PURPLE RAIN
It’s a testament to Prince’s musical genius that no one remembers Purple Rain
for the horrendous acting and blatant misogyny. If he hadn’t written
the greatest movie soundtrack of all time to go along with it, the film
would have ended up being his Cool as Ice. Don’t misread me: The
movie is great fun—mostly because of Morris Day—but it suffers from a
self-seriousness that also makes it unintentionally hilarious. It’s hard
not to laugh at the image of an enigmatic weirdo like Prince doing
anything halfway normal, so the tense dramatic scenes between him and
his screen parents can’t help but conjure giggles. (Just the idea of
Prince living at home makes me chuckle.) Of course, none of that really
matters: The reason Purple Rain rules is the scorching concert footage, the most electrifying ever depicted in a fictional motion picture.
- Showing at: Bagdad Theater. 8 pm Friday-Saturday, June 15-16.
- Best paired with: Bagdad Ale.
- Also showing: The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle (Hollywood Theatre. 9:30 pm Friday, June 15).
