Hey, y’all! I’m back with my second round of Black History Month movie reviews, and this time, it’s all Prince movies! I bet y’all thought I wouldn’t be posting this soon, didn’t you?
Anyway, let’s get this doggone party started!
Purple Rain
Purple Rain tells the story of The Kid, a talented young musician that headlines at the famed First Avenue and 7th Street Entry club in Minneapolis, MN. However, when the lights go down at the club, The Kid has to face his personal issues, which include his turbulent home life and his disintegrating relationship with his bandmates. On top of everything, Morris Day, the lead singer of The Time and The Kid’s bitter rival, causes a major threat to The Kid’s career as well as his budding relationship with newcomer and aspiring singer Apollonia. Can The Kid overcome all the mishaps in his life, or will he succumb to them?
Purple Rain was Prince’s big debut into Hollywood—and dare I say, an introduction to some people that weren’t familiar with his music before the soundtrack was released—and he knocked it out of the park. When I was 13, I couldn’t wait to get home from school every day to watch my VHS version of Purple Rain for the umpteenth time. To this day, I get so much enjoyment from the movie.
Now, this isn’t to say that Purple Rain is a perfect film. Like most ’80s movies featuring our favorite musicians/performing artists, the acting isn’t exactly Oscar-worthy. However, I’ve seen much, much worse (The Legend of Hercules comes to mind). Also, The Kid can be a jerk at times. For the most part, he’s a good dude, but sometimes he treats Apollonia, Wendy, and Lisa like dirt. Also, the men treat women any ol’ kind of way in this film. As a teenager, I remember once reading excerpts from Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness by J. Randy Taraborelli, and in those excerpts, Mike was quoted talkin’ a lot of trash about Prince. But the one thing that Mr. Taraborelli claimed Mike said that I actually agreed with was that Prince treated the women in Purple Rain horribly. I couldn’t even get mad at that, because it was the truth. The only thing that would’ve made it more truthful was if he added Morris and Jerome’s name to that mix as well. Lastly, I always crack up when the clubgoers are supposed to start disliking Prince’s “bad” music, when we all know it’s phenomenal. Those are my only gripes with the film (and I always overlook the acting and the clubgoers turning on Prince). Thanks to the intense chemistry between Prince and Apollonia (you know, when he wasn’t actin’ an ass), Morris and Jerome’s hilarious scenes (namely the “What’s the password?” scene), and ALL the fantastic music, Prince’s movie premiere is a classic. Purple Rain is not only Prince’s very first film, it’s also his best, and it remains one of my favorites.
UNPOPULAR OPINION: Morris didn’t really have money like he claimed. Morris was actually hood rich with a sycophant (Jerome). He had a nice car, some nice clothes, and a driver, but if you notice at the start of the film, Morris’s apartment is nothing special (the building was prettier on the outside than the inside…much like some of the hotels you see on the Myrtle Beach strip), and he’s vacuuming his own floor. If he really was wealthy, ain’t no way in hell he’d be cleaning his own place!
Under the Cherry Moon
In Under the Cherry Moon, playboy Christopher Tracy and his partner, Tricky (Jerome Benton), spend their time in the French Riviera wooing rich and beautiful women, in hopes of marrying one of them for an easy payday. Yet and still, Christopher meets his match with billionaire heiress Mary Sharon (Kristin Scott-Thomas), and while seducing her to gain access to her $50M trust fund, Christopher genuinely falls in love in with her. This is much to the chagrin of Mary’s father, Isaac Sharon, and he does anything within his power to keep the two apart.
Under the Cherry Moon was critically panned when it was first released. The movie even won five Razzies. Five. Nonetheless, I’ve loved Under the Cherry Moon since I was 14 and there’s a ton of other Prince fans out there that feel the same way. A few weeks after Prince passed, Mr. Peter Sobcynzski wrote an article defending Under the Cherry Moon, and even went so far as to say that it was better than Purple Rain, and the reason so many people gave it such a hard time back in 1986 was due to the fact that they were expecting a Purple Rain 2. Now, I don’t exactly agree with the first sentiment, but I definitely agree with the second. Hell, even as a 7 yr. old child, I was expecting the movie to be another Purple Rain and was disappointed AF when that wasn’t the case. However, when I watched the movie again 7 yrs. later, I immensely enjoyed it for what it was: a quirky rom/com. Prince and Jerome make a great comedy duo as Christopher and Tricky, and I still crack up at their scenes (namely the “Wrecka Stow” part posted above. Sometimes I’ll even quote those lines at random moments).
