You can not miss this movie

Rating: 10/10 (4 August 2009)

Meet Jo Black is a combination of comedy, romance and drama one of the best movies I have ever seen. This film last for three hours and it is a story of Death personified. In this movie you realize the value of life and appreciate the time you have on this planet since nobody knows how long it will last. The story starts with the scene where a couple Joe Black and Susan Parish meet in a cafeteria and find themselves in love; after this he leaves to go to work and while he is on his way he stops to think and wanting to go back to find out more about her he stops in the middle of the street and a car hits him causing his death. On the other hand Susan's father William Parish, a very important man who lives a very stressful life is experiencing a strong pain in his chest and feels like his time is very close to the end. He even starts hearing a voice, the voice of death. At the same time death is looking for a body to use in order to explore and discover how human life is. This body is Joe's body. Brad Pitt as Joe Black, is the perfect wonder, pure joy of the human elements; Antony Hopkins as William Parish brings his years of experience to this character and reflects the perfect business man whose life is out of control and his health is paying the price of his success, and Claire Forlani as Susan Parish the character who is in the middle and does not know what is really happening, she is just a victim of this game. The dialog of this movie is very interesting and sometimes it gets to be scary especially at the beginning of the movie when the death calls Bill to play his last card and then throughout the movie the way death's voice tells them what to do. This dialog puts the audience in a situation where everyone realizes how difficult would be to have a conversation with the death. I am sure nobody knows how to handle it. Lighting in the movie is fantastic with a lovely golden glow that goes by the hand with the soundtrack of Thomas Newman "What a Wonderful World" adding an extra depth to this movie. Music truly enhances the movie captivating and enhancing it. The mixture of the piano and orchestra builds up to an inspirational and emotional pull. The cinematography of the film was well thought out and extremely picturesque. This is the kind of movie that after you watch it you want to re-watch it more and more times. I absolutely recommend this movie not only for the message it leaves to the audience but also for the outstanding work done combining technology and technique to make the essence of the film come to life. Monica R. ENGL 1302