Purple Rain (1984)

74% of critics liked it
(31 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(44,482 ratings)

Purple Rain, the first starring film for Prince, is the story of an arrogant, young black singer, born and raised in Minneapolis, who reaches the pinnacle of stardom. The dramatic complications include "The Kid's" (Prince) miserable home life, where he suffers the brutalities of his father (well… More Purple Rain, the first starring film for Prince, is the story of an arrogant, young black singer, born and raised in Minneapolis, who reaches the pinnacle of stardom. The dramatic complications include "The Kid's" (Prince) miserable home life, where he suffers the brutalities of his father (well played by Clarence Williams III) and the youth's efforts to win the love of the beautiful Apollonia. Despite the misogynistic undercurrents in Purple Rain, the film's biggest fans were young women. Gorgeously photographed by Donald Thorin, Purple Rain is essentially a glorified music video, highlighted by a catalogue of Prince's hits, including I Would Die 4 U, When Doves Cry and Let's Go Crazy; the score deservedly won an Academy Award and a Grammy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: Albert Magnoli
Genres: Drama, Romance, Musical & Performing Arts

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1984 Wide
On DVD: Aug 24, 2004
Studio: Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
It's probably best to think of the film as an extended music video, a watershed moment for movie sound tracks, and not much more.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
worth a rental for the curious and is a keeper for his fans
Rob Nelson, City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called Purple Rain--the Citizen Kane of Minnesota movies and a worldwide showcase for the ascendance of its then-26-year-old star into rock 'n' roll eternity.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
It helps to remember that Purple Rain is a much better music video than it is a personal drama. (HD-DVD Edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...there is so much good music involved...it easily distracts one's mind from the clunky histrionics.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
The musical performances are memorable, everything else is forgettable
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Bland Prince vehicle that takes itself far too seriously.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
intriguingly well-told story
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser
Those who are looking for a two-hour music video with a coherent story will not be disappointed.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The performers have a bit of a wink behind their performances, and so the artificiality meshes together neatly.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
Purple Rain shares a trump card--its set list--with casual Prince fans, who are advised to reach for the soundtrack album instead.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lenny M

Obviously the music and watching Prince perform it is the only good thing about the film. Update: Prince's live performances are legendary, "Computer Blue" is sick
Tim S

Classic stuff.
Jason O

I've always been a fan of some of Prince's songs such as "1999," "Little Red Corvette," and "I Would Die 4 You." Of course, since I'm alive and especially since I live in the United States, I've always heard tons of people praise how… More
I've always been a fan of some of Prince's songs such as "1999," "Little Red Corvette," and "I Would Die 4 You." Of course, since I'm alive and especially since I live in the United States, I've always heard tons of people praise how great the Purple Rain Soundtrack is, but I don't remember anyone ever praising the movie. To make it short, I didn't know what to expect from "Purple Rain," (the movie), but since I did like some of Prince's music, I went ahead and watched it. I was expecting it to be full of concert clips and mainly to just be about Prince's music, but I was wrong. "Purple Rain" is about Prince's ups and downs, both with his music and his personal life. When you watch it, you'll see Prince struggle with his family, his girlfriend, and believe it or not, even with getting his music career started. If you're familiar with 80's music, then you'll also recognize Morris Day, who performs some of his hits such as "Jungle Love" and he poses as Prince's main adversary. Of course, the biggest standout with "Purple Rain" is the great music. You'll hear such familiar 80's pop sensations as "Purple Rain," "I Would Die 4 You," "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy," and others. However, "Purple Rain" is also entertaining with its other stories that have nothing to do with music or concerts. If you haven't ever saw "Purple Rain," I recommend giving it a try and possibly buying it. You just might go crazy for it. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001.
Emily A

Oh my god, this is the stupidest movie ever. "Wow, what an egomanical, bullying, mean-spirited asshole. I think I'll dive into his bed." There are no endearing characters in this film, the story is utterly pedestrian and there's nothing for an audience to hold… More
Oh my god, this is the stupidest movie ever. "Wow, what an egomanical, bullying, mean-spirited asshole. I think I'll dive into his bed." There are no endearing characters in this film, the story is utterly pedestrian and there's nothing for an audience to hold onto. Unless you're a huge rabid Prince, fan, which I'm not. In fact, he crafts such a miserable bitchy cur out of his character I was really quite dismayed to see his self-absorbed ass overcome his (deserved) adversity and achieve stardom. Guh. I really wish I'd watched another DVD.
Nani V

Giving it a rating through the eyes of an 8 year old.
Cindy I

This would get more stars from me if it had been a straight concert film. I enjoyed those parts way more than the story woven in between the performances.
Juli R

This movie is about the music and watching Prince perform.
Brett W

Purple Rain: the tale of his royal badness' upbringing in the mean streets of Paisley Park Minnesota. What dangers await the Purple One? Will he succeed in outfunking the dreaded Morris Day? Will Apollonia ever learn what it truly means 2 purify hrself in the waters of lake… More
Purple Rain: the tale of his royal badness' upbringing in the mean streets of Paisley Park Minnesota. What dangers await the Purple One? Will he succeed in outfunking the dreaded Morris Day? Will Apollonia ever learn what it truly means 2 purify hrself in the waters of lake Minnetonka? Is the water warm enough 4 Wendy and Lisa? Who's the weird doctor guy on keyboards? FIND OUT all these answers and MORE in Prince's Purple Rain!
nefnie l

Despite some cheesy acting, this movie is a musical powerhouse. Decent storyline with superb performances by Prince and The Time. Prince is a musical genius and phenomenal to watch, weak acting aside.
Lee K

One of my fave movies of the 80's besides being a prince fan. great musical performances form prince and also watch the concerts held by morris day and the time awesome.
MJS M

I?ve been a fan of Prince?s music for a while now, and as such I?ve listened to the soundtrack to this movie many, many times. Still I hadn?t seen the film, and when I saw it was available for streaming over Netflix I decided it would be interesting to see what the original context… More
I?ve been a fan of Prince?s music for a while now, and as such I?ve listened to the soundtrack to this movie many, many times. Still I hadn?t seen the film, and when I saw it was available for streaming over Netflix I decided it would be interesting to see what the original context of all these songs was supposed to be. This is a really cheesy movie, really cheesy. Prince is a terrible actor, and the rest of the cast isn?t much better. Still the great music gives the film a real energy and all the live performances are really fun to watch. The music is almost too good, as one begins to wonder why everyone is saying he ?isn?t good enough to make it? when the music is really great. I?ll give Prince a lot of credit for putting such a personal story up on screen, but I think I?ll stick to listening to the soundtrack.
Patrick D

This movie is kinda bad, but really in the best way possible. I really enjoyed it and found it quite hilarious. It's definitely one to watch with a bunch of friends and drinks. There also parts that just seem so bizarre, but it's all part of the charm.