Mill Creek Entertainment has re-released a pair of Universal love stories on Blu-ray in a new “Girls Night In” double-feature release that includes the more dramatic Meet Joe Black (1998) starring Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt & Claire Forlani, and rom-com Wimbledon (2004) starring Sam Neill, Paul Bettany & Kirsten Dunst.
Meet Joe Black (1998)
Wealthy businessman William Parrish’s (Anthony Hopkins) 65th birthday is quickly approaching, and his daughter Allison (Marcia Gay Harden) is obsessing over the party planning. Bill’s younger daughter, Susan (Claire Forlani), is a doctor who has been dating Bill’s number one business partner Drew (Jake Weber) for a long time, and is starting to contemplate marriage. However, Bill can sense that there is no passion in her relationship, and tells Susan that she should be swept away by a guy and fall head over heels in love, like he did with her mother. Susan takes this to heart, and the next day has a delightful meet-cute with a young stranger (Brad Pitt) at a diner.
Meanwhile, Bill has started to hear a voice in his head. He doesn’t know where it is coming from, or what it wants—it just keeps saying “Yes”. Then, a young man shows up at his home, telling Bill that he’s Death, and that he’s come for him. Death has taken over the body of the young man that Susan had met at the diner (who experienced an unfortunate accident shortly after their meeting). He would like to stay will Bill and observe him for a while, and in exchange, Bill will get more time. So, at family dinner, Bill introduces Death as “Joe Black”, an old friend and advisor. Joe moves into Bill’s house and starts going to work with him—a situation that doesn’t sit well with Drew, who doesn’t like the idea of Bill taking business advice from this complete stranger, especially when it conflicts with his own opinions.
As Bill contemplates life, his pending death, his deceased wife, and what legacy he will leave behind, Joe enjoys his vacation on Earth, He is naiive and wide-eyed, experiencing things for the first time. He is used to being lonely, without any friends, but now he is experiencing what it is like to be human. Like the young man at the diner, he too finds a romantic connection with Susan, and soon has his own dilemma—he will need to return home, but what should he do about this newfound love and companionship?!
Meet Joe Black clocks in at just over three hours. While I can’t necessarily say I was ever bored, it is a very long film that could have easily been an hour shorter. It is part love story, part business executive drama, part man looking back on his life and accomplishments as he approaches death. While Brad Pitt does have great chemistry with Claire Forlani in the diner scene, and there is one really steamy love scene, I can’t say that his performance was all that memorable. Joe Black comes off more like a robot or a child at times, fawning over the taste of peanut butter for the first time, or repeatedly just responding “Yes” to every question, or putting on a Jamaican accent when talking to a woman at the hospital (I wasn’t sure if in today’s climate I was supposed to find this offensive). I think there was just too much else going on in the film to really let this supernatural love story play out properly and successfully, especially for this being on a “Girls Night In” double feature collection.
Hopkins, on the other hand, gives a very moving and dramatic performance as this man who has suffered loss in the past and now must prepare to say goodbye to the rest of his family. At the same time, he must also deal with a threat to the business and legacy he has built over his lifetime. I was actually more interested in the business drama storyline than the odd love story/Joe Black’s dilemma of whether or not he should selfishly take Susan back with him.
The film also features a very moving performance by Marcia Gay Harden as the daughter who is always trying to get the approval and attention of her father, knowing that her sister is his favorite. Jake Weber is also deliciously evil as the jealous business partner out for revenge, while Jeffrey Tambor is great as the naïve son-in-law who falls into his trap.
Mill Creek’s Blu-ray release features a clean picture with bright colors and a nice level of detail. The audio track features clear dialogue, a light airy score that fills the room, and excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to add ambiance and make the film more immersive. This is especially noticeable with the sounds of the guests at the birthday party and the rumble and explosion of fireworks. Like other double-feature releases from Mill Creek Entertainment, this release does not include any special features, even though Universal’s previous Blu-ray release included a 10 minute making of featurette and photo gallery, and the previous Special Edition DVD release also included the original 1934 Death Takes a Holiday film on which this movie was based.
