The Reel Review
A Black woman in the early 1900s American South survives sexual violence, spousal abuse and separation from her loved ones to find her happiness through the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. Fantasia Barrino, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson star in this musical based on Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
The emotion-packed 1985 film starring Whoopi Goldberg is one of the best movies ever made. That said, this musical version does eventually capture all the key moments from the original film. Featuring a Who’s Who in Black entertainment, the film’s standout performances are from Barrino, Colman (Fear the Walking Dead, Candyman) and Brooks (Orange is the New Black), who steals the show as the charismatic, independent-minded Sofia. Every scene she is in comes alive. The casting of acting newcomer Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as the young Celie is sheer brilliance – her resemblance to Barrino makes for a convincingly seamless transition into adulthood.
The Color Purple is at its best when it tells the story of Celie’s hardships and triumphs. Like so many Broadway productions adapted to the big screen, it is at its weakest in some of its way too-modern, overproduced production numbers that are jarring compared to the somber tone of the story. Fortunately, Ghanian director Blitz Bazawule (Black is King) sticks the landing on the emotionally stirring finale, but overall this otherwise well-done musical falls short of the gravitas and emotional heft of the 1985 film.
REEL FACTS
• Whoopi Goldberg, who starred as Celie in the 1985 film, appears in a cameo as Celie’s midwife during the birth of her second child.
• Fantasia Barrino reprises her role in the movie based on the original 2005 Broadway production of The Color Purple that earned her predecessor LaChanze a Tony award. Danielle Brooks reprises her Tony-nominated role of Sofia from the 2015 Broadway revival.
• The Color Purple (2023) had the second-highest Christmas Day debut of all time, with $18.15 million at the box office, and the highest since 2009’s Sherlock Holmes, which earned $24.6 on Christmas Day.
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