The Kid (Prince) is s wannabe pop star. Along with his band, The Revolution, he plays this lowly club on most nights to little fan-fare. His songs stink. The band dislikes his attitude and his 'stupid' songs. The management wants a new act to take over.
Still, The Kid won't give up his goal of being a great musician. Enter stage left Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero), a hot new singer with whom The Kid becomes smitten.
But things become tense between The Kid and almost everyone around him. His band mates want out. Apollonia joins a band and then takes the full wrath of The Kid's jealousy. His father can't control his temper and goes crazy with rage against his family. Worst of all, The Kid is loosing his chance to play some really good music.
Can The Kid pull off a miracle by salvaging his home life, making up with his band, writeing some good songs and becomeing the rock star it seems he is destined to become?
A smash hit in 1984, Purple Rain is a masterpiece. Not a masterpiece like oh, say, Casablanca, but a true cult classic. You get the idea. And yet, it's biography at it's best. Purple Rain tells the story of a small town rocker who wants to become big. It is the biopic story of Prince's life.
Great dramatic tension mixed together with memorable, well-written songs, Purple Rain is an incredible - not mention unique - movie experience. The fact that there are only two professional actors in the film is negligible because the cast is good anyway. No, they didn't deserve Oscar nominations for their performances (OK, maybe Clarence Williams III [The Kid's father] could have got one) but again, it doesn't matter.
It is Prince, however, who steals the show with his dramatic, over-the-top, flamboyant turn as The Kid, the struggling musician with that never say quit attitude. Not bad for a freshman actor's first motion picture.
Prince won the Oscar (Best Original Song Score) for Purple Rain, and it was richly deserved. The songs are all magical; they enhance the film like never before in any film. Sure, you might get one or maybe two good songs in a film, but here you have almost a dozen great songs all by Prince himself. What other film do you know of that can compare?
In the end, Purple Rain is a must-see for any Prince fan and, along the lines of Gimmie Shelter and This is Spinal Tap, a must see for any fan of Rock & Roll.
Plot: 
The story of Purple Rain is basically a biopic of Prince's own life with Prince playing Prince. However, Purple Rain is not unlike other rock biopics like Great Balls of Fire or Ray. The star starts out in the music biz and has a few stumbles before taking the long road to recovery and finally stardom.
Granted, this type of plot may be a tried-and-true formula, but it works when done well and here it was done very well. And of course, Prince steals the show.
Visual Effects:
The cinematography of Purple Rain is well done and could have received an Oscar nomination in it's own right. Although there are no 'visual effects' to speak of, the cinematography more than makes up for this.
Sound:
Like any great musical, Purple Rain is filled to the brim with wonderful tunes that comprise it's Oscar winning song score, thus making it a very special and unique movie experience. Songs like Purple Rain, Baby I'm a Star and the smash hit When Doves Cry, only serve to answer the question of why this is such a great film.
Character Development:
There is a very deep and emotional change throughout the film between The Kid and Apollonia, and we even see a slow, downward spiral in The Kid's father right up until the penultimate conclusion at the film's climax. Terrific dramatic tension throughout the film only enhances the changes in all the characters.
Atmosphere: 
Realism:
Prince made sure that this biopic of his life was accurate down to the last detail, even going as far as casting the actual people in his life! There are only two professional actors in the film (The Kid's parents); the rest are Prince's actual friends and band mates, the real people he hung out and worked with.
Warren’s Rating:
9.29/10 Is the movie worth your time to watch?
19-10-05
