The Color Purple movie was released in theaters on Christmas Day, December 25, 2023. The movie incorporates music, dance, and incredible storytelling to tell this inspiring tale about perseverance and the importance of sisterhood. 

Overview

The Color Purple is a musical film adaptation of the Broadway musical based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It’s directed by Bilitz Bazawule and produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, and Scott Sanders. The movie has a starstruck cast: Fantasia, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks, Corey Harwkins, Halle Bailey, etc.

Also, The Color Purple is a coming-of-age musical film mixed with drama and history. The movie is 2 hrs and 21 mins long. It’s available in theaters or on Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu for purchase. 

Plot Summary

The story follows the journey of an African-American woman named Ceile (Fantasia) growing up in the Jim Crow South. Celie lives with her loving sister Nettie and her abusive father. 

Her father forces her into an unwanted, abusive marriage with a man, “Mister” Albert (Domingo). Soon, Celie’s life becomes a series of unfortunate events. Her father takes away her babies, she’s torn apart from her sister, and enduring the physical and emotional turmoil involved with domestic abuse. 

Amid these hardships, she encounters many strong independent women including the fierce jazz singer Shug Avery (Henson) and defiant Sofia (Brooks) who’s not afraid to fight back. Having these strong female relationships encourages Celie to resist oppression and become courageous.

Rating

The Color Purple is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexual content, violence, and language. 

The sexual content is pretty moderate. There’s implied sex and some inappropriate references are made, but no type of nudity is shown. While the violence is tame, it can be very upsetting to some. The movie includes scenes of fights, domestic violence, rape, and racist violence.  

The movie contains intense scenes, discussing serious topics such as abuse, racism, sexism, and poverty. However, it also includes positive role models and messages the audience can take home. 

Opinion

Personally, I extremely enjoyed The Color Purple. The theatrical singing and dancing were phenomenal and unforgettable. The whole soundtrack is amazing, but my favorite song was “Hell No!” performed by Danielle Brooks who played Sofia (my favorite character). The movie focuses on overcoming adversities, highlighting the importance of community and faith. It inspires the audience to believe in the possibility of triumph over life’s obstacles. 

Many others shared their appreciation for the film such as junior, Trinity Del Socorro. She commented, “The Color Purple was so captivating and kept me at the edge of my seat. The music and dancing were my favorite part, especially the songs ‘Workin’ and ‘Hell No!'” Sophomore, Elyssah Chouloute expressed, “It was a very passionate movie that showed the struggles of Black people in the past. It’s easy to connect with the characters and you’ll be eager to see what’ll happen next. I would recommend and see again.” Freshman, Ava Harris thinks the movie “was beautiful.” but wishes “there were more happy Black movies.”

What I enjoyed the most was the celebration of sisterhood at the heart of the film. The strong female leads and the nearly all-Black cast were refreshing and inspiring to see as a young Black-American woman. The brilliant cast excellently challenged stereotypes and portrayed what it means to be strong and proud of who you are. Overall, The Color Purple was emotional, heart-warming, and is a must-see!