Engrossing story and one majestic performance, both compromised by puppy love subplot

Rating: 6/10 (4 February 2007)

Anthony Hopkins is resplendent and regal as a 65-year old communications tycoon who wakes one morning with pains and is hearing voices; turns out his time has come to check out, but the personification of Death ("a kid in a suit", Hopkins says) has decided to take a vacation and allow Hopkins a chance to say goodbye. The 1934 movie "Death Takes a Holiday", which was based on a hit play from the 1920's, was certainly ripe for a re-imagining, and that job has been accomplished here very well. Brad Pitt's Grim Reaper is a bit like Peter Sellers in "Being There", a wide-eyed innocent and fish-out-of-water; to his credit however, Pitt doesn't rely on coy shtick and has a few excellent moments (particularly with an ill Jamaican woman in the hospital). A romantic subplot between Pitt and Hopkins' youngest daughter is handled with exasperating taste, prolonging the proceedings to an inordinate length (and capping the movie with a ridiculous final ten minutes), but Anthony's glorious performance remains the centerpiece of the film and it's worth watching just to see the master at work. **1/2 from ****