Great concept, a tad long.

Rating: Null/10 (18 May 1999)

I liked the idea, but I think they could have cut certain scenes down considerably, saved time, and still have made this film impactful. For instance didn't the scene in the study when Bill first sees Joe kind of drag on just a little too long? Maybe I'm a little impatient, but I kept thinking, "Okay okay, we get it! Let's move it along!" In fact this holds true for many scenes, including that first family dinner scene with Joe. They could have wrapped up this movie in a nice, tidy 2 hours without losing any of the emotional qualities. As far as the ending, didn't Brad Pitt seem like he was having a few problems believing his own lines. I thought I saw him struggling to maintain a straight face while saying something to the effect of, "Well, I don't really know what happened after the coffee shop, but hey! Looks like you got a nifty little party going on..." Me? I guess I'd be just a tad more disoriented and just a smidgen more incredulous as to how one minute I'm in a coffee shop with the woman of my dreams, and then suddenly I'm standing with her at a groovy soiree dressed in a tux. But hey, that's me. I guess I'm funny that way. Brad just seems to go with the flow on that one. And how about Susan. She seems to accept the death thing pretty well. I mean her father disappears over a hill with some guy she falls in love with who just happens to be death, right? Then the guy comes back alone, and all she can say is, "I wish you could have known my father. C'mon, lets party." And off they go hand in hand. I really did like this film, however. There is an undeniable emotional quality, especially during the scene with Bill and Susan near the end. A little long, however. Ridiculous in certain parts.