The desires that grow through the wonderful romantic music in "Whisper of a Thrill" are magnificent, returning briefly in "Served Its Purpose". The chance and the feeling to finally discover love, respect and intimate feelings is not something he wants to give up lightly. Because even in those quirky times, Thomas Newman surprises you with his (and perhaps Death's) wit.īut Death stays on earth for another reason too. Luckily this quirky taste is not forgettable, and like Scent of a Woman it jumps upon you with a loud distinctive sound (clarinet and piano) in "Peanut Butter Man", "Fifth Ave." and "Mr. Not only the questions but the things he tastes and discovers are interwoven in Thomas Newman's eclectic style. Another personal sound for Death is his curiosity. This is discovered through the piano in "Meet Joe Black", "A Frequent Thing" and "Sorry for Nothing". The character Death, that is discovered in the body that Brad Pitt took receives a personal sound too, and it's not surprising his sound is cold ala death. By far it's one of the boldest emotional pieces Thomas Newman has ever composed. It returns lovely in "Cold Lamb Sandwich" and it puts you in pure ecstasy during the mesmerizing "That Next Place". As one could predict, this theme becomes the backbone of the whole score. The jubilant "Everywhere Freesia" brings back happy memories of the college music of Scent of a Woman, while one of Thomas Newman's strongest themes never sounds so delicate and more beautiful than in "Walkaway". The dialogue aside, "Yes" doesn't give anything away, fooling both the viewer as the listener with a dreamy piece of music. Thomas Newman remains Thomas Newman however, and soft dreamy music will always remain one of his trademark sounds. No room for subtlety here, it's Thomas Newman putting the capital letter E in the word emotional, blowing us away with a finale you'll remember. It's like Thomas Newman just added an extra layer to an already powerful score, making his final piece overblown but also enormously breathtaking. A grand orchestral score that has all his trademarks, but they are deliciously overblown and emotionally unparalleled. Because when you hear them laughing, arguing and talking to one another, there is always that magical material of one Thomas Newman that elevates those scenes higher and higher.īecause let's face it, Meet Joe Black is one of Thomas Newman's magnus opuses. Mostly because it has interesting characters, loveable and hateable people that one can relate to. Though it's hardly another Scent of a Woman masterpiece, I quite like it. Of course as usual, I'm in the middle of it too. It's like 50% thinks the world of it, and the other 50% finds it overlong, uninteresting and not important if one could see Scent of a Woman instead. Meet Joe Black of director Martin Brest has always received a mixed bag of criticism.