alan Smithee.

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Connections

Featured in David Walliams' Awfully Good: Awfully Good Movies (2011)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday To You
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill

User Reviews

A true benchmark in film making

In protest to all the remade junk Hollywood is producing these days, I'm watching a movie that's as good to watch the 10th time as it was the first (and I speak from experience). This movie is a tribute to all who came together in it's making. It's Claire Forlani's finest hour, Brad Pitt is superb and Anthony Hopkins is brilliant to name a few. If you've never watched it, I challenge you: It will melt your heart, and it will become a standard. Hats off to the screenwriters who adapted the story so well, to the actors who plainly put their hearts into this, to wardrobe, lighting, scenery who put everything in place, and most of all to the Director who had a passionate and clear vision of what he wanted from every scene.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal

Country:

USA

Language:

English Dutch

Release Date:

13 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meet Joe Black

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,017,995, 15 November 1998

Gross USA:

$44,619,100

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$142,940,100

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, City Light Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

178 min 129 min (edited TV)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1