The Writings of John Ryan Sullivan

I suppose people of a certain age tend to look fondly on periods of time and that a pattern can be discerned from this. Many filmmakers now in their sixties speak of the 1970’s as being the golden age of filmmaking. The studio system changed, independent film emerged and suddenly a different kind of filmmaking was possible.

For myself I feel this way about the late 90’s early 00’s. I don’t want to point to Miramax as being the driving force behind this change but they certainly were a contributing factor to a certain kind of film being made. In his Hot One’s interview Matt Damon referred to these mid-budget films centering on people talking as being his ‘bread and butter’ before the DVD market disappeared and streaming changed the movie industry again.

An example (although with a larger budget) of this would be Meet Joe Black. Directed by Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run, Scent of A Woman and Gigli) and based on the 1934 film, Death Takes A Holiday (which itself was based on a 1924 Italian play La morte in vacanza) Meet Joe Black is an interesting film.

The concept, Death decides to experience the world as a person, is unique. That the person Death chooses to inhabit is played by Brad Pitt in 1998 is fortuitous. Had he chosen Nick Nolte or Peter Falk we would have a very different story.

What starts as an exchange between a man about to die and Death becomes a deal – death gets a guide who shows him what life is and how to live it and William Parrish (played by Anthony Hopkins) gets a little more time to set things right and say goodbye to the people he loves. Death than takes a body, Mr. Pitt, and begins his adventure.

The way this is handled reminds me of the film Bewitched (2005). There’s a moment, near the middle of that film, where the story shifts and if you aren’t paying attention you might miss it. Nicole Kidman plays a witch doing witch things but then the characters from the television show Bewitched enter her life and she falls under their spell!

So it’s not exactly the same but there is subtlety and nuance to how this is handled (meaning the characters do not verbally announce what they are doing) and it requires the audience paying attention to understand. Anyway, back to what I was writing.

Not that anyone asked me but as far as premises for a story goes, I think this is pretty great. William Parrish is in the middle of a massive business merger that his protege/soon to be son-in-law (Drew) is spearheading. It’s a terrible time to become distracted with other concerns but compared to life and death what else really matters?

Only his soon to be married daughter (Susan Parrish) already met the body Death now inhabits, not long before Death claimed it! There is a rather charming meeting at the beginning of the film between Claire Forlani (Susan) and Brad Pitt (Guy that never gets a name) that shows what happens when two beautiful people have a meet cute in a movie.

I don’t write that to be snippy, it’s a solid scene and even skeptics of romantic comedies will be won over by it because it works. Which is why I am bothering to rewrite this piece because I think, for whatever reasons, this film was grossly overlooked and dismissed. It’s charming and warm and rooted in what it means to be a person. You know, just those things that all of us care and think about.

There are numerous characters in this film, all orbiting William Parrish, all with their own interesting and complex stories. All of them are deeply affected by Death and his presence in their lives. Rather than being something sinister or unpleasant Death comes across as curious and contemplative. Which leads to numerous interactions and moments of tenderness and understanding.

What I like best about this film is there are a number of really good performances that aren’t showy or loud. You would think, coming off of Scent of A Woman, there would be a Pacino-esque character in the mix, chewing up the scenery and loudly performing. It certainly worked for that film.

Instead you have Anthony Hopkins giving one of so many great performances from this period, which is quiet and restrained yet brimming with feeling. Brad Pitt may do his best work in this film. As Death he is childlike, inquisitive and quietly powerful. His interactions with the world are tentative and new. Anyone who watches this film will remember the peanut butter scene.

Which is not to say his performance as the unnamed man Death inhabits is not excellent as well. Loose, carefree and kind it’s the type of role Brad Pitt could have played many times over to great success. The contrast between the two is interesting and it shows Mr. Pitt’s range.

It is interesting to watch Mr. Hopkins having to defer to Mr. Pitt, due to the nature of the relationship between their characters. The tension this relationship creates, and the way the film handles how this tension ripples outwards, affecting the other characters, provides the film with most of its drama.

Meet Joe Black succeeds at what it tries to achieve. Despite the we know we are watching Death we come to care for this character – embodied in Brad Pitt. This is no small feat.