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

A truncated two-hour version has been shown on television and airlines, achieved by chopping out most of William Parrish's (Sir Anthony Hopkins') business. Producer and director Martin Brest has disowned this edit, so the director's credit is for "Alan Smithee" (the usual nickname used for directors when they disregard from a work).

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Goofs

The exterior shots of the helicopter are of a Sikorsky S-76. However, the interior shots are of a larger helicopter, possibly something equivalent to a Sikorsky S-92 (the executive model S-76 typically has only 2 rows of rear seats that face each other).

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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

Remade as Shukriya: Till Death Do Us Apart (2004)

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Soundtracks

Top Hat, White Tie, And Tails
Written by Irving Berlin

User Reviews

Marcia Gay Harden was extraordinary!

This is a rather odd film and interesting. I particularly enjoyed the supporting characters who were all excellent. I've always been a fan of Jeffrey Tambor's and found his Quince character to be decent and touching. Jake Weber as Drew was terrific. However, I was blown away by Marcia Gay Harden (playing Allison) and became a big admirer of hers. I'm so glad she's become recognized and acknowledged! What a gifted actress she is. Allison is so real and textured. Marcia makes every scene count. (Mystic River is another example of her great talent.) The best moments in Meet Joe Black were between Marcia and Anthony Hopkins' characters, when she frankly discusses their relationship. She made this movie memorable for me.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

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