--- title: "The Color Purple" year: 2023 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-color-purple-2023" fi1m_id: "the-color-purple-2023" imdb_id: "tt1200263" tmdb_id: 558915 wikidata_id: "Q111270010" fi1m_score: 73 critics_score: 68 critics_reviews: 25 published: "2026-10-03T03:21:49.146757+00:00" updated: "2026-10-03T03:21:51.064515+00:00" region: "RS" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Color Purple (2023) Directed by Blitz the Ambassador · 2h 21m · Drama ## Identity The Color Purple - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-color-purple-2023 - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-color-purple-2023 - **IMDb ID:** tt1200263 - **TMDB ID:** 558915 - **Wikidata ID:** Q111270010 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1200263/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/558915, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q111270010 **Fi1m score: 73** · Critics 68 from 25 reviews *In a sentence:* Wonderful singers, though we occasionally wanted the music to stop so the women could finish talking > Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks give this uneven musical its feeling and force. Their performances are worth the evening, though the hurried storytelling and determination to cheer us up sometimes leave Celie’s suffering too neatly tidied away. ## Synopsis Celie (Fantasia Barrino) struggles to claim a life of her own after years of abuse. Her story begins with Young Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) and Young Nettie (Halle Bailey), before following her into adulthood. Mister (Colman Domingo), Sofia (Danielle Brooks) and Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson) are part of the world she must navigate. Celie’s search for a voice unfolds through songs that make her private feelings audible, while the women around her suggest possibilities beyond suffering. The drama moves between everyday life and imagined escapes, drawing on Alice Walker’s novel. ## Review [*The Color Purple*](https://film.one/film/the-color-purple) is worth seeing for the women who sing it, with a substantial caveat about the way their story is told. Director Blitz the Ambassador sets pleasure alongside an account of abuse, trusting music to give Celie more freedom than her circumstances allow. The songs let her express feelings that the dialogue leaves unspoken, and the cast makes that freedom count. The difficulty comes when celebration arrives before we have had time to take in the hurt. Fantasia Barrino gives Celie’s songs the urgency that Marcus Gardley’s screenplay sometimes lacks. Her singing has force, but she does not make Celie’s ability to express herself seem easy or automatic. We were moved by that effort: the songs sound like things she needs to say and has struggled to say aloud. The musical form earns its place whenever she is allowed to carry a number without the surrounding spectacle insisting on equal attention. Danielle Brooks is just as important as Sofia, bringing an energy that makes the surrounding drama feel less dutiful. There is humour in her forcefulness, and a sense that maintaining it takes work. She never settles for being the lively supporting character who arrives to improve everyone else’s afternoon. Taraji P. Henson gives Shug Avery a different assurance, and the scenes between Shug and Celie have an intimacy the larger numbers sometimes struggle to find. Dan Laustsen’s cinematography is most persuasive when Celie’s imagination is allowed to change how the film looks. A fantasy styled as silent cinema gives that polish a reason, letting private desire occupy the whole screen. Paul Denham Austerberry’s production design helps the musical passages feel removed from everyday life, but its attractive finish also makes the crueller drama seem too comfortably staged. The larger numbers can leave us attending to the arrangements around Celie when we ought to be attending to her. Marcus Gardley’s screenplay has a great deal to carry, and its compression is felt most sharply between the musical numbers. Celie’s suffering receives attention that her relationship with Shug does not, leaving an important connection less fully developed than the performances suggest it could be. Jon Poll’s editing keeps the years moving briskly, but the quick changes of mood can make emotional progress seem too easy. We needed a few more unhurried scenes with these women, and fewer occasions on which the film seemed anxious to reassure us. Kris Bowers’s music contributes to the emotional swell, though the film can be too eager to tell us when to feel uplifted. The voices are often sufficient; the extra insistence makes us conscious of being encouraged. Musical drama can accommodate terrible things without abandoning pleasure, and Blitz the Ambassador is right to attempt both. The problem is the speed at which one mood replaces the other, especially when the singing has persuaded us to take Celie’s feelings seriously. At 141 minutes, this hardly needs to be longer; it needs to spend more of its time on the relationships its cast makes compelling. The performances kept drawing us back whenever the storytelling hurried ahead. For those who enjoy a musical carried by strong voices and forceful personalities, there is plenty here to reward the evening. Go for the women, with some patience for the film’s determination to cheer us up. *Fi1m score 73, published 3 October 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews lean positive, though