The Color Purple

We are in the middle of the awards season. Critics are starting to release their winners and nominees and it is the only contender that has been completely embargoed. What is the reason for this? Is it simply not as good as the hype? Are they actually waiting until December 25th? (Which would be bad strategy imo) was Barbie simply their first priority and we just overestimated how hard the studios will be pushing for it? Or did Barbie’s box office success lead them to change course and “forget” about The Color Purple. Is it a combination of these or is it something else entirely???

What are your thoughts?

I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.

Rotten Tomatoes: Certified Fresh

Critics Consensus: Building on the legacy of the previous film adaptation while incorporating elements of the stage musical, The Color Purple is a crowd-pleasing testament to resilience in the face of trauma.

Metacritic: 70 (34 Reviews)

Sample Reviews:

“The Color Purple” [feels] even more monumental than it did in Spielberg’s hands. And that’s saying something, since the director brought such an iconic touch to the material that his choices echo in Bazawule’s approach throughout. - Peter Debruge, Variety

The prevailing takeaway is its resounding themes of spirituality, self-discovery, redemption and resilience. - David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

From a huge Gramophone to a dizzying array of showstopping pants, the movie musical of “The Color Purple” may be a different experience than previous versions but it’s no less breathtaking or vital. 3.5/4 - Brian Truitt, USA Today

Whenever [Colman] Domingo is on-screen, he commands your attention, a triple threat of singer, dancer and actor. 2.5/4 - Pat Padua, Washington Post

On the whole, I was gripped. Yet by the end it’s clear that the story remains slippery to would-be adapters. - Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times

Of all the versions I’ve seen, the latest one is the best, a holiday spectacle bursting with spirited sisterhood. Its characters may be broadly drawn, but their sorrows and triumphs come across with more feeling than ever. - Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal

Bazawule’s “Color Purple” fuses song and stunning Georgia scenery into a freshly inspirational cinematic being that, unlike much of what’s been released this year, will strongly appeal to most ticket-buyers. 3.5/4 - Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post

“The Color Purple” does everything a big-studio movie-musical is supposed to. 2.5/4 - Rafer Guzman, Newsday

A flawed film with some bright spots... 2.5/4 - Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

“The Color Purple” ultimately works far better in pieces than as a whole. Considering those pieces contain some of the best moments I’ve seen in 2023, I’m able to put my concerns aside as a mildly nagging uncertainty. 3.5/4 - Odie Henderson, Boston Globe

Ultimately, the new life in this adaptation of The Color Purple is still worth revisiting, with performances from a stacked ensemble that help the film rise above being a straightforward adaptation. 4/5 - Alejandra Martinez, Austin Chronicle

At a whopping two hours and 20 minutes, it never drags. The music propels the story instead of interrupting. Meanwhile, the performances will have you gasping and cheering. 4.5/5 - Meredith G. White, Arizona Republic

Bazawule slowly but surely lifts us up, letting us soar with the cast by the end. 3/4 - Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

If you get restless near the beginning of the musical version of "The Color Purple," rest assured: It improves. 2.5/4 - Chris Hewitt, Minneapolis Star Tribune

A rousing show-stopper of a movie musical that doesn’t top the emotional heights reached in the novel or the original film, but offers more than enough spirited performances and sassy dance and song numbers that you won’t mind. 3.5/4 - Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News

As the number Keep It Movin’ reminds the characters, “Life can never break your soul.” But this version of The Color Purple cannot find the right mix of the latter to ensure the former. - Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail

There’s no doubting the sledgehammer force of Barrino, Henson and Brooks as the three women who win out. 3/5 - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

This is an all-singing, all-sobbing weepie with sequins, featuring comedy, uproarious choreography, and a suite of soul R&B and gospel numbers that will have you bopping along in your seat. 4/5 - Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK)

There's enough here to recommend it to anyone who's loved some previous version of the original story. - Aisha Harris, NPR

Straight through to the big finish with a spiritual song and a warm family reunion, The Color Purple is shameless in its wish to be loved by audiences. That may be calculated, but the strategy works in this vivid, alternate take on a classic story. 4/5 - Caryn James, BBC.com

If there’s no other reason for this movie to exist, permanently capturing Barrino’s performance is sufficient. B - Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly

It’s an adaptation that sands narrative edges and rushes through things, but also captures a spirit universal to all Color Purple iterations, while providing a sturdy showcase for the rousing songs... - Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

As the picture navigates its plot twists and reaches its moving finale, the tonal discrepancies begin to feel insignificant. - Tim Grierson, Screen International

There’s so much to see in “The Color Purple” that this critic made the rare choice to see the film twice before reviewing it. The experience deepens, in both good and bad ways, with a second watch. B - Kate Erbland, indieWire

Barrino barely gets out from under the long and formidable shadow of Goldberg’s star-making performance. She delivers “I’m Here” with clear voice and potent emotion, but the indifferent framing doesn't do much to keep the performance in memory. C - Murtada Elfadl AV Club

The film lacks the passion and the perspective to make the words and tunes truly resonate. 2/4 - Keith Uhlich, Slant Magazine

Resonates powerfully both as an emotional drama and as a welcome addition to the movie-musical canon. - Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict

The problem stems from the source from which this version is adapted—the musical. Taking out the emotional core of the story--the horrific suffering of the protagonists--in place of song and dance, does just that-eliminate the emotional core of the story. C+ - J. Don Birnam, Above the Line

A stunning hybrid that combines the visceral meditations of the written word with the thunderous energy of musical performance. 3.5/4 - Peyton Robinson, RogerEbert.com

Henson shines by seeing depths of Shug’s hurt. She takes Shug’s bisexuality seriously, even within the in-between beats of what’s not on the page. - Carmen Phillips, Autostraddle

Redemption is this film’s secret weapon. It’s a feminist fable that’s inspiring in all ways possible. 3.5/4 - Dwight Brown, DwightBrownInk.com

SYNOPSIS:

Warner Bros. Pictures invites you to experience the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond in “The Color Purple.”

CAST:

• Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery

• Danielle Brooks as Sofia

• Colman Domingo as Albert "Mister" Johnson

• Corey Hawkins as Harpo Johnson

• H.E.R. as Squeak / Mary Agnes

• Halle Bailey as Nettie Harris

• Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Mama

• Fantasia Barrino as Celie Harris-Johnson

DIRECTED BY: Blitz Bazawule

PRODUCED BY: Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones

SCREENPLAY BY: Marcus Gardley

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY: Alice Walker

BASED ON THE MUSICAL STAGE PLAY, BOOK (OF THE MUSICAL STAGE PLAY) BY: Marsha Norman

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Carla Gardini, Mara Jacobs, Adam Fell, Courtenay Valenti, Sheila Walcott, Michael Beugg

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Dan Laustsen

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Paul Denham Austerberry

EDITED BY: Jon Poll

CHOREOGRAPHER: Fatima Robinson

COSTUMES DESIGNED BY: Francine Jamison-Tanchuck

MUSIC SUPERVISORS: Jordan Carroll, Morgan Rhodes

MUSIC BY: Kris Bowers

EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCERS: Nick Baxter, Stephen Bray, Blitz Bazawule

RUNTIME: 141 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: December 25, 2023