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

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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

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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

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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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Troy C

A perfect Saturday afternoon flick. Stellar cast with stellar performances. Sweet, endearing and graceful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

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Audience Member

A wonderful romantic fable where Death itself gets to experience life. The length itself doesn't seem an issue with amazing actors like Anthony Hopkins and, a young Brad Pitt and an all time mesmerising Claire Forlani. Some logical plot questions will remain unanswered, but that's the beauty of the 90's cinema.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

Full Review

Rodolfo A

Probably one of the best stories I've ever seen. The three-hour film flies by, it's slow, but it's a great watch. After 25 years, it's still enjoyable. It's worth it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/09/24

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Mel A

Poignant, beautifully filmed. The theme is death love snd rebirth. One of Brad Pitts finest and Anthony Hopkins superb as usual.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/24

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Sorrell S

I think this is a highly intelligent and unique film. The acting and direction are some of the best I’ve ever seen. They really take their time in the scenes, there are some beautiful moments. The characters are complex and have a lot going on. All the actors really did a phenomenal job.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/24/24

Full Review

Bruno L

A movie that of life and death and that it teaches you how to appreciate what you have gives a great message, a good romantic comedy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

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

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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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