The Color Purple review: Alice Walker's epistolary novel gets the musical treatment
Blitz Bazawule's 'all-singing, all-sobbing weepie' is filled with sequins and some 'uproarious choreography'
"It's been two weeks since 'Mean Girls', and here we go again," said Kevin Maher in The Times: another "film adaptation of a stage musical adaptation of an original, much-adored movie". And beneath it all, there is Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. But in this version, "Walker's poetic prose, religious themes and epistolary structure" have vanished, under a "plethora of incongruous show tunes".
So, as in the book, the resilient Celie (Fantasia Barrino) is repeatedly raped by her stepfather in early 20th century Georgia, and forced to give up the babies she bears as a result – but "now she intersperses the torture with jazzy dance routines". And when she is sold to the deranged Mister (Colman Domingo), who tries to rape her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) then "beats Celie into a stupor over the next three decades", she has "some nifty melodies for comfort".
The cast are "fine", and director Blitz Bazawule does bring "pizzazz" to the film, but "'Historical Racism: The Feelgood Musical' was always going to be a hard sell".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's not a subtle film, said Robbie Collin in The Daily Telegraph: "an all-singing, all-sobbing weepie", it is filled with sequins and features some "uproarious choreography". But its "suite of soul, R&B and gospel numbers" will have you "bopping along"; and though it's pretty saccharine, I "snaffled up" every minute of it.
Of all the adaptations of Walker's book I've seen, this is my favourite, said Kyle Smith in The Wall Street Journal. Sure, the characters are "broadly drawn", but the film "elicits all the hugs and tears you could expect from holiday entertainment, and then some".
Sign up to The Week's Arts & Life newsletter for more reviews and recommendations.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is Marjorie Taylor Greene finished?
Talking Point Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson failed, but it still left many of her fellow Republicans furious
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Google unveils 'AI overviews' atop search results
Speed Read Users of the search engine in the US will now get AI-generated answers first
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Georgia erupts in fury as 'Russian law' passes
Speed Read The "foreign influence" bill is reminiscent of legislation Putin previously passed, with the intent to silence critics
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Long Island: a 'magnificent sequel' to Brooklyn
The Week Recommends Colm Tóibín follow-up shows his fascinations with 'secrets and the people who hold them in'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
If comedy gives lessons, you're doing it wrong
Opinion Jerry Seinfeld wonders if his show would have made it in our moralistic era
By Mark Gimein Published
-
6 unique homes with an A-frame design
Feature Featuring a smart home in Vermont and a wall of windows in Wisconsin
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cynthia Carr's 6 favorite books that explore social issues
Feature The former culture writer recommends works by Ling Ma, Olga Tokarczuk, and more
By The Week US Published
-
One great cookbook: Madhur Jaffrey's 'Vegetarian India'
The Week Recommends The 2015 tome will reshape how you think about both vegetables and Indian food
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
The Idea of You review: 'impossible escapism' starring Anne Hathaway
The Week Recommends Steamy romcom about a 40-year-old who falls for a boy band singer
By The Week UK Published
-
Expressionists: a 'rousing' exhibition at the Tate Modern
The Week Recommends Show mixes 'ferociously glowing masterpieces' from Kandinsky with less well-known artwork
By The Week UK Published
-
The Mighty Five: a guide to Utah's mesmerizing national parks
The Week Recommends From Arches to Zion, you should wander them all
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published