The Color Purple
Warner Bros. | Release Date: December 25, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 49 Critic Reviews
Positive:
34
Mixed:
15
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshDec 22, 2023
The craft is gorgeous, but The Color Purple would be nothing without its star turns, and Bazawule’s cast takes your breath away. Read full review
95
TheWrapCarla RenataJan 2, 2024
Just in time for the holiday season, no matter what you believe spiritually, your soul will soar and be lifted through the words and imagination of Alice Walker. Bring some tissue, you’re going to need more than a few. Read full review
90
The New YorkerRichard BrodyJan 2, 2024
With “Daughters,” Dash places Black Americans’ intimate dramas in a mighty historical arc with metaphysical dimensions; with his “Color Purple,” Bazawule acknowledges Dash’s work as a landmark in that history and a fundamental inspiration in his approach to historical drama. Read full review
90
Arizona RepublicMeredith G. WhiteDec 19, 2023
The Color Purple is a spectacle with big ensemble numbers, powerful solos and duets that will pull on your heartstrings. At a whopping two hours and 20 minutes, it never drags. The music propels the story instead of interrupting. Meanwhile, the performances will have you gasping and cheering. Read full review
90
VarietyPeter DebrugeDec 19, 2023
Barrino’s soul-felt R&B sensibility lends itself to the role, and the patience it took to reach this point mirrors Celie’s long path to finding herself. Barrino may have embodied the character on Broadway 15 years earlier, but the moment is now right, and everyone else in the terrific ensemble seems to have fallen into place around that choice. Read full review
90
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeDec 19, 2023
This new film resonates powerfully both as an emotional drama and as a welcome addition to the movie-musical canon. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 2, 2024
It’s a blazingly vibrant, emotionally resonant and exhilarating movie musical that does justice to Alice Walker’s iconic 1982 novel and the subsequent stage and movie versions while forging new creative paths and standing on its own as a bold and original work. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJan 2, 2024
The Color Purple ultimately works far better in pieces than as a whole. Considering those pieces contain some of the best moments I’ve seen in 2023, I’m able to put my concerns aside as a mildly nagging uncertainty. Read full review
88
The Associated PressJake CoyleJan 2, 2024
It’s the movie’s own power trio of Barrino, Brooks and Henson that makes “The Color Purple” one of the most moving big-screen musicals in recent years. Each in their own way transforms suffering into exhilarating portraits of survival and strength. Read full review
88
USA TodayBrian TruittDec 19, 2023
The musical's ultimately feel-good narrative hinges on Barrino’s deft navigation of a gut-wrenching character arc – and she can still belt like a champ. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonDec 19, 2023
Blitz Bazawule’s new film combines the best aspects of each disparate form, structuring a stunning hybrid that combines the visceral meditations of the written word with the thunderous energy of musical performance. Read full review
85
CNNBrian LowryDec 24, 2023
Spanning decades, the film version of the Broadway stage production improves in key respects on the Oscar-nominated original movie, with a spiritual message that should resonate through the holidays. Read full review
83
The AtlanticShirley LiJan 11, 2024
This latest adaptation may not hit every note established by Walker’s text and Spielberg’s drama, but it tells Celie’s story sensitively. It understands, in other words, that she comes with a uniquely imperfect, profound rhythm. Read full review
80
EmpireIan FreerJan 22, 2024
A sanitised version of Spielberg’s film, let alone Walker’s novel. But bravura musical sequences and a top-notch cast ensure smiles and tears come the end credits. Read full review
80
TimeStephanie ZacharekJan 2, 2024
The movie is lively and fun, without betraying the heavy undertones of some of its subject matter. It’s a reclamation, but a buoyant rather than somber one. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithDec 22, 2023
Of all the versions I’ve seen, the latest one is the best, a holiday spectacle bursting with spirited sisterhood. Its characters may be broadly drawn, but their sorrows and triumphs come across with more feeling than ever. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinDec 19, 2023
This is an all-singing, all-sobbing weepie with sequins, featuring comedy, uproarious choreography, and a suite of soul R&B and gospel numbers that will have you bopping along in your seat. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyDec 19, 2023
