Meet Joe Black

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2:26

Meet Joe Black

PG-13

Released Nov 2, 1998

3h 0m

Fantasy

Romance

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

46%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), businessman and devoted family man, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. However, before he reaches that landmark, he is visited by Death (Brad Pitt), who has taken human form as Joe Black, a young man who recently died. Joe and Bill make a deal: Bill will be given a few extra days of his life, and Joe will spend the same time getting to know what it's like to be human. It seems like a perfect arrangement, until Joe falls in love -- with Bill's daughter.

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Critics Consensus

Meet Joe Black is pretty to look at and benefits from an agreeable cast, but that isn't enough to offset this dawdling drama's punishing three-hour runtime.

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Joe Clay

Times (UK)

[A] glossy but overlong update of Mitchell Leisen’s 1934 comedy Death Takes a Holiday.

Mar 28, 2023

Full Review

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

A savory, extralong feature whose obvious plotlines unfold with an almost painful slowness that somehow makes them deeper.

Oct 26, 2020

Full Review

Ann Hornaday

Baltimore Sun

To call the three-hour-long "Meet Joe Black" leaden would do an injustice to lead.

Rated: 1/4

Oct 26, 2020

Full Review

David Oppedisano

Radio Times

This is Hollywood at the crossroads of glossy and classy, with Hopkins at the peak of his powers and Pitt at his most transcendent.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 7, 2024

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Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

A gimmicky premise is made even worse by iffy acting, hilariously bad dialogue, and a slow pace.

Jan 17, 2024

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Ade Adeniji

AdeAdeniji.com

Meet Joe Black was a box office flub back in the late 1990s. But the three hour fantasy-romance movie isn’t all bad and like other cult classics like The Room, is so confidently ridiculous at times, you won't soon forget it.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 20, 2022

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Naomi M

Honestly one of my favorite movies, how death falls in love with not only a person but with life itself

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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Dave B

Way too shmaltzy. Brad Pitt is far too monotone. I get the point, and there is an impact when he loses his temper in an almost child-like response to being reprimanded by Anthony Hopkins, but still. Claire Forlani far too often looks like she is going to cry. Jake Weber goes from being Claire Forlani's boyfriend to destroying Anthony Hopkins' business? Really? He's that bad of a guy? Anthony Hopkins is amazing to watch as always ("Asgard is not a place, it's a people"), the best part of the movie is every scene he is in ("Are you the God of Hammers?"), but he loses his temper a bit too much, and then when he plays long to zing Jake Weber, it just feels silly. Specifically, the IRS farse carried out by Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt to zing Jake Weber, while potentially funny, seems entirely misplaced being that Anthony Hopkins is moments away from certain death, and he knows it ("I'm on a different path now... I love you my sons."). Also, the entire board was on the phone listening in? How did they manage that when Jake Weber happened to be arriving at a random time? The rasta talk by Brad Pitt felt off-putting, even if not intentional. At one point, I liked this movie but, I don't know if it has aged well.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/25

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ELSA A

It is one of my favorite movies. I can watch it over and over again. I just love it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

Full Review

Adam Q

This is one of those movies that is a must see. The cast is amazing, the score phonominal and is an emotional rollarcoaster and tear jurker. I get that some people find it slow and long, and whilst it doesn't have a run away plot and high action, the pure symplicity of the movie and the delicate way it deals with the last day's of life are heartfelt.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/25

Full Review

Luis R

It’s a little weird plot, death finds love??? But can’t have it? It was good but weird

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Amei esse firme me fez sentir um sentimento diferente mais gosto

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/25

Full Review

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Martin Brest

Director

Brad Pitt

Joe Black

Anthony Hopkins

William Parrish

Claire Forlani

Susan Parrish

Jake Weber

Drew

Marcia Gay Harden

Allison

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - I Like You So Much

3:00

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Lightning Could Strike

2:58

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Mystery Man

2:30

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Joe Says Goodbye

2:51

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - That Was Wonderful

3:00

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Peanut Butter Man

2:23

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Bill Introduces Joe

1:53

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Am I Going to Die?

2:34

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Bill's Birthday Speech

1:35

Meet Joe Black: Official Clip - Undressing Joe Black

2:35

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Meet Joe Black: Trailer 1

2:26

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Synopsis

Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), businessman and devoted family man, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. However, before he reaches that landmark, he is visited by Death (Brad Pitt), who has taken human form as Joe Black, a young man who recently died. Joe and Bill make a deal: Bill will be given a few extra days of his life, and Joe will spend the same time getting to know what it's like to be human. It seems like a perfect arrangement, until Joe falls in love -- with Bill's daughter.

Director: Martin Brest
Producer: Martin Brest
Screenwriter: Ron Osborn, Jeff Reno, Bo Goldman
Distributor: Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Production Co: Universal Pictures, City Lights Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.6M
Runtime: 3h 0m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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