Review of Meet Joe Black (1998) by Simon W — 04 Aug 2009
Somewhat of an anomally this one. A three hour long fantasy romance where nothing much happens that has been made some fifty years after this sort of thing stopped being popular.
It may not have been a success, critically or financially, but it just plain works. I have never seen a three hour long movie that flows as easily and gently as this one does. Nothing much happens but it's paced so perfectly that it feels like a tight 100 minutes.
The direction is very straight and unshowy but the look is crisp and gorgeous, and the performances are fantastic all round. Nobody is sidelined and they all leave their mark. Brad is a joy to watch in this. The character itself may be lacking a little in the potential darkness that lies beneath but all in all it's a wonderfull creation. Hopkins of course displaying all the dignity and power that only he can, but it's actually Jeffrey Tambor who steals every scene that he's in.
It is a rich and wonderfull tale, and it has one of the best pedestrian vs. car deaths in movie history.
This review of Meet Joe Black (1998) was written by Simon W on 04 Aug 2009.
Meet Joe Black has generally received positive reviews.
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