Annoying waste of an appealing topic

Rating: 3/10 (16 April 2001)

There's hardly any topic that appeals so constantly to humanity's strongest feelings as - death. More specifically, the blend with love and beauty, this very ancient "Death and the maiden"-motive - it seems to GUARANTEE a heartbreaking, powerful movie. And then the disappointment. The script is so primitive, redundant and kitschy that you will not believe it. I disagree with many comments that say it was the fault of the actors. Hopkins is - although not brilliant - pretty O.K., and the Death-character would be even less convincing without Brad Pitt. (Of course, he has nothing that I would consider thrilling, sublime or from the "hereafter", but his 'strangeness' is well reached and there are some funny - in the good sense - parts even within the love story.) But the endless mistakes of the argument - that death makes friends with almost everybody, the never ending farewell-scenes, that the young guy from the coffee shops returns to guarantee the happy-end etc. - make this movie a very annoying sentimental garbage issue. It's a pity.