Film Review: Meet Joe Black

Meet Joe Black is an extraordinary story about the person of death taking a holiday, experiencing existence from a purely human perspective even to the point and occurrence of accidentally falling in love.  Meet Joe Black begins by intimately thrusting the viewer into the corporate/social world of a Long Island millionaire who built his communications company from a fledgling entity to a mega giant in the course of his single lifetime, which incidentally, is about to end. His name is Bill Parrish and he is Oscar played by none other than Anthony Hopkins (Silence of The Lambs) with more flair and humanity than is almost possible. Hopkins part is so realistically portrayed that you can actually feel his emotions pouring right out of the screen. The film opens with Parrish hearing voices in cryptic answers to non questions. He begins to talk to himself and his behavior becomes arrested and stilted. Parrish is surrounded by his two daughters, a son-in-law, and a yuppie soon-to-be son-in-law. All are in the planning stages for a magnificent birthday party arranged by his oldest daughter whose annoying concern with party favors and flower arrangements, drive her down-to-earth father nuts. Parrish’s youngest daughter Susan is  believably portrayed by Clair Forlani (The Rock).  Susan is a young MD and the unspoken apple of dad’s eye. While going to work one day, she stops at a coffee shop where she meets a young man who intrigues, beguiles, infatuates, and sweeps her off her feet with his charm. When they depart the coffee shop, each looks back at each other a half dozen times but they're completely out of sync to each other gaze. It’s a scene you must see to truly appreciate in that it demonstrates how seconds can affect the outcome of one’s life.  Like the summer 98 sleeper, Sliding Doors, this movie tells a great story of the almost, contrasted with the almost real. Anyway, as the young man is himself dazed and confused by Susan Parrish’s beauty and charm, he is struck by a car while walking away from Susan, in a pedestrian accident in the most horrible graphic (but not bloody) detail I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t prepared for the realism of the scene and I guarantee, you won’t be either.

Very soon after this tragic event, the voice that had plagued Bill Parrish comes to his front door in the person of Brad Pitt. He immediately becomes the house guest and constant companion to Bill’s every waking moment. Joe Black’s charm really shines as he takes an intriguing look at things you and I would find ordinary but he, Joe Black finds extraordinary. The magic in Joe’s glimpses is 'THE' magic of the film. You should know that this new person in Bill’s life is the same guy his daughter met earlier that same day in the coffee shop. Joe Black is played with eerie excellence by Brad Pitt. Pitt is so good in this film that I could not tell who was supporting actor and lead actor between Pitt and Hopkins. The quality of both performances is so rare, so excellent, so insightfully delicious that it is certain to be a highlight of this years film crop.

Joe Black falls in love with Susan and appears to momentarily diminish his resolve to fulfill his mission (which I have purposely left out of this review) with Bill Parrish. Events become more and more complicated as extremely sensitive issues  like sibling rivalry, favorite sons and daughters, future in-lawship, innocent betrayal, cunning betrayal, adoration, love, loyalty, purpose, superficiality, and fulfillment are creatively laced into the fabric of this movie.

Another important performance is by a Trinidadian grandmother who was the patient of Susan Parrish. This grandmother meets Joe Black while he is visiting Susan at the hospital where she is a resident. The old woman's reaction to Joe, and his to her, are priceless. They meet again and there is something shockingly wonderful in their interaction. I can not tell you what, but trust me, you’ll enjoy it. Equally important was the sincere performance of Marcia Gay Harden as Allison, Bill Parrish’s oldest daughter. She is genuine, caring, loving-beyond-love, devoted to a fault, and completely superficial. Her portrayal of the graceful lady of benign elegance is unmatched in any film history I know of. Her character alone could be developed into a movie of it’s own. She’s rich but innocently unaware of it. She’s snobbish without being a snob, she’s elegant having no knowledge that she is, and she’s a nice person who is keenly aware that she's nice. She’s quite an adorable contradiction in that her behavior, ambiance, and total immersion in the finer things of Long Island life will make you wonder if she’s even aware that poor people exist. You’ll like Marcia's performance. Her husband and Bill’s son-in-law was dutifully characterized by Jeffrey Tambor (Dr. Doolittle, City Slickers). What a solid performance.

Yes, there was a lovely soundtrack,  but much of the movie is carried by the acting and no music is heard except for the cadence your own  heartbeat wondering in frustration and grief as to how this story will end.

There are a few problems in continuity: First, after the accident outside the coffee shop, the films gives absolutely no plausibility as to how Joe Black shows up and the simple one line reason Pitt gives to Hopkins is complete bull. Second: When Joe Black and Bill Parrish walk off into the moonlight, Susan never ask or seems to care what will happen to her father. I can't tell you what happens to Bill Parrish but I can say that we are left with no closure. Some gentle explanation between Joe,  Susan, and Bill   would have been a splendid conclusion as opposed to the overdone fireworks scene at the end of the film. But still, these are forgivable lapses in continuity that do not diminish the power of this film one bit.

Meet Joe Black is one of the best films of this genre I’ve ever scene. I started this review saying it was like a thick stew. My advice to you is to dig in, savor, enjoy, and thoroughly consume this one and even though it’s a little long, Meet Joe Black is well worth the trip and one for my video collection as soon as it’s available on DVD.

See you at the movies.