X
- 2023
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 21 m
- 2023
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 21 m
Summary A musical adaptation of Alice Walker's novel about the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond.
Directed By: Blitz Bazawule
Written By: Marcus Gardley, Alice Walker, Marsha Norman
- 2023
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 21 m
- 2023
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 21 m
The Color Purple
72
7.4
Where to Watch
Summary A musical adaptation of Alice Walker's novel about the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond.
Directed By: Blitz Bazawule
Written By: Marcus Gardley, Alice Walker, Marsha Norman
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 49 Critic Reviews
72
69% Positive
34 Reviews
34 Reviews
31% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 49 Critic Reviews
72
69% Positive
34 Reviews
34 Reviews
31% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The craft is gorgeous, but The Color Purple would be nothing without its star turns, and Bazawule’s cast takes your breath away.
It’s the movie’s own power trio of Barrino, Brooks and Henson that makes “The Color Purple” one of the most moving big-screen musicals in recent years. Each in their own way transforms suffering into exhilarating portraits of survival and strength.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 102 User Ratings
7.4
71% Positive
72 Ratings
72 Ratings
11% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
19% Negative
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 102 User Ratings
7.4
71% Positive
72 Ratings
72 Ratings
11% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
19% Negative
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
I loved this movie. I do have to say that Taraji absolutely stole the show as Shug and this film hit all the heartstrings across the board. I was moved to tears multiple times, and yet the levity of banter between the characters paired to some great musical ensembles definitely brought spirits up to deliver a cinematic masterpiece. The original was an epic story, and this retelling is a theatrical experience that pairs a great tale to wonderful acting and riveting performances that will leave you nothing short breathless and in absolute awe. Stunning cinema, fabulous story, and incredibly beautiful movie through and through.
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This is an all-singing, all-sobbing weepie with sequins, featuring comedy, uproarious choreography, and a suite of soul R&B and gospel numbers that will have you bopping along in your seat.
Bazawule slowly but surely lifts us up, letting us soar with the cast by the end.
The best numbers in The Color Purple capture the anger and/or exultation of personal experience.
For the first two hours, it’s absorbing: big song-and-dance numbers and emotional set pieces, dynamic performances from everyone, and a feeling of reverence for the story and what it’s meant for 40 years give it gravitas and heart. . . Yet by the end it’s clear that the story remains slippery to would-be adapters.
Blitz Bazawule and a cast of talented performers do their best, but the end result just doesn't gel.
It is the Christmas film we all longing for. A modern musical take of the story we all know. The filmmaking speaks to the power dynamics within characters within the complex of race, gender and sexuality at that time. As a musical, the songs are very well performed and the craft (editing, cinematography, production design and choreography) certainly brings the aura to another level. The cast are all in their A game and Danielle Brooks, just WOWWWW.
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In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve routinely made it clear that I’m not a big fan of movie musicals. In addition, less known is the fact that I’ve also never been particularly enamored with the original dramatic version of this story (1985), a picture in which director Steven Spielberg still had his training wheels on when it came to making serious cinematic fare. With those admissions in mind, then, it would appear that this latest iteration of the classic Alice Walker novel would have two prejudicial strikes against it going in, and that assessment would be accurate, as these qualifications sincerely reflect my characterization of this alternative take on this beloved tale. Director Blitz Bazawule’s musical adaptation of this tale about a young African-American woman (Fantasia Barrino) struggling to find happiness under harsh conditions in early 20th Century Georgia is plagued by an array of issues, including an ill-fitting fusion of this story in a Broadway format/context, an uneven distribution of production numbers throughout the course of the narrative, numerous over-the-top (and frequently silly) surreal song and dance sequences (many of which look like they’ve been plucked fresh from a Baz Luhrmann movie), understandable but nevertheless-disappointing plot and character development alterations, and some serious miscasting choices (such as the usually-reliable Colman Domingo, who’s decidedly out of place in the role of Mister). This combination of misfire elements makes for somewhat disappointing viewing for those who adored the book and original screen version and does little for winning over innately lukewarm supporters of the material (like me). Granted, the film gets better as it goes along (probably because there are fewer musical numbers in the second half than the first), and its ensemble cast, for the most part, is quite compelling, including Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, David Alan Grier, Corey Hawkins and Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks. However, on balance, this is one of those projects where things probably would have been better off left alone.
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So, going into this, I had pretty minimal knowledge on the source material; I hadn't read the book, and had never watched the Spielberg version. For what I watched though, I had a good **** the first two acts! The third act was pretty underwhelming, won't lie, and ended up kinda dropping it some points; the pacing was just real messy and I was pretty uncool with Mister's redemption considering the extent of his actions throughout the movie. With that said the musical numbers were easily the best part of the movie and the acting across the board was pretty good. It's weird to say but it kinda feels like this movie was just a few inches off from being great but missed the mark for me.
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Box office ticket sales for this cringe remake are down 80% in its first week of screenings. Bear in mind, that is during the peak xmas/new year cinema period. That should tell you everything you need to know about why this trite "reimagining" cannot hold a candle to the original movie.
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The Color Purple’ is the definition of a mediocre remake. If you’ve seen Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film or read Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, you know it's beautifully told from the inside and this musical film is told entirely from the outside. Director Blitz Bazawule’s adaptation doesn’t do anything different and has many plot holes in the writing. It’s a dull beat by beat remake with too many lukewarm musical numbers sprinkled all around that are rushed into and don't move the story along well. Because there are nearly 20 songs in this two and half hour long movie, it stalls the narrative and the pacing is way off. Fantasia is fine as Celie but you don't feel emotionally invested in her character. For example, the relationship between Celie and Shug Avery is largely skipped over and there's a musical sequence where they kiss each other but it's all very chased and not really explored a lot through conversation between them either and then when she leaves town and then comes back married to someone she doesn't even discuss it with her. The musical works better as a stage play, rather than as a movie. There are lots of glossy shots and not many memorable musical numbers that are suffocated by the sentimentality ad nauseam. Bazawule desperately wants to tear your heart out with these obvious cues and emotionally false moments which culminates with a rather sacrilegious conventional ending leaving and it just feels very rote. At the end of the day, this is a movie with brilliant actors singing songs and giving it their all, the most entertaining being Taraji P. Henson and the most powerful being Danielle Brooks' performance, but a musical with too many songs that could be trimmed down to 10 or 11 and very little dialogue or context to the songs for each scene that rushes from one musical sequence on the script page to the next in a way that doesn't really show the characters perspectives leaves the film disappointing.
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Production Company
Amblin Entertainment,
Canadian Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit (PSTC),
Harpo Films,
Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit,
Quincy Jones Productions,
Scott Sanders Productions,
Warner Bros.
Release Date Dec 25, 2023
Duration 2 h 21 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline A Bold New Take On The Beloved Classic
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 2 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Black Reel Awards
• 9 Wins & 19 Nominations
