Movie · 1985 · Drama, History · 2h 34m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 7.6/10 (238.6K ratings)
It's about life. It's about love. It's about us.
Overview
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing 'Mister' Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.6/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.93/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 78
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director
Steven Spielberg
Production
Amblin Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, The Guber-Peters Company, Quincy Jones Productions
Cast
Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Willard E. Pugh, Akosua Busia, Desreta Jackson, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong, Dana Ivey, Leonard Jackson, Bennet Guillory, John Patton Jr., Carl Anderson, Susan Beaubian, James Tillis, Phillip Strong, Laurence Fishburne, Peto Kinsaka, Lelo Masamba
Curator Review
Verdict
A powerful, if sometimes softened, adaptation anchored by major performances and a rare 1980s focus on Black women’s interior lives, survival, and solidarity. It can feel emotionally broad and Spielberg-sentimental, but the film’s compassion, scale, and acting make it enduringly worthwhile.
Best for
viewers interested in prestige dramas about resilience and abuse
fans of strong ensemble acting and emotional character arcs
people looking for an important 1980s film centered on Black women
audiences who can handle difficult subject matter but want a hopeful payoff
Skip if
you want a strictly unsentimental or raw adaptation
you are sensitive to depictions of domestic abuse, sexual violence, and child abuse
you prefer fast-paced narratives over long-form, episodic life stories
you dislike melodrama or overtly emotional filmmaking
Overview
The Color Purple is one of those major studio dramas that feels both historically significant and deeply personal. At its best, it gives Celie’s suffering and hard-won selfhood the kind of emotional scale Hollywood rarely granted Black women in the 1980s, and the performances carry an enormous amount of the film’s force.
Worth noting
Spielberg’s touch is unmistakable: lyrical, humane, and at times too smoothing around the edges. Some viewers will find that sentimental impulse dilutes the harsher truths of the material, but the film still lands because it understands the power of endurance, friendship, and chosen family.
Bottom line
What stays with you most is the film’s movement from isolation toward connection. It’s painful, yes, but also unexpectedly tender, and that combination gives it a lasting place in the canon of American drama.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (3.5★) · 2075 likes
Don't really know what to say so I just wanna point out that there's a guy named Adolph Caesar in this. Like what an unfortunate name to have
fran hoepfner (4★) · 1855 likes
the scene where Shug sings to Celie is as profoundly magical as any other infamous Spielberg scene
kenn. · 1804 likes
at one point whoopi goldberg uses the force on danny glover
Andrew | A.J. (2.5★) · 1049 likes
Spielberg: Can i habe Oscar pls?
Academy: lol no
Joe A (3★) · 818 likes
Unforgiving at times and there’s a lot to admire performance wise, but as you’re watching it becomes abundantly clear Spielberg was not the optimal choice to tell this story.