By Melissa Antoinette Garza
As of late, the focus of my reviews have been on movies that I adore. I really haven’t ventured into new territory, all that much. I haven’t wanted to. With all the vitriolic hatred in the world right now, these beloved classic films are like a nice warm blanket, and I’m using them as a shield against the current reality. When the world gets too heinous, drown yourself in something you love. It is in sticking with that philosophy that I’m diving head first into PURPLE RAIN (1984).
We follow The Kid (Prince), a musical genius, who rocks out the nightclub and has fans cheering him on at every performance. It’s not all roses as The Kid has a bad home life that results in him having bad relationships with his band members and girlfriend.
The Kid’s father (Clarence Williams III) is an abusive drunk and his mother (Olga Karlatos) remains in the vicious cycle of abuse. Dare I say, this is what happens when doves cry? The Kid does his best to stop the violence at home, but it takes his toll on him. He becomes controlling and refuses to compromise with the other members of the band.
When he meets Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero), he falls fast. He’s coy, but charming. Apollonia is definitely interested, but also wants to launch her own career. The two embark on a wild, sexually charged adventure. Things are going good, until Morris (Morris Day) who is the lead singer of a rival band, starts flirting with Apollonia. The Kid gets jealous and insecure. His feigned confidence exposed, he acts like a child and pushes her away.
After a near fatal family tragedy, The Kid reassesses his life and puts his priorities in order. Despite the dark tones and themes, PURPLE RAIN is uplifting.
The Kid is sympathetic and even when he’s acting like a complete douche, one gets where he’s coming from, until he slaps Apollonia (sidenote: fuck him for that). At that moment, he is devastatingly turning into his father. He feels as though he has zero control at home so he tries to control everything around him. His parents never provided a trustworthy environment so he is automatically suspicious of everyone. Anyone who came from a damaged home will understand this. It took me years of therapy to get beyond mistrust and paranoia. So, at least for me, even when I hate The Kid’s actions, I like the character.
In one of the best scenes in the movie, band members Wendy (Wendy Melvoin) and Lisa (Lisa Coleman) want The Kid to use their music. He refuses and acts like an ass. Wendy is fabulously strong and calls him out for his bullshit. Lisa makes her position clear as she storms out with Wendy. The men in the band immediately fold and side with The Kid. As a girl in the 80s, seeing these punk rock dames stand stronger, than their male counterparts, meant a lot. I love female expressions of assertiveness done in a fantastically badass way. Wendy knew her music was awesome and she knew that she had proven her loyalty to The Kid. She felt she was worthy of more respect and she goddamn demanded it! I love her.
It goes without saying that the music is fantastic. Most of the songs are classics and Prince is PRINCE! I mean he changed his name into a symbol and still couldn’t get people to stop talking about him. He’s sensationally sexy and bad and one of the last real raw performers we had. I like to think of him, Bowie, Freddie Mercury and Klaus Nomi rock’n the hell out of heaven on some amazingly high clouds.
Down on planet earth, we can still enjoy the performances we have, and there are some amazing ones in this. Of course, the rival band, Morris Day and The Time, have some stage numbers as well. I love them so much! Some of my earliest crushes were on both Morris Day and Prince. As much as I enjoyed the fabulous love scenes between Prince and Apollonia, my little fanfic mind goes to the possibility of a whole different romance. Morris and The Kid could have been something spectacular!
Everyone does a sensational job in this. Two characters that I often see overlooked in reviews are Clarence Williams III and Olga Karlatos. Their toxic chemistry together makes for some intense viewing. The unaffected way in which they approached their roles is compelling. I know it’s difficult to get beyond the primary plot, but some reverence needs to be paid to Williams and Karlatos. It is gut-wrenching to see their story play out. One can nearly guess the way in which the relationship between the characters will devolve, yet when watching it, none of it seems expected. It’s all so genuinely raw.
Though, it isn’t currently streaming for free, digital copies are pretty cheap and the DVDs are even cheaper.
Scared Stiff Rating: 9/10
