Movies
“The Color Purple” Strikes An Odd Tone
The Color Purple (2023) had been on my to-do list for a long time.
“A woman faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.”
Director: Blitz Bazawule
Writers: Marcus Gardley, Alice Walker, Marsha Norman
Cast: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Halle Bailey
Release Date: December 25, 2023
IMDB
For context’s sake, I have not read Alice Walker’s novel, nor have I seen Marsha Norman’s musical stage play or Steven Speilberg’s 1985 cinematic telling of The Color Purple. Personally, I knew nothing leading into this newest telling of the well-treasured story. Fresh eyes only, for better, or for worse.
The Color Purple follows the story of Celie from a young age to adulthood. We meet her while she is being abused by her father and continue to follow her on a tough life journey. Celia is forced into an unloving marriage with Mister, which is made worse tenfold when she loses all contact with her sister, Nettie, the one source of hope she grew up with.
Celie’s perception of life changes when the characters of Shug Avery and Sofia are introduced into her life. Shug, played by Taraji P. Henson, is a regionally known singer who has had success betting on herself. She carries herself with confidence and shows Celie that women can make their way in the world with the power of passion.
Danielle Brooks plays Sofia, the most engaging character in The Color Purple. Sofia is loud, proud, and remarkably outspoken. Her relationship with Celie is odd at first, but Celie eventually comes to love Sofia because of the confidence she embraces in everyday life.
The Color Purple’s most outstanding and arguably important character garnered the only Oscar nomination for the film. Brooks has lived with Celie for years; back in 2015, she began playing the same part on Broadway. Brooks was Tony-nominated for her efforts, but there were still nerves on the set for the Orange Is The Black breakout star. Oprah Winfrey played the part of Sofia in Spielberg’s adaption, and being a producer, the entrepreneur was on set for most of the movie’s filming. Imagine trying to get comfortable playing a character with the previous actor smiling at you through those iconic glasses.
But let’s get back to the motion picture itself. We have gotten this far in the blog post without mentioning that The Color Purple is a musical. The choice…is a choice. It affects the movie’s pace, emotions, and overall impact. The story delves into very serious topics, but none of the emotions elicited permanently stick. The Color Purple moves along like it is hitting markers on a timeline with the musical moments acting as entertainment buffers amidst the drama unfolding.
The ending of The Color Purple is a massive kumbaya moment, to which I was both unsurprised and disappointed. The character of Celie forgives everyone, including Mister, which I don’t fully understand or endorse. But it’s all smiles and rainbows when grown-up Nettie shows up underneath the fantastical picnic tree. Sisters reuniting having each gone through their journeys of growing up.
Is The Color Purple a bad movie? No, it isn’t. The tone of the story is strange. It seems as if it is meant to be a story that’s well worth diving into once, but hard to rewatch because of the hardships. Like a horror movie that’s too scary to watch again, or a Manchester By The Sea (2016) type of heaviness that is too emotionally heavy to carry again. This variation of The Color Purple tries to make it into a family affair with lessons worth celebrating, and that’s just hard to fathom.
The Color Purple (2023) had been on my to-do list for a long time. It feels good to knock it off the list. It was the last movie I took copious notes on before my life flipped upside down. It isn’t the best movie, but I stand pat thinking that its ill-conceived notion sinks the film more than horrendous execution.
The Color Purple is streaming on Max.
STANKO RATING: C+
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