Well we've had a history of more negs than positives, but just barely. It seems this is one of them movies that rides along that middle path, where people tend to like it or they don't. I should be seeing this one real soon, so I'll do up a review of it for ya myself.
Every time i think of Brad Pitt I think of this annoying girl from my high school Chemistry class who always said "Ohmigod, it's Brad Pitt!"
Well, this time she's close. In this film, Pitt plays one of the most omnipotent beings in existence: Death. After a LONG while, he decides to take a vacation from his usual duties in the form of a recent victim (Pitt, again). He meets up with William Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), an ailing media tycoon who Death has chosen to be his guide.
It isn't long before "Joe" has embedded himself in Parrish's life. He becomes especially enamored with Parrish's younger daughter (Claire Forlani), who thinks he's the same man she met before he "borrowed" the body.
Director Martin Brest, who did a really great with "Scent of a Woman," kind of falls flat on this film. It doesn't take itself seriously enough: the audience laughed at the overly elaborate demise of the Pitt/host. The production has all the elements of MGM Thalberg era film: excess, wealth, and big name stars. Unfortunately, it has none of the substance. It's more like one of the manufactured B-movies MGM often produced after Thalberg's death. It also clocks at three hours, which is 45 minutes too long.
Pitt's performance is nothing to write home about. He tries to play all the elements of Death: sophisticated, intelligent, and child-like. At times he succeeds, but most of the time he comes off as, well, a dumb blond. He relies often on Hopkins for support, who can take a so-so film like "The Edge" and make even Alec Baldwin look good. However, even Hopkins occasionally looks for a bone during this movie.
The real surpass performance is from the relatively unknown Forlani. I haven't seen this girl since Kevin Smith's occasionally amusing "Mallrats." She has beauty and can convey much emotion as Parrish's daughter, who has unwittingly fallen for Death. She is definitely someone to watch out for
This is a film that could have been a lot, but it's only a few moments. The movie has some really good dialogues between Hopkins and Pitt. The romance is also very believable and tragic. Unfortunately, the film spends its three hours dwelling on less interesting subplots. The film is a re-make of "Death Takes a Holiday." In this case, I think they should have shortened the vacation.