enthusiasm is far from uniform. Praise centres on the cast, particularly Danielle Brooks’s spirited Sofia and Fantasia Barrino’s emotionally direct Celie; even several sceptical critics admire the performances. Supporters find the musical adaptation moving and hopeful, with songs that give Celie a stronger voice. Deadline particularly praises the use of magical realism to reveal her inner world, while other favourable reviews respond to the ensemble’s energy and the musical staging. The main divide concerns how well that exuberance serves the story’s harsher material. Several critics find that the polish and uplift soften its brutality, while others point to abrupt tonal shifts, an overstuffed narrative and an underdeveloped Celie–Shug romance. The spread runs from strong enthusiasm to outright disappointment: /Film argues that the musical and dramatic elements fail to gel, although Brooks earns praise there too. ## Straight answers **Is The Color Purple worth watching?** *The Color Purple* is worth watching for its singers, especially Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks, and we score it 73 out of 100. We recommend it to those who enjoy musicals carried by forceful performances, with a substantial caveat: the hurried storytelling sometimes pushes towards celebration before Celie’s suffering has had time to register. **How long is The Color Purple, and what is it rated?** *The Color Purple* runs 2h 21m. It is a drama film. **Where can I watch The Color Purple in Serbia?** *The Color Purple* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from din 2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Color Purple, and is it suitable for children?** *The Color Purple* has a UK 12A certificate and deals with years of abuse, so we would not treat its musical form as a promise of light family viewing. Celie’s suffering makes this potentially upsetting material for younger children; the certificate permits under-12s with an accompanying adult, but the subject calls for careful judgement. **How does The Color Purple compare to Carmen Jones?** *The Color Purple* is our preference for expressive singing, while [*Carmen Jones*](https://film.one/film/carmen-jones) offers a compelling central performance from Dorothy Dandridge despite dubbed vocals that weaken the romance. Both connect songs with women’s desire and difficult circumstances; we recommend the former for Barrino and Brooks, though its hurried storytelling requires patience, just as the latter’s awkwardness does. **Is The Color Purple based on a true story or a book?** *The Color Purple* draws on Alice Walker’s novel rather than being presented as a true-story account. No knowledge of the book is needed to follow Celie’s search for a life and voice of her own, though we find the film’s compressed storytelling leaves important relationships, particularly her connection with Shug, less developed than they need to be. **What should I watch after The Color Purple?** After *The Color Purple*, try [*Carmen Jones*](https://film.one/film/carmen-jones) (1954, Fi1m 65): A forceful female lead and songs that refuse to separate desire from danger. Then [*The Umbrellas of Cherbourg*](https://film.one/film/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg) (1964, Fi1m 88): Bright colours and continuous song give romantic disappointment room to hurt; and [*The Piano*](https://film.one/film/the-piano) (1993, Fi1m 88): Music carries a woman’s desires through a period drama less inclined to reassure. ### Reviews we read (25) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (90/100, inferred): Brody praises the film’s tone and its lyrical, imaginative direction. He especially singles out Danielle Brooks and Fantasia Barrino, whose performances give the story its emotional force. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/a-sense-of-mystery-and-wonder-in-a-new-color-purple) - **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (85/100, inferred): Walsh finds this adaptation emotionally powerful and an essential American story brought to its best onscreen expression. She especially praises Danielle Brooks, whose spirited Sofia electrifies the film. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-12-22/the-color-purple-review-musical-movie-taraji-p-henson-fantasia-barrino-colman-domingo) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critics Pick): Debruge finds this adaptation a rousing, spiritually uplifting expansion of the earlier film and musical. He especially praises Fantasia Barrino’s soul-felt performance and the way the songs give Celie a stronger voice. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-color-purple-review-fantasia-barrino-blitz-bazawule-1235790019/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (80/100, inferred): Rooney finds the musical remake joyful and emotionally satisfying, despite some oversized musical numbers and stylistic detours. He particularly praises Fantasia Barrino’s affecting performance and the strength of the ensemble. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-color-purple-review-fantasia-barrino-taraji-p-henson-danielle-brooks-1235760721/) - **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland (B): The review finds the musical moving and often miraculous, despite tonal shifts and an overstuffed story. It especially praises Danielle Brooks’ standout performance as Sofia and the cast’s commitment. