Review of Meet Joe Black (1998) by Compi24 — 29 Feb 2020

Quite possibly the "first-draft-iest" movie I've ever seen, if there were such a superlative, "Meet Joe Black" has some terrific ideas in it, but it's all nearly done away with in favor of flowery dialogue, non-essential narrative excess and a muddling of character.

This is an odd movie for me to talk about, as I've always found its concept fascinating. I've also been clinically unable to unearth it from the old, never-ending backlog of movies I have to see. Until now, that is.

This in mind, though, I don't think I would have expected this movie to be about what it's actually about, preconceived notions notwithstanding. Without giving away too much, there's a tremendously awkward, clunky and at times troubling dynamic involving how Brad Pitt's "Death" comes to be corporeal.

I just could not get on board with the idea, even with the satisfying manner in which it comes to an end. As briefly alluded to up top, this movie's runtime is nearly unforgivable. It's three hours long.

It did not need to be three hours long. Cut something. I'm looking at you, unnecessary corporate shenanigans subplot. That said, the score for this is quite simply some of the best music you'll probably ever hear in a movie, regardless of the fact that the accompanying images hold little to no weight for at least 85% of the runtime.

If you ever wanted to hear a composer work his proverbial ass off to make a movie a seem more interesting, take a listen to what Thomas Newman's done here. It's sublime. All in all, "Meet Joe Black" means well and is handsomely crafted, but I just felt unquestionably distant from the highfalutin nature of it all.