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Meet Joe Black movie cover Movie Locations Guide

Where was Meet Joe Black filmed?

1998

City Locations

Manhattan, New York, Rhode Island

Location Types

Architectural, American, Apartment, Oceanview, House, Mansions, Modern, Airports, Automotive, Banks, Buildings/ Offices, Diners/ Coffee, Medical, Restaurant

Location Styles

Airstream, Helicopter, Luxury, Modern Building, Modern Car, Helicopter Style

About Meet Joe Black

Meet Joe Black is a 1998 romantic fantasy film about Death and his love. It is an American film directed by Martin Brest and is adapted based on the 1934 film 'Death Takes A Holiday.' It received mixed reviews, with many film critics openly complaining about the film's three-hour length, slow pace, and screenplay.

The story starts with media mogul Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) making plans for a merger of his company, Parrish Communications, with another media giant. His daughters, Allison (Marcia Gay Harden) and Susan (Claire Forlani) are planning his 65th birthday party. Allison, the elder daughter, is married to Quince (Jeffrey Tambor), while the younger one, Susan, is dating Bill's right-hand man, Drew (Jake Weber). While Bill has no issues with Susan dating Drew, he wants her to wait to get married to someone who can sweep her off her feet, suggesting "lightning could strike" as an apt metaphor.

Bill has been hearing a voice speak to him since morning, and when he arrives in his office, he also gets a minor heart attack and hears the voice saying, "Yes." Simultaneously, Susan meets a handsome stranger in a coffee shop who she hits it off with and who also says, "lightning could strike" as a metaphor. She is stunned, and they depart without exchanging names and contact details. Unknown to her, the young man meets with a fatal car accident and dies on the spot.

Bill is called to his library by the voice, who turns out to be Death in the body of the young man Susan met at the café. Death wants to experience humanity and life. He assures Bill that if Death is entertained, Bill will get to live. Bill agrees and introduces Death as Joe Black to his family members.

What follows is a love story between Joe Black and Susan, the understanding of human life, love, and sacrifice, and how Death makes peace with himself, Bill, and Susan and finally lets the young man live again.

Meet Joe Black Locations

Meet Joe Black was filmed mainly in Manhattan, New York, and surrounding areas. Only the mansion scenes were filmed in Rhode Island on the prestigious Aldrich Mansion residence, which was also used in the filming of many other movies. It is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. People routinely rent it for weddings, receptions, fundraisers, conferences, photo shoots, and filming and shooting.

Manhattan was the obvious choice for filming the business dealing and life surrounding a media mogul. Parrish Communications and Bill Parrish were the epitome of luxurious life and wealth. It was taken for granted that the opulence and lifestyle shown in the movie would be around endless wealth and money. Small things like butlers, servers, traveling via helicopter to work, and more in the starting scenes were strategic moves made early on to show the affluence and habits of the rich and famous in New York. These locations, the backgrounds, and the scenes fit perfectly with the film storyline.

Teaser: Almost all the filming locations in Manhattan and New York are worth visiting since most of these iconic locations are also used in many other films

Fun fact:

Did you know that Meet Joe Black was the first film to show the trailer of Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace? It was reported that hundreds of Star Wars fans purchased tickets for Meet Joe Black and left after the trailer was shown.

Bill imparts romantic advice to Susan scene in Meet Joe Black

Downtown Manhattan Heliport, New York

Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) and his younger daughter Susan (Claire Forlani) are on a helicopter into the city. While in the helicopter, Bill asks Susan, "Do you love Drew?" Bill lists all the great things about Drew (Jake Weber) and how he can take their media giant, Parrish Communications, into the 21st century but tells Susan, "That's for me. I'm talking about you. It's not what you say about Drew. It's what you don't say." Susan tells her father, "Maybe you're not listening."

Bill tells Susan, "I am listening. There's not an ounce of excitement, not a whisper of a thrill. And this relationship has the passion of a pair of titmice. I want you to get swept away out there. I want you to levitate. I want you to sing with rapture and dance like a dervish. Be deliriously happy, or at least leave yourself open to be. Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. Fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back. Stay open. Who knows? Lightning could strike."

The filming location of Meet Joe Black is the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York. Bill and Susan alight at this venue before going forth with their day. Getting to the Heliport is easy if you hop onto the Red Line and get off at South Ferry. From here, the walk to the Heliport is 5 minutes.

Susan meets handsome stranger in café scene in Meet Joe Black

Broadway Restaurant, 2664 Broadway and West 101st St Manhattan

Susan Parrish enters the Corinth Coffee Shop and is in the process of removing her pad and pen to take notes when she hears a commotion behind her in the café. A man is struggling with something. She overhears his conversation on the phone, "Someone messes with you, they mess with me. That's it. I'm on a plane in a heartbeat. Lemme know, honey." She smiles and continues with her work.

After the phone call, the handsome stranger (Brad Pitt) sits beside Susan at the coffee counter. He looks at Susan and greets her, "Morning." She responds, "Good morning." He tells her he was talking to his younger sister, who just broke up with her boyfriend and was thinking about dropping out of law school. They continue talking, he buys her coffee, and Susan realizes the handsome stranger is intelligent, cute, funny, and that she's attracted to him.

The shot where Susan meets the handsome blonde stranger is one of the best scenes in Meet Joe Black. This café is the Broadway Restaurant at 2664 Broadway and West 101st St in Manhattan. Visitors can enjoy breakfast like Susan and the stranger (hello, Brad!) did. Get on the Red Line and hop off at 103 St. From here, walk for approximately 4 to 5 minutes to reach the restaurant.