Wimbledon (2004)
Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) was once ranked the eleventh tennis player in the world, but now at age 31 he’s dropped down to number 119. However, he’s managed to score a wildcard spot at the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament. No matter what happens at the event, Peter is already planning for this to be his final professional tournament before he retires and takes a likely-depressing job as a tennis pro at a country club. He’s not expecting to go very far in this tournament, and his manager Ron Roth (Jon Favreau) is just as surprised to see him there as well—Ron also represents tournament favorite/rising star Jake Hammond (Austin Nichols).
When Peter first arrives at his hotel, he accidentally ends up in the wrong room, walking in on American tennis phenom Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) as she’s in the shower. However, it’s love at first site for the two, who begin to sneak away to see each other in-between matches. However, Liz’s protective father, Dennis (Sam Neill), would rather that his daughter keep herself focused on her goal of winning Wimbledon, and doesn’t appreciate Peter’s constant distraction. But their attraction is strong, and Peter seems to win his matches every time they spend the night before together.
Wimbledon is not only a delightful romantic comedy, with great chemistry between Dunst & Bettany, but also a fantastic tennis film. While Peter and Liz are instantly drawn together, they also have to keep their heads in the game, so there is this constant balance that needs to be found in their blossoming relationship between getting rest for the next day’s match, and enjoying some restless time with one another. However, it’s not just a physical attraction between these two—they both know what it takes to be a successful tennis player and the hard work and sacrifice that requires, so they are also kindred spirits.
In addition to the romantic drama, and physical and situational humor, the film also has a lot of exciting, fast-paced tennis action. The matches can be a bit tense and edge-of-your-seat. Each time, wondering if this could be the end of Peter’s professional career. Every time he steps onto the court, Peter starts to get in his own head, worrying about every little detail, and the viewer hears all of this. His mind quickly spins things way out of control, leading to some hilarious moments as he tries to reel himself back in.
I found this film to be thoroughly entertaining, and wished this was the 3-hour movie on the double-feature! In addition to the main characters, the world of Wimbledon is also fleshed out with some really fun supporting characters, such as Peter’s practice partner/best friend Dieter Prohl (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), his oddball parents Augusta (Eleanor Bron) & Edward (Bernard Hill), and opportunistic younger brother Carl (James McAvoy), who often places bets against Peter. The film also features court commentary/appearances by tennis greats such as Chris Evert and John McEnroe (it was odd to hear narration by the latter now, after having watched two seasons of Never Have I Ever!).
Mill Creek’s Blu-ray release features a clean picture with bright colors and a nice level of detail that showcases the beauty of the London setting and the green of the tennis courts. The audio track is amazing, providing clear dialogue, and making extensive use of the surround channel every time we hear Peter’s voice echoing in his own head, or the immersive sounds of the crowd during a tennis match. Like other double-feature releases from Mill Creek Entertainment, this release does not include any special features, even though Universal just released this film on Blu-ray last year (at a premium price), which contained an audio commentary as well as over 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Both films reside on a single Blu-ray disc, which has a basic menu with subtitle on/off options and a play buttons for each of the two movies. There is no slipcover, digital copy or bonus material included with this release.
What’s Included:
Films:
- Meet Joe Black (1998) (3:00:16)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Wimbledon (2004) (1:37:46)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.36:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
Extras:
-
This release contains no bonus material.
Final Thoughts:
This latest “Girls Night In” double-feature collection from Mill Creek Entertainment features two very different love stories. Meet Joe Black has a supernatural twist, but runs a bit long, trying to be three movies at once. Wimbledon on the other hand is not only a delightful rom-com, but also a great sports film. The Blu-ray features solid picture and sound, but unfortunately lacks all of the bonus material that has been included on the previous home video releases for these two films. That said, for folks who don’t care about the extras, it is priced nicely for a double-feature, and definitely worth picking up for the joy of Wimbledon alone.
