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The Color Purple

Play trailer Poster for The Color Purple PG-13 1985 2h 33m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
72% Tomatometer 127 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.
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The Color Purple

The Color Purple

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Critics Consensus

It might have been better served by a filmmaker with a deeper connection to the source material, but The Color Purple remains a worthy, well-acted adaptation of Alice Walker's classic novel.

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Critics Reviews

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Dorothy Gilliam Washington Post 05/31/2023
I anxiously awaited the coming of this movie. Last week I saw it, and I was not disappointed. Indeed, when it concluded, I stood up and cheered. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 05/31/2023
4/4
It is a great, warm, hard, unforgiving, triumphant movie, and there is not a scene that does not shine with the love of the people who made it. Go to Full Review
Anne Marie Biondo Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com 05/31/2023
4/4
The Color Purple is easily the best movie of the year. Go to Full Review
Yasser Medina Cinefilia Mar 20
6/10
Despite featuring committed performances from Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover, it's a Spielberg rural drama that tends to become redundant in exploring its themes of racism, misogyny, and systemic abuse. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Sue Heal Radio Times 04/04/2024
4/5
Whoopi Goldberg is wonderful in the lead, Danny Glover and Margaret Avery are sublime, and watch out for a pre-TV-fame Oprah Winfrey playing very out of character. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 01/01/2024
7/10
Celie’s journey, though wrought with hardships, is thought-provoking, educational, nerve-wracking and, finally, wholesome and triumphant. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Isabella H @MrsHamilton 1d This is truly one of the best films I have ever seen. This is the oldest movie that I have watched, so I was a tad bit unsure of what it would be like, but I was pleasantly surprised. After finishing the novel, I watched this and thought it was a brilliant adaptation. Whoopi Goldberg was the perfect choice to play Celie. She captured her nervous energy perfectly. I was blown away by Oprah Winfrey's performance as Sofia. They couldn't have found somebody better to play her. Especially in the scene where she gets assaulted. My heart broke for her. It was horrifying and incredibly confronting. Margaret Avery was brilliant as Shug. Also just realized that she shares the same last name as the character she plays! A sign that it was meant to be! The actress that played young Nettie was absolutely brilliant. The best child actor I've seen. My heart broke when she had to leave Celie. Absolutely heart wrenching. This is a must watch for everyone! 5 stars. If you loved this movie read the book. See more Adam K @SunsetLonerCinema 2d Great performances and a quality in filmmaking are certainly not abandoned, even if Spielberg may not have been the best filmmaker to take it its sensitive and important thematic material. See more Chris B @Papa13070 May 20 Alice Walker's epic novel is put on the big-screen by director Steven Spielberg and the results are excellent. The film deals with the maturity and independence of a mistreated black woman (Whoopi Goldberg in an Oscar-nominated role) from the years 1909 to 1947. The audience gets to experience all of her triumphs and tragedies through the film's running time. A very strong cast of supporting players make the film memorable as well. Danny Glover, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong, Margaret Avery, and Oprah Winfrey (the last two Oscar-nominated) all shine with the great screenplay and Spielberg's subtle direction. Somewhat forgotten on Spielberg's list of credits, but still one of his very best films. See more Kalissa H. @kali_416 Jan 25 Amazing. I did not move the whole movie. The acting was amazing. The story was sad. One of the best. See more Tyler G @tylergross121 Sep 14 If you have watched Spiel start-to-now, it is amazing he made this movie. It has all of his style and affecting moments. Some of the acting performances are top tier and unsurprising they launched stars. Still, it has glaring weaknesses. The score is so bad. The depiction of sexuality, while i get he needed to "keep it PG", reflect an author who has almost no real-life expoure to sex or queerness. I have very mixed emotions about this movie. See more Eric W. @Jtuess Aug 13 Absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking. It’s disturbing to me that so many people protested this film. It’s also a snapshot of Oprah and Whoopie before they were losing their marbles. See more Read all reviews
The Color Purple

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Movie Info

Synopsis An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.
Director
Steven Spielberg
Producer
Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy
Screenwriter
Alice Walker, Menno Meyjes
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers, Guber-Peters Company, Amblin Entertainment
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 18, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$93.4M
Runtime
2h 33m
Sound Mix
Surround