Meet Joe Black

Meet Joe Black (1998)

3 corrected entries

(11 votes)

Corrected entry: Well, you have "Death" played by Brad Pitt who first makes himself known in the movie as voices and shadows. He's Death, so he's been around for infinity and is wise beyond our comprehension. The whole speech in the library when he's talking to Anthony Hopkins is very intelligent and all-knowing. But as soon as he appears in Brad Pitt's body, he becomes "The Dim Reaper". He's an idiot. "What's this thing you call peanut butter?", "pass a basket of food?" "How does that work?" "Tea?" "A name?, I cannot think of a name for myself?" "Sex?, what is this thing you call sex?" One minute he can't tie a bowtie and then he's off on his own buying flowers and finding his way to the hospital. Then, at the hospital, when he's conversing with that Jamaican black woman, all of the sudden he's smart again and knows earth accents and a wealth of superstitious belief systems. From scene to excruciating scene, he's alternately brilliant, dim-witted, mean, awestruck, selfish, nice...

Correction: Death, ie. Joe Black, knows everything that has happened for all times, but has never 'tasted' life, including the peanut butter. That is why he knew it was a basket of rolls (he says so the morning after), but he did not know how to pass it around. As for the name, he did not have one, and as much as he chose Bill Parrish to be his guide, it makes sense that Bill was the one to choose his name and a cover history for the two. Even if Joe knows about ties, and probably also different tie knots, it is not that easy to tie a knot for the first time if you have never tried it before. He probably also knew what sex was, but again, he had never tried it before, given the comment from Susan saying 'making love to you was like making love with someone who made love for the first time'. Since he knows everything, he knows that tea with milk is 'English style' which he wanted to taste. Furthermore, when Bill sent him out for a walk and asked his secretary to give him a map, he said he would be fine. Thus, his performance is consistent with the fact that he knows all that there is to know, but he has never behaved as a living person before. As for him being selfish and nice at sixes and sevens, it says in the commentary that Death is used to never being challenged and to being the one who has always got a final card. There is nothing mysterious or inconsequential about him using his power to stop others from bothering him, such as Bill when he says he does not like that Joe is 'spooning' his daughter.

Corrected entry: In the scene where the girl meets the character that Brad Pitt plays at the very beginning of the movie they show lots of angles of them talking after he has bought her coffee. Every time that they show a different angle of them talking it shows her pouring sugar into her coffee. She pours sugar into her cup over 5 times...

Correction: Ah, love. I'm certain many women have lost track of what they were doing or saying while looking into Brad Pitt's eyes. Not an error- just cute.

johnrosa

Corrected entry: Why would a doctor leave her father's dead body on the ground over the hill and go to rejoin the party?

Correction: According to the 'why'-rule, this is not necessarily a mistake. There is no evidence that the body of Bill's body, is left on the ground over the hill. Neither is there any evidence that he is dead at the point of time when she returns to the party with the guy she met in the coffee shop. All she knows is that Joe Black was Death and took her father with her, and that her father almost said goodbye to her. Even if she understood that this meant that he was going to die, she could not the time or place or other circumstances of his decease. All she says to the guy she met in the coffee shop on his return is 'I wish you had met my father'. Hence she knows she will never see him again, but she does not know if he is already dead.

Continuity mistake: In the beginning where Claire and Anthony are waiting for "Drew" to arrive they are talking. She says to him while putting her hand on his tummy "Get some food in that flat tummy of yours". On the first shot of this Anthony's arm is out with his hand resting on his hip. In the next shot (as she's pulling her hand away) his arm and hand are down by his side with her arm over his. Not possible.

More mistakes in Meet Joe Black

Joe Black: How are you doing?
William Parrish: What the hell do you care?
Joe Black: Just asking, Bill.
William Parrish: You wanna know? I'll tell you. You're looking at a man who is not walking through the valley of the shadow of death. He's galloping into it. At the same time, the business he built with his own hands and head has been commandeered by a couple of cheap pirates. Oh, yes! I almost forgot. My daughter's fallen in love with Death.

More quotes from Meet Joe Black

Question: Where is the birthday party for Bill held? On whose estate?

Answer: The script calls it the "Parrish country estate", so it belongs to Bill Parrish and his family.

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