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IMDbPro

Purple Rain

  • 19841984
  • RR
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
22K
YOUR RATING
Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
Trailer
Play trailer0:16
2 Videos
73 Photos
DramaMusicRomance
A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
22K
YOUR RATING
    • Albert Magnoli
    • Albert Magnoli
    • William Blinn
  • Stars
    • Prince
    • Apollonia Kotero
    • Morris Day
    • Albert Magnoli
    • Albert Magnoli
    • William Blinn
  • Stars
    • Prince
    • Apollonia Kotero
    • Morris Day
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 142User reviews
    • 80Critic reviews
    • 55Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos2

    Purple Rain: Special Edition
    Trailer 0:16
    Watch Purple Rain: Special Edition
    Does "Mayans M.C." Creator Kurt Sutter Know His Movie Bikes?
    Video 1:57
    Watch Does "Mayans M.C." Creator Kurt Sutter Know His Movie Bikes?

    Photos73

    Prince in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Costume design by Marie France
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero at an event for Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero at an event for Purple Rain (1984)
    15 x 21 Mini Movie Poster
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Prince
    Prince
    • The Kid
    Apollonia Kotero
    Apollonia Kotero
    • Apollonia
    Morris Day
    Morris Day
    • Morris
    Olga Karlatos
    • Mother
    Clarence Williams III
    Clarence Williams III
    • Father
    Jerome Benton
    Jerome Benton
    • Jerome
    Billy Sparks
    • Billy
    Jill Jones
    • Jill
    Charles Huntsberry
    • Chick
    Dez Dickerson
    • Dez
    Brenda Bennett
    • Brenda
    Susan Moonsie
    • Susan
    • (as Susan)
    Sandra Claire Gershman
    • Beautiful Babe
    Kim Upsher
    • Kim
    Alan Leeds
    Alan Leeds
    • Stage Hand
    Israel Gordon
    • Taste M.C.
    Gil Jacobson
    • Cop in Basement
    Joseph A. Ferraro
    • First Avenue M.C.
      • Albert Magnoli
      • Albert Magnoli
      • William Blinn
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A few days before the premiere, Prince had a nightmare that Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert despised the film, with Ebert ripping the film apart. He said, "I dreamed those two guys on the TV were reviewing the movie and that fat guy was tearing me up!" Siskel and Ebert both loved the film in their reviews.
    • Goofs
      When Jerome and Morris are walking around the block, discussing the problems with the girls' group, Morris says "That Apollonia babe we saw last night," and his lips don't move in sync with the dialogue. He's actually mouthing "Vanity" instead of "Apollonia", indicating that the scene was filmed before Vanity backed out of the shoot.
    • Quotes

      Apollonia: Will you help me?

      The Kid: No.

      Apollonia: Pardon me?

      The Kid: Nope... Wanna know why?

      Apollonia: Nope.

      The Kid: Because you wouldn't pass the initiation.

      Apollonia: What initiation?

      The Kid: Well, for starters, you have to purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

      Apollonia: What?

      The Kid: You have to purify yourself in Lake Minnetonka.

      [She strips down, and runs towards the lake]

      The Kid: Hey! Wait a minute! That's...

      [She jumps in. She gets out shivering]

      The Kid: Uh, hold it...

      Apollonia: What?

      The Kid: That ain't Lake Minnetonka.

    • Crazy credits
      "May u live 2 see the dawn"
    • Alternate versions
      Network TV versions omit the song "Baby, I'm a Star", and simply have it playing over the end credits.
    • Connections
      Edited into Prince and the Revolution: Purple Rain (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Let's Go Crazy
      Words and Music by Prince

      Performed by Prince and The Revolution

      © 1984 Controversy Music

    User reviews142

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    Much undervalued film
    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.
    helpful•49
    11
    • The_Movie_Cat
    • Oct 29, 2005

    FAQ1

    • What did Prince pick up at the end and why did he throw it to Appolonia?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 27, 1984 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • First Avenue Club - 29 N. 7th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Purple Films
      • Water
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 51 minutes
      • Dolby

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