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Meet Joe Black (1998)

PG-13  |   |  Drama, Fantasy, Romance  |  13 November 1998 (USA)
7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 158,001 users   Metascore: 43/100
Reviews: 688 user | 98 critic | 24 from Metacritic.com

Death, who takes the form of a young man, asks a media mogul to act as a guide to teach him about life on Earth and in the process he falls in love with his guide's daughter.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 6 more credits »
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Title: Meet Joe Black (1998)

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2 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Joe Black / Young Man in Coffee Shop
...
...
...
...
Allison
...
David S. Howard ...
Eddie Sloane
Lois Kelly-Miller ...
Jahnni St. John ...
Jamaican Woman's Daughter
Richard Clarke ...
Butler
...
Lillian
Diane Kagan ...
Jennifer
...
Helen
...
Construction Foreman
Suzanne Hevner ...
Florist
Edit

Storyline

Bill Parrish, media tycoon, loving father and still a human being, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. One morning, he is contacted by the Inevitable - by hallucination, as he thinks. Later, Death itself enters his home and his life, personified in a man's body: Joe Black has arrived. His intention was to take Bill with him, but accidentally, Joe's former host and Bills beautiful daughter Susan have already met. Joe begins to develop certain interest in life on earth as well as in Susan, who has no clue who she's flirting with. Written by Julian Reischl <julianreischl@mac.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Meet Joe Black: Sooner or Later Everyone Does See more »

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for an accident scene, some sexuality and brief strong language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

13 November 1998 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

¿Conoces a Joe Black?  »

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$15,017,995 (USA) (13 November 1998)

Gross:

£3,087,979 (UK) (5 February 1999)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

loosely based on the film Death Takes A Holiday. See more »

Goofs

When Joe walks into the office to tell Bill that it will be just the two of them, Bill takes off his glasses twice. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Construction Foreman: Please. Please. Don't worry. Don't worry.
Allison: It's utter chaos around here. And I'm terrified we're running out of time. Am I trying to be too perfect?
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Beethoven's 3rd (2000) See more »

Soundtracks

Top Hat, White Tie, And Tails
Written by Irving Berlin
See more »

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User Reviews

 
One of the best films of 1998, I can't praise this film enough!
9 January 2000 | by (Reading, England) – See all my reviews

I must admit to have been slightly hesistant when I first heard about Meet Joe Black because of the subject matter and its length, however I found this film to be superb.

The acting was believable, the cinematography of the film was well thought out and extremely picturesque. The soundtrack by Thomas Newman (the Shawshank Redemption) went from chilling to the most beautiful melodies that I have ever heard (giving, in my humble opinion, any classical composer a run for their money), adding an extra depth to this film.

There are no in-betweens in this film: you WILL either love or hate this film. However, I can say that this film is one of the most uplifting and life affirming movies that I have ever seen. It left me both moved and confident that the world was not such a bad place after all. Just like the Shawshank Redemption told us that hope is not a bad thing, so Meet Joe Black tells us that indeed love can conquer all better than Titanic ever could.


106 of 137 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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