Superb! But what it takes to love this movie is...

Rating: Null/10 (13 November 1999)

My wife and I rate this movie a 9 out of 10. Maybe a 10. It was absolutely superb. What is needed for this movie is great sensitivity and a deeply loving quietness. If you are young and seeking sex and action, you'll probably find this film boring, like some of the comments below indicate. If you have faced death in your own life, if you have cried over lost love and if you have also cried at having true love, then you will probably find Meet Joe Black a wonderfully fulfilling experience. You will see comments below that support this. The slow pace was perfect for us, perfect for dealing with a benevolent Mr. Death, but other comments found it way too slow. Quite a disparity here!
The top three actors (Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani) give Oscar-level performances. Claire Forlani delivers some of the best love scenes I have ever seen. Her facial expressions convey far more than pages of the usual Hollywood script. The music, editing and casting were faultless. Brad Pitt could not portray Death better. I am going to find other films by director Martin Brest.
If you feel you can handle great depths of love, life and death with maturity, see this film. It is one of the best!