#140RVW
Slow, deliberate pace works; until it doesn’t. Redefines overlong. Pitt great when they let some menace show. Could’ve been something more.
What’s more:
Before you start getting fresh, remember – this is Martin Brest; he directed Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run & Scent of a Woman. Then he did this; then he did Gigli. Hmm. I forget my point…
Oh, right. The thing is that there’s a really good movie in here. Two movies, actually (and that’s not a crack about the insufferable run-time). Originally an Italian play, it was first made as the film “Death Takes A Holiday” in 1934. I tried it once and it didn’t grab me – I’ll give it another shot at some point.
You see, I simply love the concept; Death takes an interest in people. You can’t get more high-concept than that. You can run with it for days. There is almost limited potential for humor and perspective. My favorite author is Terry Pratchett, and Death is one of the most fascinating recurring characters in his Discworld series.
In this telling, Death shows up for an extended stay in the world in the body of Brad Pitt. And Pitt does a good job of it; he’s got a nice quirky humor that he isn’t frequently called on to display. And he has a few moments where he displays some of the genuine threat underlying that mortal coil. But there’s not enough of it. This Death is weary and looking for meaning and connection. But he’s toothless, and that just feels off. Yes, go for the laughs, go for the romance, but burying an ultimate power in a borrowed body, no matter how hunky, is not going to hide that supreme force and I think there was a missed opportunity to show Death as more prideful and menacing.
The real killer, though, is the length of this movie. Three hour movies should be the exclusive province of war pictures and the occasional biopic, and even then you better earn it. What’s amazing is when you think back on where exactly those 3 hours went, it’s hard to recall. I can name maybe a dozen distinct scenes in maybe 10 locations. Mostly there are just very slow, very long dialogue-heavy scenes of two varieties – plain speak and “no one talks like this”.
Now I understand where they went wrong with this movie. In the most innocent way possible; they just started with a simple plan (“let’s really let this story breathe, let the scenes find their pace”) and never looked back. And I can see the appeal; the scenes do breathe; there is a nice feel to things as they are introducing the principals. It’s not a race, it’s like a nice walk – let’s enjoy this. You’re feeling good. And then you look up and realize that it’s getting dark and you’re not only nowhere near home – you’ve barely started.
And it really is too bad. Because there are some great moments and acting, the music is beautiful, it looks good. It’s just too damn long. And slow, did I say slow? It’s slow.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
| Main Cast | Brad Pitt Joe Black/Young Man in Coffee Shop, Anthony Hopkins William Parrish, Claire Forlani Susan Parrish, Jake Weber Drew |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Release Date | Fri 13 Nov 1998 UTC |
| Director | Martin Brest |
| Genres | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance |
| Plot | A media mogul acts as a guide to Death, who takes the form of a young man to learn about life on Earth and in the process, fall in love with his guide’s daughter. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 178 |
| Tagline | He’s Expecting You. |
| Writers | Ron Osborn (screenplay) &, Jeff Reno (screenplay) … |
| Year | 1998 |
