Purple Rain (1984)

Directed by Albert Magnoli. Starring Prince, Apollonia, Morris Day, Jill Jones, Jerome Benton, Clarence Williams III, Billy Sparks, Olga Karlatos, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman. [R]

In his film acting debut, Prince is “the Kid,” a young musician trying to make it big at a local club where he’s in competition with other regular acts. His emotionally turbulent life includes drama with his family, a pretty newcomer on the scene (Apollonia), his band, etc.; music is his outlet, though, and when he’s onstage, he’s electrifying. Prince may not rate much as an actor (aside from inadvertent comedian), but the cat’s got screen presence, even when playing someone who’s not especially likable or interesting outside the club; as for the story he picked as a vehicle for superstardom, it’s built out of underfed clichés and tepid melodrama, but the concert numbers are too exhilarating to care all that much—the star’s “Minnesota Sound” fusion of funk, rock, R&B, and pop is simply irresistible. A few other artists also appear in support, most notably Day, who was amazingly willing to play “himself” as a clownish lout, even ordering one of his bandmate flunkies (Benton) to literally throw an angry woman into a trash bin(!); he and his group, the Time, perform two songs (“Jungle Love,” “The Bird”). Final-to-date Oscar winner in the category of Original Song Score (even though, absurdly, none of the classic tunes—“Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “I Would Die 4 U,” the title track, etc.—received individual nods).

67/100