Purple Rain

A much undervalued film that tells the story of a young musician caught in an ever-declining spiral of domestic violence.

At times difficult to watch, while Morris Day is portrayed as the misogynist, Prince as the knight on (motorcycle) steed, he is still called upon to twice beat a woman as part of the screenplay. That he can do this and still emerge as a flawed but vindicated hero is credit to the writing. Prince is so free of ego in this film that not only does he portray himself as a narcissistic megalomaniac who beats women, but his most famous song is fictionalised as being written by his father and Wendy & Lisa. Even further, two of his compositions - Computer Blue (admittedly the album's weakest track) and Darling Nikki - are shown as being songs that kill off an audience. Perhaps the only concession to the Princely ego is a card that lists the (slightly shorter than Prince) Apollonia as 5'6.

The nearly complete-amateur cast are mainly band members playing themselves (and reviewers who slate the actors on the terms that they've never appeared in other movies are completely missing the point), and do perfectly well under the direction. Morris Day gets most of the plaudits for his likable ham, though Jerome Benton must also get credit for bouncing off him well, particularly their stage act, which is hilarious. Day and Benton even go so far as to make an Abbott and Costello routine funny, which takes some doing.

Lastly, there's Prince. While I admit to bias, I do actually think he's a pretty good actor in terms of being able to portray a low-key version of himself. Acting ISN'T his profession, this was a film made for entertainment, so anyone pointing out that the guy in the lead role isn't Robert DeNiro and thinking they're making a point is sadly deluded. I don't want this review to be a derisory attack of other people's comments, but I've even this film slated as having a low budget and being darkly lit. How would a film about domestic violence be shot, then? With full overhead spotlights and a CGI dinosaur walking into frame?

The film acts almost as a perfect snapshot of the neon light and skinny tie era… until you remember that it was actually made in a world of curly perms and tinny synths, and this isn't some retro-recreation. Prince's best film with Oscar-winning music, it sees him at his zenith, and it's saddening to realise that, even though he would make some fine albums, he would never again capture this high.

Post-Script, July 2016: Seeing this film again, it was clear that I'd been watching it through Purple-tinted glasses. My original score was 7/10, which is ridiculously high. My revised score of 5/10 stands as generosity by itself. A genius on record, perhaps... but on film, definitely not.

No movie has ever has as much impact on me as Purple Rain. And isn't that one of the signs of a great movie? I remember a colorless year of what I considered very boring music. Then Prince came along with his music & movie and painted the world purple for a brief moment in time. I don't care how feminine Prince was, he was getting the best looking girls and he was my hero. I saw the movie in the theatres four times that year & I still long for the days when it was seen in widescreen format on the big screen being played LOUD. To me, a guy who normally marvels at the cinematography of Hitchcock and has a video collection of over 600 movies, Purple Rain is flawless. It is a movie that can be screened 20 years from now and will still survive the test of time. Prince, today, is too serious & strange to be fun anymore, but there was a time when he was alot of fun & this movie documents that time. From the very second the movie starts, it creates a mood with flashes of images that stay in the mind as much as the images of Citizen Caine do. Prince takes us on a journey & gives us a peek at what it was like to be around that great Minneapolis sound at it's birth. Morris Day & Jerome Benton were as good a comedy team as any. And they, with The Time, add two really good songs as well. But it is Prince's music that completes the movie & makes it what it is: a movie I can pull out every five years and really enjoy.

When I first saw this video in the video store, I didn't know what to make of it, being from Prince and all. Being an adventurous soul, I rented it anyway. Good decision! From the very first synthesizer-soaked note of "Let's Go Crazy," this movie takes hold of your attention, and doesn't let go until the ending credits. All the music has that '80s new-wave synthesizer sound goin' for it, but hey, it's an '80s movie! Besides, Prince's songs have a timeless quality that cannot be ignored. Some people may have their opinions of the Purple One, and I understand, but as for me, I think he's awesome! The movie as a whole is cool, with great performances by Morris Day and the Time, Apollonia (Sex Shooter) 6, and of course, Prince and The Revolution. Check this one out on a rainy afternoon!

You can debate Prince's acting talent, or even his choice to parody his own life in this film. There is no debate about his musical talent either then or now. He seems like a shadowy has-been twenty years later, but the music remains relevant and fantastic.

Having lived through the hype of this movie (graduated high school in'85) I can tell you that there was nothing bigger at the time. From Tipper Gore (Al's wife) trying to censor "Little Nikki" and every thing else under the sun via the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) to every "Air Band" at the time impersonating Prince, it was the absolute hottest thing out. For a few weeks at least, Prince was bigger than Madonna and Michael Jackson.

We all waited for the film and were soooooo excited when it premiered. It didn't disappoint. EVERYONE was caught up. I was an MTV junkie at the time(they actually played music then....all the time)Prince played at least once or twice an hour. I must qualify this commentary by saying that, at that time, my favorites were Billy Idol, Oingo Boingo, The Fixx, Flock of Seagulls and others in the Punk/ New Wave genre' The music of Prince at the time transcended all types and styles. One of the reasons that some of it seems so cheesy and contrite now is that it was SOOOOOOOO big then. All the things that remind you of the 80's were iconic then. It was mainstream and it seems like a cliché' now. It got so popular that it became ridiculous. It's like the rappin' Granny commercial for Wendy's Hamburgers.

It looks stupid now because EVERYONE was caught up in it (sadly, kind of like a bizarre purple macarena or something. Anyway, I hope this gave you all a little insight.

My girlfriends and I went out last night to our local theater's retro night. They show movies like pulp fiction, blade runner, and others for five dollars.

We went out to have dinner and some drinks and caught the 8:00 pm showing of Purple Rain. Never been much of a Prince fan, but little by little WE ALL got sucked into the quirky and freaky world that he painted in this movie. We absolutely enjoyed it and came out of the movie singing Baby I'm a Star and Take me with you,,,etc. etc.

We went to another dance/bar because we were hyped up to dance after this movie but we were quickly reminded that that quality of music doesn't exist within our generation so we made a made dash to some local stores to try to find the DVD. We were going to literally get it and go home and PARTY with the movie again. No stores were open but WALMART so we step in their and didn't find the DVD but found the soundtrack. We stayed out til 3:00 am driving around downtown in my girlfriends convertible blasting that whole soundtrack to whoever would listen.

All I have to say is that the movie made Prince 4 new 20 year old fans! We all wished we were teens during that era. My god you 30 somethings are so lucky. Prince, Madonna, U2, Sting, The Police. The music was so good back then.

Well I just want to share this story to all the original fans out there. I found the DVD @ borders and will be buying more of his music SOON.

Might Not Know it Now, But Baby I tell ya I'm A STAR!