Another aspect I adore about Under the Cherry Moon is the cinematography. It’s gorgeous. The use of black and white photography was very well done (I remember reading that the film was primarily shot in color and later processed in black and white), and the shots of the French Riviera were breathtaking. And let’s not forget the soundtrack! It’s everything! Even if you don’t like Prince’s movies, you have to admit the soundtracks are bussin’! Yes, Under the Cherry Moon has some flaws as well. There are some scenes that might be a little too artsy, and it would’ve been nice if Christopher and Mary’s romance was a bit more fleshed out. Other than that, I love this movie. If you’re a Prince fan, you definitely want to check it out.
Prince: Sign ‘o the Times
Prince: Sign o’ the Times is a concert movie filmed circa 1987 at Paisely Park studios, which features performances of tracks from Prince’s Sign o’ the Times album and some vignettes in between songs.
Sign o’ the Times is just a concert put to film, pure and simple. The interludes between the songs provide more of a theme to the concert than a real plot; a motif of love and relationships, namely between Prince, Brooks, and Cat. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing at all. Sign o’ the Times is actually a great film, and a fun ride. One thing about Prince…he could perform with the best of them. No matter how big or small the venue, whenever Prince was onstage, a good time was guaranteed. Sign o’ the Times is no exception, especially considering the fact that we were not only treated to a Prince concert, but he sang songs from the eponymous album that soon became one of his most revered bodies of work (with the exception of “Little Red Corvette,” which was from the 1999 album, another classic project). I still remember watching this film for the first time when I was 14. I couldn’t get enough of Prince onstage, and I hated when I had to eventually return to the tape to the rental store. God, I hate I never got to see him live.
One of the things that made the concert even more exciting was the scorching chemistry between Prince and Cat. Those two made a hot couple, and Cat is a hell of a dancer (plus she has a body that I could only wish for). I remember reading that Prince and Cat were only friends (it was also mentioned on this YouTube vid), much like Prince and Apollonia. It’s a trip that the two women that he had biggest sparks with never had a romantic connection with him in real life. As a matter of fact, around the time Sign o’ the Times was filmed, Prince was actually engaged to Sheila E., another bad chick featured in the film (I’ve been a fan of hers since kindergarten). Sheila’s impeccable percussion skills and kick ass drum solo provided more highlights to an already memorable concert. Plus, I loved those costumes she wore onstage. I wish they could’ve stayed together.
The only slight—and I do mean slight—issue I have with Sign o’ the Times is that near the middle of the concert, the video for “U Got the Look” is shown, and although the same stage setting is used, it’s clear that “U Got the Look” was filmed in a different location, thanks to the difference in the video resolution. As a result, it looks as if it were shoehorned in the film. Again, that’s not a real issue. To be honest, I never noticed the change with the video resolution until I did my rewatch for this review. “U Got the Look” has always been one of my favorite Prince songs, and I always enjoyed the video, so if it doesn’t match the rest of the film, so be it. I still have just as much fun watching this movie as I did when I was 14. Prince: Sign o’ the Times is a big recommend for all Prince fans or anyone that can appreciate a great show as well as musicianship.
Graffiti Bridge
The Kid and Morris return in 1991’s Graffiti Bridge. This time, the two rivals battle for control over The Kid’s club, Glam Slam. They also find themselves competing for the heart of Aura (Ingrid Chavez), a beautiful yet mysterious poet that just arrived in town. Will The Kid be able to keep his club and win Aura’s heart, or will Morris take over the Kid’s spot?
