Jill Jones Movies
Prince wrote, directed, and stars in this disastrous sequel to Purple Rain that equates differing musical styles with God, angels, faith, and the struggle between the spiritual and the earthy. Once again Prince is The Kid, still working his emotional damnedest to one-up Morris Day and his band, The Time. In this installment, the boys fight over the ownership of a nightclub called Glam Slam. Both are bequeathed half of the club in a will, and Morris and the Kid want to handle each of their halves differently. Morris treats his part of the club as a popular venue, playing music the public wants to hear, and it is a rousing success. The Kid, on the other hand, wants to bring spirituality into funk -- to make his point he even strikes a crucifixion pose. The result is a battle of the bands with The Time and The Kid jamming off of one another, battling for the souls of the two-drink minimum suckers. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Prince, Ingrid Chavez, (more)
Purple Rain, the first starring film for Prince, is the story of an arrogant, young black singer, born and raised in Minneapolis, who reaches the pinnacle of stardom. The dramatic complications include "The Kid's" (Prince) miserable home life, where he suffers the brutalities of his father (well played by Clarence Williams III) and the youth's efforts to win the love of the beautiful Apollonia. Despite the misogynistic undercurrents in Purple Rain, the film's biggest fans were young women. Gorgeously photographed by Donald Thorin, Purple Rain is essentially a glorified music video, highlighted by a catalogue of Prince's hits, including I Would Die 4 U, When Doves Cry and Let's Go Crazy; the score deservedly won an Academy Award and a Grammy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
In this low-budget drama, an aspiring rocker makes bad choices in his desperate bid for stardom. His first mistake is to agree to dump his loyal lover and embark upon a tawdry affair with a music publisher's wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
