When movies are at their best...

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 1999)

Movies are at their best when actors are allowed to do what they do: act. Director Martin Brest isn't afraid to allow his principals (Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, and Clare Forlani) to take their time making their characters real for us. And these characters are real--they not only live, they also breathe on the screen. In fact, Brest luxuriates in the story-telling process and allows us to revel in the glorious results. This is an exquisitely emotional film, delicate and beautiful, brutal and incisive. Although some reviews have criticized its length (approaching three hours) and pacing, the truth is that virtually every scene is vital. In fact, some sequences seem to move with somewhat less smoothness and subtlety than others, suggesting that, even at its current length, the film has been extensively edited for time. Hopkins is ferociously good; Pitt is enigmatic and engaging; Forlani is breathtaking, luminous, a revelation of deep and naked emotion. Inspired by "Death Takes a Holiday" (1934), "Meet Joe Black" is less concerned with what happens in the next life than with how to live fully and with integrity in this one.