Last and least, we have Graffiti Bridge. Anyone that knows me and/or has been following my blog these past few years knows that this is my least favorite Prince film. I have to say that while rewatching this for my review, I was able to make some new observations. The first is that I know what Prince was going for…I think. He was trying to tell a modern-day parable of good vs. not-so-good (I wouldn’t go so far as to call Morris evil), complete with an angel from heaven trying to steer The Kid on the right path. Does that mean it executed well? No. The plot is barely there, and the movie is basically like an extended music video. The musical scenes in Graffiti Bridge don’t push the movie forward or enhance the storyline. They’re just there. Ingrid is a very pretty woman, and she and Prince have some cute scenes together. However, they don’t have the same spark as he did with Apollonia, and her absence is missed. On a side note, according to Apollonia, Prince asked her to be a part of Graffiti Bridge, but after reading the script, she let him know it was a piece of shit. 😂💩
Another thing I noticed during my rewatch was the strange cinematography. There were random scenes that utilized handheld cameras for no apparent reason, and the shaky cam was unnecessary. The movie set bugged me too, but that’s something that’s always bothered me about this film, even when I was a child. There is a Seven Corners in Minneapolis, but from what I’ve seen it looks nothing like the super artificial and manufactured neighborhood that exists in the Graffiti Bridge universe. It reminded me of the dark TV studio sets used on the final season of the Batman series from the ’60s. Both Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge were shot in Minneapolis, but Purple Rain consistently used shots of the actual city and surrounding areas. There’s only a few times we see the real Minneapolis in Graffiti Bridge, and it’s a welcome relief from the dark and claustrophobic world The Kid and Morris seem to reside in. The only thing is, if you blink, you’ll miss it.
Allow me to touch on the plot again: not only is it nearly non-existent, but it makes very little sense. Morris apparently has controlling interest over all the clubs in Seven Corners except Glam Slam, but if The Kid gives up his club, Morris will have full control over all of them. What? How? I must have missed something. Also, Billy (the manager of First Avenue in Purple Rain) apparently gifted Morris and The Kid their respective clubs after he passed, which is another thing I didn’t like about the movie. To be clear, I didn’t like that Billy died, not that he inherited his clubs to The Kid and Morris (that was actually pretty sweet of him). Also, there’s a scene where Morris has some of the club owners sign over their clubs to him so he can get all their money. If you think that’s crazy, how ’bout George Clinton, who also had a bit part in the movie as a club owner, actually signs that contract. Why’d you have to make George a punk, Prince? I also didn’t like the scene where Morris and Jerome drug Aura’s drink. Thankfully, Morris doesn’t force himself on her once she passes out, but he and Jerome aren’t beyond trying to cop a feel. Even The Kid contemplates it after rescuing her from Morris’s clutches, but better judgement prevails (in all honestly, the aftermath of The Kid thwarting Morris and Jerome’s misdeeds provides one of the most genuinely funny scenes of the movie).
There are some good things about Graffiti Bridge. Prince was too adorable in this movie! I lived for his long, flowing hair. Also, The Kid wasn’t as much of a dick in Graffiti Bridge as he was in Purple Rain. Another thing that intrigued me is that The Kid and Jill are apparently in a relationship at the start of the film, but Jill drops The Kid like a bad habit during the opening credits. In case y’all don’t remember who Jill is, she’s the blonde waitress in Purple Rain that was clearly crushin’ on The Kid. Too bad her expectations weren’t met when she finally landed the man of her dreams. Of course, the best thing about the movie is the soundtrack. Once again, even if you don’t care for a certain Prince film, you can’t deny that the music is on point. Not only that, but I liked how they showed scenes of Prince producing his songs with his PC, which was unheard of in 1991 (especially with a Windows program that had to be started up via DOS). Sometimes I wonder if Prince had some sort of ESP. Although this movie wasn’t great, I love that it provided us with timeless gems like “Thieves in the Temple,” “Joy in Repetition,” and “The Question of U.” I can’t say that I recommend this one, but if you want to enjoy some good music, or just see Prince showcase one of his best looks, fast forward to the musical scenes.
ANOTHER EXTRA TREAT: Y’all won’t believe this, but while I was looking up GIFs for Graffiti Bridge, I learned that before any of these films were even spoken into existence, Prince was toying with the idea of making a film entitled Second Coming. Knowing Prince, and after seeing the footage, it appears the title is a sort of double entendre regarding sex and spirituality. Unfortunately, there’s no audio for the scenes, but just seeing the clips for the defunct movie are sweet! Check it out!
—Written by Nadiya
What did you think of Prince’s films? Which was your favorite? Which was your least favorite? Did you agree or disagree with my assessments of the movies? If Second Coming ever saw the light of day, would you go see it? Let me know in the comments section!
Insights from a Southern Girl 