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43
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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Purple Rose of Cairo, The

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 7 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 2 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
Written by: Woody Allen
Directed by: Woody Allen
Release Date:
Theatrical: May 2, 1985
DVD: November 6, 2001
Running Time: 84 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG for adult situations
Starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Stephanie Farrow, Edward Herrmann, John Wood, Deborah Rush, and Van Johnson
A Depression-era waitress spends every free moment she has at the cinema because the grand stories she finds there distract her from her pitiful life, but when a dashing character from one of the films becomes smitten with her and leaves his celluloid world, she finds herself in the middle of her own fantasy romance.
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The New York Times Vincent Canby
I'll go out on a limb: I can't believe the year will bring forth anything to equal The Purple Rose of Cairo. At 84 minutes, it's short but nearly every one of those minutes is blissful.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Gene Siskel
A cornball adventure film about a dashing young explorer mixing with New York cafe society types. What a delightfully complicated fantasy film this is. What Woody Allen has done with The Purple Rose of Cairo is create a classic film about our love affair with fantasy. [28 Jun 1985, p.1]
TV Guide Staff (Not Credited)
Allen has done better than this, but The Purple Rose of Cairo is a sweet little film and an interesting diversion for his legion of followers.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Michael Blowen
The Purple Rose of Cairo, Woody Allen's tender Valentine to the movies, features poignant performances by Jeff Daniels and Mia Farrow. In the critical rush to canonize Allen, it's easy to forget how far Farrow has come as an actress. [31 May 1985, p.27]
Variety Staff (Not Credited)
Tale is a light, almost frivolous treatment of a serious theme, as Woody Allen here confronts the unalterable fact that life just doesn't turn out the way it does (or did) in Hollywood films. For all its situational goofiness, pic is a tragedy, and it's too bad Allen didn't build up the characters and drama sufficiently to give some weight to his concerns.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Dave Kehr
Woody Allen's naive notions of art--he thinks it means a story with a moral--might have some primitive charm if he didn't put them forward so self-importantly.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jay H gave it an8:
Woody Allen never ceases to amaze me. His imagination and humor are so admirable. This film is so unusual and incredibly creative. Enthralling even. It never fails to fascinate and in many ways it is brilliant. My only gripe is the two leads. I think Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels are too bland, better casting would have helped. The rest of the cast is terrific though, especially Zoe Caldwell.
