“Purple Rain”: Worth watching only for music

After one of the most talented musicians of the last century, Prince, died, it might seem fitting to revisit his most memorable film “Purple Rain.” It would be indeed a great idea, if only the film was not a complete failure.

The soundtrack is the only reason to see the film. It showcases Prince’s talent as a musician and lyricist, including hits such as “Let’s go crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “I Would Die 4 U” and even the controversial “Darling Nikki.” Almost every song off the record is considered a masterpiece and was a commercial success. The fact the film won the Oscars for Best Music and Best Original Score in 1985 is a testament to its music’s success.

Regardless of how great the soundtrack is, “Purple Rain” is a complete failure from a cinematic standpoint. The movie is bad but not “Showgirls” bad where it is actually fun to watch. I am talking Mariah Carey “Glitter” bad; it is almost unwatchable.

The movie has almost no plot. The closest thing resembling a story line is the troubled life of a Minneapolis musician and club performer the Kid, his relationships with music and coming singer Apollonia. A rival musician, Morris, tries to steal both Apollonia’s heart and musical career from the Kid.

Not only is the story cliched, but the dialogue is atrocious and one dimensional. Throughout the entire film, characters ask questions without getting any responses from the other characters. With nothing but rhetorical questions for communication, the amount of dialogue flow between characters goes down to zero.

Prince is easily one of the sexiest and most charismatic performers of all time, yet the only time he shows any sex appeal in the film is when he is performing one of his smash hits. When he and Apollonia are on screen together, there is absolutely no chemistry embodied by Prince. The sex scene is extremely uncomfortable to watch, and the kissing between the two stars is not just unsexy, but forced and unnatural. It is like watching my fellow gay friends struggle to kiss a girl.

The acting isn’t terrible. It is just non-existent. With such a limited script, the actors have nothing to work with.

When Prince isn’t performing , he delivers his lines and then looks off into the distance with his smoldering eyes. This is pretty much the extent of his acting in this movie. This is actually the extent of everyone else’s acting in this movie.

The Kid’s abusive father, played by Clarence Williams, is the only example of good acting. The character has no name and is credited as the Father. In one of the only scenes that shows emotional depth, the father breaks down after a heated battle with his wife and urges the Kid “to never get married.” Williams shows his character’s vulnerability and proves he is a capable actor. Thankfully, he moved on to better scripted films and has a successful career as a supporting actor.

If there was an edited version of the film without dialogue and other non-musical parts, I would revisit it over and over again.

“ Purple Rain” will not go down in history as one of the greatest rock movies of all time, even though Prince’s music for the film will.

Thankfully, I have the “Purple Rain” soundtrack in my musical library. Whenever I want revel in Prince’s musical genius, all I have to do is is press play.