On M List of Movie Reviews

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Meet Joe Black (1998)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 4/09

JoeBlack
4/09: I remember when the three-hour-long Meet Joe Black received plenty of negative criticism, causing me to forget about it.

Now, I've taken the chance on it only to come away impressed. Meet Joe Black is similar to Det sjunde inseglet but is superior because it's less abstract and has more substance. The latter is just a chess game while the former is about the taste of life that Death wants to experience.

The pace is deliberately slow as the story is unpredictable from minute to minute. I love the performances, and they're all wonderful. Yet the range of emotions the thespians have shown is limited. For instance, Brad Pitt has several expressions. Claire Forlani is either confused or surprised in a loving way. Anthony Hopkins takes the pensive route by sometimes leaning against the wall or chair. Nevertheless, everybody is perfectly cast. The only one who stands out is Jake Weber as Drew.

All in all, I thought about giving Meet Joe Black a '10', but I'll reserve my judgment until I see it one or two more times.