Honestly, if you watch Meet Joe Black today, the first thing that hits you isn't the romance or the peanut butter. It’s the sheer weight of Anthony Hopkins. He plays William Parrish, a media billionaire who essentially has to negotiate his own exit strategy with Death itself.
It’s a bizarre premise.
Most people remember the 1998 film for that jarring scene where Brad Pitt gets bounced between two cars like a human pinball. Or maybe they remember the three-hour runtime that felt like six. But the real glue—the reason we still talk about this movie—is the dynamic between Anthony Hopkins and the personification of the afterlife.
Why Anthony Hopkins Was the Only Adult in the Room
When Martin Brest directed this, he was coming off the massive success of Scent of a Woman. He had a "final cut" privilege, which is basically a license for a director to be as indulgent as they want. He used it. The movie is slow. Glacial, really.
But Anthony Hopkins? He doesn't sleepwalk through it.
While Brad Pitt is playing Joe Black with a wide-eyed, almost alien innocence (that some critics back then called "wooden"), Hopkins is doing the heavy lifting. He plays Bill Parrish with this incredible mixture of "I’m the richest guy in the room" and "I’m absolutely terrified of what’s coming."
The Bill Parrish "Negotiation"
The movie is loosely based on a 1934 film called Death Takes a Holiday. The setup is simple: Death is bored. He wants a vacation. He picks Parrish to be his tour guide. In exchange, Bill gets a few more days to live and settle his affairs.
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Hopkins makes you believe that a man who owns a global media empire would actually try to "manage" Death.
There's a specific texture to his performance. You’ve got these long, drawn-out scenes in mahogany-paneled boardrooms and sprawling penthouses. In any other actor's hands, Bill Parrish could have been a cold, unlikable tycoon. Instead, Hopkins gives him a vulnerability that feels real. When he talks about his daughter Susan (played by Claire Forlani), his voice breaks just enough to remind you that all his billions can’t buy him another year.
The Infamous Three-Hour Runtime
Let’s be real: Meet Joe Black is a long sit.
It’s 178 minutes.
That is a huge ask for a romantic fantasy drama. At the time, Universal Pictures was banking on this being their "Titanic." It wasn't. It cost around $90 million to make—which was a fortune in the late 90s—and it barely scraped together $44 million domestically. It was essentially a flop at the box office, though it found a second life on cable and DVD.
Interestingly, some theaters back in 1998 reported a weird phenomenon. People were buying tickets for Meet Joe Black just to see the teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. They’d watch the trailer and then walk out before Anthony Hopkins even appeared on screen.
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Their loss.
A Masterclass in Quiet Acting
If you strip away the supernatural elements, the movie is basically a study of a man's final week.
- The Birthday Party: The film builds toward Parrish’s 65th birthday. It’s supposed to be a celebration, but Hopkins plays it like a funeral he’s forced to attend.
- The Boardroom Coup: There’s a subplot involving a corporate takeover led by a guy named Drew (Jake Weber). It feels a bit like a different movie, but it gives Hopkins a chance to show his "Lion in Winter" teeth.
- The Peanut Butter: Yes, the scenes where Joe Black discovers peanut butter are famous. But watch Hopkins' face during those moments. He looks at Joe with a mix of pity and fascination.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
There’s a common complaint that the ending is "problematic."
When the party is over, Bill Parrish walks over a bridge with Joe Black and essentially dies. Then, Joe Black (the entity) leaves, and the "Coffee Shop Guy" (the human body Death was using) returns to life with no memory of what happened.
He just finds Susan standing there.
People argue that Susan is falling in love with a ghost, or that the "real" guy is a stranger. But the movie isn't really about the romance at that point. It's about Bill's acceptance. The final conversation between Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt on the bridge is surprisingly moving. Bill asks, "Should I be afraid?" Joe says, "Not a man like you."
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It’s simple. It’s quiet. It works because Hopkins has spent three hours convincing us that Bill Parrish is a man of substance.
Is It Worth a Rewatch in 2026?
Honestly, yeah.
We don't get movies like this anymore. Big-budget, slow-burn dramas that take themselves completely seriously are a dead species in Hollywood. If you can get past the "molasses" pacing that many critics hated, there’s a lot of beauty in it.
The cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki is gorgeous. The score by Thomas Newman is one of his best—melancholy and sweeping. But mostly, you watch it for the masterclass from Anthony Hopkins. He took a role that could have been a caricature of a "great man" and made him a human being facing the one thing he couldn't control.
How to watch it effectively today:
- Don't rush it: Treat it like a miniseries. If you try to power through it while scrolling on your phone, you'll hate it.
- Focus on the Parrish family dynamics: The relationship between Bill and his other daughter, Allison (Marcia Gay Harden), is actually the most heartbreaking part of the film.
- Listen to the dialogue: It’s written with a formal, almost theatrical rhythm. It’s not how people talk in real life, but it fits the heightened world of the movie.
If you’re looking for a deep dive into how an actor can carry a bloated production on his back, look no further. Hopkins didn't just meet Joe Black; he made sure the audience stayed for the introduction.
Next Steps for the Film Enthusiast
- Watch the original: Look up Death Takes a Holiday (1934) to see how different the tone was before the 90s "prestige" treatment.
- Check out the score: Listen to Thomas Newman’s "That Next Place" on a good pair of headphones; it’s widely considered one of the best film cues of the 90s.
- Analyze the "Parrish" philosophy: Pay close attention to Bill's speech about "lightning striking" early in the film—it sets the emotional stakes for everything that follows.