PURPLE RAIN

There are vanity projects, and then there's PURPLE RAIN.

In his semi-autobiographical film debut, Prince stars as "The Kid," a hard luck boy from Minneapolis who dresses like a swarthy pirate and is desperate to catch his big break and launch his musical career. He's also desperate for love and really angry about his messed up parents (apparently their fighting sounds like doves crying, which is soooo annoying). He meets a girl, a beautiful young singer named Apollonia (played by... Apollonia) and it seems like everything might just work out... but of course it doesn't.

Basically, PURPLE RAIN is a showcase for Prince's musical numbers and his aforementioned swishy pirate regalia. Clunky and implausible, it probably should never have been green-lighted by any studio in its right mind. But thankfully it was. Not only was it just made, but it was a pretty big hit. And, because of the accompanying album, the world knows the glory of "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy," and of course, "Purple Rain."

"The best rock film since PINK FLOYD: THE WALL...A skillfull, exicting, personal film...One of the best combinations I've ever seen of rock music and drama" - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times