Joe, Susan and Bill

Rating: 4/10 (13 March 2012)

I bought the VCR (2 tape set) of this, still shrink rapped, at Half Price for $1.00. I really enjoyed watching the first tape, but should have stopped there. The second tape brought the story and the characters to a dead halt. I just can't imagine why anyone thought it was necessary to extend this film to the length it is. How to trim it? First, the silly side story about the planned merger with another company could be jettisoned entirely, which would also allow us to jettison entirely the character of Drew, Susan's boyfriend (is he her fiancé ... who knows?). This irritating character adds nothing to the story. If we need a boardroom scene to show Bill's character, then put one in and be done with it.
The other way to shorten the film would be to cut the duration of all of Susan's scenes by half. A skinny Angelina Jolie who squints like Clint Eastwood. Only Death and Drew would find her interesting (except for for her being the daughter of a mega rich father).
Aside from the length, the ending didn't do much for me. Susan sees her father and Death walk over a hill, and only Death come back. She asked not a word about where her father went. Anyone who has lost a parent knows that no matter how long it was in coming, it's still a tragic moment,esp when it's the last parent to die. All Susan can do is get googly-eyed (again) at Death.
Pitt delivers all his lines in a monotone that would make Kevin Costner jealous. Death, who has been around for thousands of years, doesn't know how to speak?