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

Bill Parrish, 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 itself enters his home and his life, personified in a man's body: Joe Black has arrived. His intention was to take Bill with him, but accidentally, Joe's former host and Bill's beautiful daughter Susan have already met. Joe begins to develop certain interest in life on earth as well as in Susan, who has no clue who she's flirting with.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Meet Joe Black: Sooner or Later Everyone Does

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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

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal

Country:

USA

Language:

English Dutch

Release Date:

13 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

¿Conoces a Joe Black?

Filming Locations:

Aldrich Mansion - 836 Warwick Neck Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,017,995, 15 November 1998, Wide Release

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although he is usually referred to as Bill, the main character's name, William Parrish, is a playful foreshadowing of his fate ("will perish").

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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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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: David Spade/Eagle-Eye Cherry (1998)

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Soundtracks

What A Wonderful World
Written by George David Weiss (as George David Weis) and Bob Thiele

User Reviews

The perfect movie when you are alone on Valentine's Day

This is a really great movie , that you have to watch glimpses of first. You have to see parts , you have to be non-interested, "oh this is just another bad brad Pitt movie", but you watch parts over and over , because Anthony Hopkins is one of the greatest actors of all time. I can't believe watching this movie on Valentine's day how empathetic Anthony Hopkins is , how terrible he is as Hannibal Lechter. This is a great movie, you must come to love. You must watch it and think nothing of it. Then watch it again some time later, you will begin to understand it. You will begin to understand how wonderful this movie, How true it is. How absolutely real and caring the movie is. It combines life, death, love, and greed for all things. To love someone and what love is , truly is defined in the movie. It is a wonderful movie to watch on Valentine's Day when you are alone, when nothing is clear, when you are in the dumps have no one, when pain is all you feel and all your loved ones are separated by time and space. When I was alone today Feb 14th 2005, I enjoyed this movie, I suggest you watch so you too can not be alone.