Purple Rain
                                                                                          
Director: Albert Magnoli
Year: 1984
Rating: 5.0
I was surprised at how much I was disliking this film and then near the end Prince plays Purple Rain and all was forgiven. Monster performance. One of the greatest songs of the 1980s. Followed by I Would Die 4U. End of film. I guess that is the way to finish. Though I wish When Doves Cry was performed on stage too instead of playing as he rode around. But when Prince isn't on stage this is a mean spirited film with a rancid after taste. Prince told his business manager to get him a film or he was fired. No studio was interested, so the manager produced it himself. Later a studio came in and wanted John Travolta to play the role. How that would have worked is hard to imagine. But badly, I expect. That Prince was willing to be such a dick is commendable I guess, but then he does get to make out with the lovely Appolonia on many occasions.  Incentive enough.



Prince and his band the Revolution are one of the acts playing in a Minneapolis nightclub. Their main rival is Morris Day and the Time (a real group). One of the few bright spots of the film is Day and his Abbott and Costello interactions with his Yes Man, Jerome. Time is the top group and the Revolution is trying to stay on the bill. But it is the personal aspects of the film that drag it down. Prince's father (Clarence Williams III) brutally abuses his wife and slaps Prince around as well. Nasty stuff. Then Prince becomes involved with Appolonia who has come up from New Orleans to make it as a singer. Willing to do anything. And he treats her like shit; echoing his father.



The film becomes a distasteful trudge and it doesn't help that neither Prince and Appolonia can act. They are both stiff like recent corpses. Toxic males and abused women doesn't float my boat. But damn, Purple Rain is great and cathartic. The album was huge with 25 million sold, Appolonia formed the girl group Appolinia 6 and Morris Day and Time had some success. Six years later Prince and Day appeared in a sequel to this film, Graffiti Bridge which was considered one of the worst films of the year.