Susan and the handsome stranger confess their feelings scene in Meet Joe Black

Lexington Avenue and East 23rd St, Manhattan

Susan and the handsome blonde stranger leave the Corinth Coffee Shop. Before leaving, he says to Susan, "You never know. Lightning could strike," when discussing a wishful example where they could be married. Susan is stunned because her father said those exact words to her the same morning. While outside the café, Susan tells him, "I've gotta go." He smiles at her and says, "Yeah. Listen, did I say something wrong?" She confirms he didn't say anything wrong. She says, "It was so right, it scares me. That's all."

The stranger smiles at her and says, "You know, I was thinking, I don't want you to be my doctor. I don't want you to examine me…." She asks him, "Why?" He looks at Susan intensely and says, "Because I like you so much." She blushes and responds, "And I don't want to examine you.." He asks, "You don't? Why not?" She repeats his words, "Because I like you so much." They both start laughing and hope to see each other again soon.

This beautiful encounter is one of the most memorable scenes in the whole film. The Meet Joe Black production team decided to film this at Lexington Avenue and East 23rd St in Manhattan to avoid traffic outside the Broadway restaurant. Hop onto the Green Line Metro and get off at the 23rd St stop. Walk for approximately 2 - 3 minutes to reach the intersection.

Allison tries to convince Bill about the music and party details scene in Meet Joe Black

The Pierre, A Taj Hotel, Manhattan

Bill has a minor heart attack in the morning and meets his elder daughter, Allison Parrish (Marcia Gay Harden), at his New York suite for dinner. Since he got the attack, and even before that, he's been hearing a voice talking to him. Bill is still extremely unnerved by his attack and the voice. Allison is trying to organize her father's 65th birthday party and to get him to finalize details about it.

Allison tells Bill, "Music. I know how you love music, Daddy. And I want you to have music that pleases you but doesn't put a thousand other people to sleep. I've agonized over it and finally settled on Sidney Brown."

Bill is distracted and simply responds, "Good." She keeps talking and giving him more details. However, Bill just keeps nodding and saying, "Uh-hmm, uh hmm," instead of listening to his daughter. Allison realizes she's being ignored and asks her father, "You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" Bill looks at her, smiles, and asks, "What, honey? Sorry."

This Meet Joe Black filming location is the prestigious The Pierre, A Taj Hotel in Manhattan. To get here, catch the yellow line and get off at 5 Av/ 59 St. The hotel is at a 2 mins walking distance from the stop.

Bill meets Joe scene in Meet Joe Black

Carlyle Hotel, Deluxe Suite, 25 East 76th Street, New York

Bill enters the library because he gets a feeling someone is in there. He asks, "Is anyone here?" He hears a reply in his own voice, "Quiet down." Bill is astonished and asks the voice if this is an elaborate practical joke. He is about to leave when the voice taunts him, asking, "Where are you going, Bill?"

Bill, getting increasingly frustrated, asks the voice, "What the h*ll is this? Who are you?" He hears a creaking and then sees the silhouette of a man behind frosted glass. The man responds, "Just think of millenniums multiplied by eons compounded by time without end. I've been around that long." The man tells Bill how bored he is and how he has taken an interest in Bill's life, "I want to take a look around before I take you. You get to show me around, and in return, you get… time." When he walks in front of Bill, it's the same handsome stranger, Joe Black (Brad Pitt)/ Death, who Susan met at the restaurant.

Bill Parrish's penthouse was filmed in two places, The Pierre and The Carlyle Hotel. The team decided on these Meet Joe Black locations because of the opulent interiors and luxurious feel. Getting to the Carlyle is quick if you catch the M4, get off at Madison Ave, and walk for 2 minutes.

Susan doesn't want Joe to leave scene in Meet Joe Black

Aldrich Mansion, 836 Warwick Neck Avenue, Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Bill Parrish is celebrating his 65th birthday at his mansion in the countryside. Joe has been preparing Bill to say his goodbyes and get ready to leave. Bill tells Susan that Joe might be going, so she hurries to find him. When she meets Joe, Susan says, "My father told me you might be leaving." Joe responds, "Your father and I… our time together has come to an end." Susan closes her eyes and moves closer to him. She smiles and says, "I'm in love with a man, but I don't know who he is, where he's going, or when."

Joe looks at Susan, smiles, and says, "I can tell you the when part. Tonight." Susan smiles at him in pain and says, "So it does get worse." But Joe interrupts, "No worse than it gets for me. I'm in love with a woman who I don't wanna leave." Hearing this, Susan hugs him and cries and says, "Then don't. There's so little we know about each other."

This Meet Joe Black film scene was filmed at Aldrich Mansion on Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. The gorgeous mansion is a private residence, so fans may not be allowed on the grounds without permission. Hop onto bus number 4 from Kennedy Plaza (Stop C) and get off at Warwick Neck and Barton. The residence is a 15- 20 minutes walk from the stop.

Conclusion

Meet Joe Black introduced audiences to a different style of fantasy that hadn't been experienced yet. The thought of Death being a romantic who could fall in love with a mortal was an idea that had not been brought to the big screen so spectacularly before now. The entire team of Meet Joe Black did a fabulous job of bringing the larger-than-life Death and his love story to life.

The stunning locations, opulence, and luxurious filming locations fit perfectly with the intense yet classy settings in the movie. The Meet Joe Black production team perfectly matched the plotline with the characters and the locations.

The actors did a stunning job of portraying the characters and bringing their emotions, conundrums, issues, and solutions in front of the audience. This emotional drama movie also shows that no matter how rich or poor you are, no matter how much wealth you create, death comes for us all in the end.