As a teenager, I was a metalhead. I loved Rainbow, Scorpions, Van Halen, AC/DC…you get the idea. That’s why it was a miracle that I went to see Prince’s seminal film (okay, he didn’t make very many). That miracle, though, became an epiphany when Prince Rogers Nelson took the stage. We went to see Purple Rain four times that year and wore out the LP at home. I watched it recently with my wife and was surprised how broad and ridiculous the script and acting was (except for the under-rated Clarence Williams III as Prince’s dad) but the musical performances…that’s where it’s at. Prince took absolute control of every moment when he was performing, brash, profane, funny, heart-breaking, a tumult of sheer lavender energy. The icing on the proverbial cake doe me that year was nabbing tickets for the opening night of the Purple Rain tour, still one of the best concerts I’ve had the pleasure of attending.
6/10
Movie Of the Day 