Movie Review: Purple Rain (1984)

★★★★★

Purple Rain is all vibes. Prince absolutely owns every scene, music, style, drama; it’s got it all.

Nina J.

Connecticut

Some films feel like lightning in a bottle, a perfect mix of artist, moment, and cultural mood. Purple Rain is one of those rare cases. It’s not just a vehicle for Prince’s music; it’s a film that captures the spirit of the mid-80s music scene while giving us an intimate, if fictionalized, glimpse into the mind of a performer who was redefining pop stardom.

Watching it again for BoxReview.com, I was reminded that Purple Rain works on two levels: as an extended music video experience and as a surprisingly human drama about growth and forgiveness.

The Premise: More Than a Stage Show

Prince plays “The Kid,” a gifted but troubled Minneapolis musician fronting The Revolution. He’s brilliant on stage but closed off and temperamental off it, struggling with a volatile home life and clashing egos in the club scene.

When a talented newcomer, Apollonia (played by Apollonia Kotero), enters his life, The Kid’s romantic and creative world gets even more complicated. Rival musician Morris Day (playing himself with gleeful arrogance) schemes to push The Kid out of the spotlight, while The Kid wrestles with his own demons and pride.

The story’s arc is classic rock-star melodrama: will the talent survive the self-sabotage? But what makes it interesting is how messy and imperfect it feels; the film doesn’t try to sand down The Kid’s flaws.

Prince as The Kid: Art Imitating Life

Prince’s screen presence is fascinating. He’s not an actor in the traditional sense, but that actually works in the movie’s favor. His line deliveries can be stiff, but his eyes do the heavy lifting, a mix of vulnerability, defiance, and wounded pride.

And then there’s the stage work. The live performances are electrifying, captured with an immediacy that makes you feel like you’re right there at First Avenue, the legendary Minneapolis club where much of the film was shot. These sequences aren’t just filler; they’re where The Kid reveals what he can’t say out loud.

Apollonia Kotero: More Than the Love Interest

Most reviews reduce Apollonia’s role to “Prince’s on-screen girlfriend,” but there’s more going on. She’s the emotional counterpoint to The Kid, ambitious in her own right, unwilling to sit in the passenger seat of his life. Her storyline about joining Morris Day’s act is one of the film’s most interesting threads, showing the professional risks and gender politics of the 80s music industry.

Morris Day & Jerome Benton: The Comedy Duo That Steals Scenes

One of the film’s smartest choices was letting Morris Day and Jerome Benton play up their real-life stage personas. Every time they’re on screen, they bring a dose of theatrical comedy that breaks up the heavier moments.

And here’s something that often gets overlooked: their rivalry with The Kid isn’t pure villainy. Morris isn’t trying to destroy him; he’s playing the same game everyone else in the Minneapolis scene is playing.

The Real Star: The Music

We can’t talk about Purple Rain without talking about the soundtrack. “Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “I Would Die 4 U,” “Baby I’m a Star,” and, of course, “Purple Rain,” it’s basically a greatest-hits album wrapped inside a narrative.

But the way these songs are integrated is what makes the film special. They aren’t just background; they advance the plot, reveal character emotions, and give you insight into The Kid’s internal battles. “Purple Rain,” performed in the film’s climax, feels like both an apology and a release.

Underappreciated Element: Minneapolis as a Character

Most rock musicals are set in New York, L.A., or some vague “big city.” Purple Rain plants itself firmly in Minneapolis, and it matters. The snowy streets, small-club atmosphere, and tight-knit music scene give the story a sense of place that’s often missing in the genre.

First Avenue, the club where The Kid performs, isn’t a set; it’s a real venue, and the authenticity shows. The crowd reactions, the stage setup, and the backstage clutter are all lived-in and believable.

The Drama Behind the Music

Beneath the leather, lace, and smoke machines, Purple Rain is about breaking cycles. The Kid’s home life with a physically abusive father and a mother who feels trapped mirrors his own toxic relationship patterns. The emotional core of the movie is his learning to open up and not repeat those mistakes.

It’s a heavier theme than you’d expect from a film remembered mostly for its fashion and music, but it’s what gives the final act its emotional punch.

Direction and Style

Directed by Albert Magnoli, the film has a raw, almost documentary feel in the performance sequences, contrasted with a heightened, music-video style in some dramatic moments. The editing lingers just long enough on Prince’s expressions during performances to let the music tell the story.

The cinematography makes strong use of shadows and stage lighting, which gives the film a moody, almost noir texture during the off-stage scenes.

Why Purple Rain Still Works

Sure, some of the dialogue feels dated and the acting uneven, but the film’s energy is timeless. It’s a time capsule of 1984 music culture, fashion, and performance, and it still feels alive because the emotions it deals with (jealousy, ambition, reconciliation) are universal.

Also, in the era of overproduced concert films, Purple Rain reminds us how powerful it is to see an artist at their rawest, with minimal camera tricks.

Final Thoughts

Purple Rain isn’t just a Prince movie, it’s a document of an artist fully in control of his vision, flaws and all. It’s got romance, rivalry, style, and some of the best live music sequences ever put to film.

If you’ve only heard the soundtrack, you’re missing half the story. And if you’ve seen the movie but haven’t revisited it in years, it’s worth another look, not just for the music, but for the very human story running underneath the purple lights.