Smart casting is the movie’s greatest strength; the entire ensemble shines. Read full review
80
BBCCaryn JamesDec 19, 2023
The Color Purple is a big, brash spectacle, an extravaganza blending the styles of Broadway musicals, Hollywood studio movies and music videos, with a mix of gospel, pop, blues and ballads, all of that coming together smoothly in one exuberant film. Read full review
80
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonDec 19, 2023
The Color Purple is a resounding success with respect to quality and entertainment. From its messaging about sisterhood and self-love to its stunning filmmaking achievements, it’s a film that's easily enjoyed on the big screen. While the entire cast brings their A-game, Barrino, Henson, and Brooks steal the show with Oscar-worthy performances. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 2, 2024
The 2023 The Color Purple is a handsomely mounted motion picture and there are fleeting moments when it touches magic. Read full review
75
Original-CinLiz BraunJan 2, 2024
The Color Purple is an intense and complicated story about race, gender and history and wrestling that tale into a two-hours-plus musical is a daunting task. This version, while plot-heavy and occasionally confusing, has its own epic sweep. It’s moving, but given current events, the final celebratory spirit rings false. Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiJan 2, 2024
Another reason to embrace “Purple” is that the moving film is graced by a duo of exceptional performers in Barrino and Danielle Brooks as Sofia who, while singing, capture the electricity of being live onstage, and, while acting, take advantage of the raw intimacy of a close-up. Getting that combo right in movie musicals is rarer than you’d think. Read full review
75
ABC NewsPeter TraversDec 22, 2023
This uneven musical take on Alice Walker’s seminal novel can trip on its own too muchness, but the star film debuts of Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks are worth shouting about in a tribute to Black sisterhood that’s blessed with a heart that sings and a spirit that soars. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldDec 19, 2023
Bazawule slowly but surely lifts us up, letting us soar with the cast by the end. Read full review
75
IndieWireKate ErblandDec 19, 2023
There’s so much to see in The Color Purple that this critic made the rare choice to see the film twice before reviewing it. The experience deepens, in both good and bad ways, with a second watch. The performances are better — Barrino’s subtleties are easier to track, Brooks’ absolutely star-making turn is even more dazzling and heartbreaking — but the overstuffed story sags more often and more obviously. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 19, 2023
Cast and crew ensure that the film is a brisk, upbeat, feel-good bounce through a story that has become an American classic, and well worth a holiday family outing at the movies. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerDec 19, 2023
With stellar performances and the foundation of a beloved novel, The Color Purple should be as lush and beautiful as its titular hue. Instead, it’s just… here. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonDec 19, 2023
That balance of despair and hope, dark reality and a feel-good ending is not always perfectly executed but, as the picture navigates its plot twists and reaches its moving finale, the tonal discrepancies begin to feel insignificant. Read full review
70
ColliderRoss BonaimeDec 19, 2023
Despite its flaws, Bazawule’s strength behind the camera and an incredible cast down the line make The Color Purple a worthy adaptation. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleAlejandra MartinezDec 20, 2023
Ultimately, the new life in this adaptation of The Color Purple is still worth revisiting, with performances from a stacked ensemble that help the film rise above being a straightforward adaptation. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsDec 22, 2023
It’s nearly impossible not to respond to The Color Purple and Celie’s odyssey, in any version. But it’s also possible to wish for a movie that felt more like real life, and real lives, in all their emotional colors, without so much showbiz. Read full review
63
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenDec 19, 2023
The best numbers in The Color Purple capture the anger and/or exultation of personal experience. Read full review
63
Washington PostPat PaduaDec 19, 2023
In the end, The Color Purple manages to find a sweet spot between tragedy and entertainment. But is that really the best way to honor Walker’s vision? Read full review
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