A thoughtful, wonderful mixture of comedy, romance and drama despite what my husband thinks

Rating: 9/10 (26 November 2015)

I originally saw this in the theatre with my husband who fidgeted and laughed his way through it. He absolutely hated it, let everyone know it and talked about what a terrible movie it was for years afterwards. I didn't dislike it then and in re-watching it (by myself) now I really liked and appreciated it. Sure it's too long, with so many scenes stretched out that it could easily have been pared back to a 2 hour viewing time but the story itself about family and the meaning of love, about discovery, seizing the day and sacrifice is just beautiful.
The plot is intriguing and has apparently been done before in 'Death Takes A Holiday' which might explain why this had such an old fashioned feel to it, style, music and even dialogue. It follows the grim reaper, who comes to earth to retrieve a media tycoon shortly before his 65th birthday, but agrees to grant him a little more time if the mogul will teach him about life. In the process he falls in love with his guide's daughter.
Stand out performances from everyone involved, I love watching Anthony Hopkins & Brad Pitt together on screen (Legends Of The Fall) they have fantastic chemistry and once again Pitt is almost too good looking here. Excellent back up cast too, Claire Forlani as the love interest is lovely in a simple trusting way, Marcia Gay Harden, trying to get her father to notice her and I loved Jeffrey Tambor's character Quince, such a nice man. As Joe Black says "one of my favourites." The character of Black must have been a hard one to play and I'm not sure Pitt ever quite got it right, he just felt awkward at times in his wide eyed, robotic and childlike portrayal, in his discovery of life's pleasures and quest for more peanut butter. I will say he provided one of the most ...interesting love scenes I've witnessed on screen, watching death get it on, feeling things for the first time. Oh my! Ultimately a thoughtful, wonderful mixture of comedy, romance and drama that left me thinking about it for days afterwards. 7/27/15