Meet Joe Black (1998)
Sooner or later everyone does.
Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan?
Rent on Prime Video $3.99 (opens in a new tab) Buy on Prime Video $14.99 (opens in a new tab)
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 12 November 1998 |
| Genre | Fantasy, Drama, Romance |
| Director | Martin Brest |
| Starring | Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Claire Forlani |
| Runtime | 178 min |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 5.6/10 · Metacritic 43/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 48% · TMDB users 7.4/10 |
| Budget | $90 million |
Where to watch Meet Joe Black
Meet Joe Black is streaming on Prime Video ($13.98 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Prime Video is $13.98 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 30 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent or buy Meet Joe Black on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Meet Joe Black in 40 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Australia | Prime Video $12.99 AUD |
| Belgium | Max €10.99 |
| Brazil | Prime Video R$19.90 |
| Burkina Faso | Prime Video |
| Cameroon | Prime Video |
| Chad | Prime Video |
| Congo - Kinshasa | Prime Video |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Prime Video |
| Equatorial Guinea | Prime Video |
| Fiji | Prime Video |
| France | Max €10.99 |
| Ghana | Prime Video |
| Gibraltar | Prime Video |
| Guernsey | Prime Video |
| Hong Kong | Prime Video HK$70 |
| Indonesia | Prime Video Rp59000 |
| Ireland | Prime Video €6.99 |
| Kenya | Prime Video KSh560 |
| Madagascar | Prime Video |
| Malawi | Prime Video |
| Malaysia | Prime Video RM25.00 |
| Mali | Prime Video |
| Monaco | Max |
| Mozambique | Prime Video |
| Niger | Prime Video |
| Nigeria | Prime Video ₦2300 |
| Papua New Guinea | Prime Video |
| Philippines | Prime Video ₱149 |
| Senegal | Prime Video |
| Seychelles | Prime Video |
| Singapore | Prime Video $4.99 SGD |
| South Africa | Prime Video R79 ZAR |
| South Korea | Wavve ₩10900, Watcha |
| Taiwan | Prime Video NT$290 |
| Tanzania | Prime Video |
| Thailand | Prime Video ฿149 |
| Uganda | Prime Video |
| United Kingdom | Prime Video £8.99 GBP |
| Zambia | Prime Video |
| Zimbabwe | Prime Video |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Martin Brest’s 1998 fantasy drama asks what happens when Death stops being an abstraction and becomes a roommate. Anthony Hopkins plays a media mogul who gets three extra days before his 65th birthday. In exchange, he agrees to guide Brad Pitt’s character, a man who is literally Death, through the human experience. The arrangement goes sideways when Pitt falls for Claire Forlani’s character, Hopkins’ daughter. It is a 178-minute meditation on mortality that treats the inevitable with a lot of patience. The tagline says sooner or later everyone does. You just have to hope the "sooner" is far away.
What the critics said
Critics were divided, with Rotten Tomatoes at 48% and Metacritic at 43/100. The consensus is polite but weary: the cast is agreeable, the visuals are pretty, and the three-hour runtime is punishing. Roger Ebert gave it three stars, noting "there's so much that's fine in this movie" despite the drawn-out ending. Peter Travers found most characters one-dimensional. Anthony Hopkins drew uniform praise for his emotional depth, while Brad Pitt’s turn was called "execrable" by James Berardinelli. Thomas Newman’s score was widely lauded. It earned a Razzie nomination. Audiences, however, gave it an A−. A film that looks good but feels long.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Meet Joe Black.
Sources
- Meet Joe Black on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q676513 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Meet Joe Black” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the movie you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add Meet Joe Black to your list