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-color-purple-2023-film-review-1234934784/) - **Empire**, Ian Freer (75/100, inferred): Freer finds the adaptation exuberant, beautifully crafted, and ultimately moving, despite its sanitised treatment of the story. He singles out Barrino’s performance and the bravura musical sequences for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-color-purple/) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (75/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the musical adaptation moving in its interplay of brutality and joy, while noting that its theatrical polish can soften the story’s darkest moments. He praises Danielle Brooks for bringing remarkable range and humanity to Sofia. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-color-purple-with-taraji-p-henson.html) - **Screen Daily**, Tim Grierson (70/100, inferred): The review presents the film as a rousing adaptation of the stage musical. The standfirst highlights its source material, but the paywall prevents access to any more specific praise or criticism. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-color-purple-review/5188219.article) - **The i Paper**, Alice Saville (70/100, inferred): Saville finds the film entrancing and heartbreaking, though it focuses more on Celie’s suffering than her redemption. She praises the performances and gospel soundtrack, while faulting the adaptation for sidelining Celie and Shug’s romance. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-color-purple-review-entrancing-but-sidelines-the-queer-romance-yet-again-2869259) - **RogerEbert.com** (65/100, inferred): The page appears to be a review, but its text is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the accessible content. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-color-purple-film-review-2023) - **Sight and Sound**, BFI (65/100, inferred): The review finds the adaptation vibrant and thoughtful, though its persistent escapist uplift may trouble admirers of the darker source. It praises the musical staging and performances, especially the energetic showstoppers and the cast’s expressive work. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/color-purple-showstopping-musical-adaptation-determined-accentuate-positive) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (65/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the adaptation warm and compelling, though it softens the original’s harsher edges. He praises the fierce charisma of the three lead performers, especially in the ensemble numbers. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/19/the-color-purple-review-a-heartfelt-remake-supercharged-by-a-powerhouse-cast) - **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The URL identifies this as a New York Times review of the film, but the page content is inaccessible. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/movies/the-color-purple-review.html) - **Evening Standard**, Ella Kemp (3/5): Kemp finds the film a smart reworking that balances its dark story with hope, though Celie and Shug’s relationship could have been explored more fully. She praises Blitz Bazawule’s handling of the shifts between music and dialogue. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-color-purple-movie-review-fantasia-barrino-danielle-brooks-b1134966.html) - **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (4/3/3): The critic finds the film difficult to love, though its emotional beats land. They praise the performances of Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks, while faulting the musical numbers for softening the story’s impact. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-color-purple) - **Radio Times**, James Mottram (3/5): The review finds the musical adaptation rousing, while noting discomfort with turning Celie’s abuse into a show-stopping musical. It praises how lightly the film moves across the years as Celie grows into a woman of character. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-djm8pi/the-colour-purple) - **Total Film**, Leila Latif (3/5): The critic finds the adaptation visually impressive but uneven, with its upbeat musical numbers sometimes clashing with its harrowing material. Danielle Brooks’s formidable performance as Sofia is singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-color-purple-2023-review/) - **Slant Magazine**, Keith Uhlich (2/4): The critic finds the adaptation emotionally hollow and overly showy, with songs that often fail to resonate. He praises the Shug-Celie scenes, especially their imagined silent-film sequence, as moments of bold invention. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-color-purple-review-fantasia-barrino-taraji-p-henson-danielle-brooks/) - **The AV Club**, Murtada Elfadl (45/100, inferred): The critic finds the adaptation uneven and less compelling than its standout parts. Danielle Brooks is singled out for a magnetic, star-making performance. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-color-purple-movie-musical-review-blitz-bazawule-1851109069) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): Hammond finds the film a dazzling, hopeful, and satisfying new take on the story. He especially praises its imaginative use of magical realism to reveal Celie’s inner world. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/12/the-color-purple-review-alice-walker-classic-becomes-movie-musical-1235672828/) - **The Wrap**, Carla Renata (90/100, inferred): The critic finds this reimagining uplifting and deeply satisfying, praising its powerhouse performances and crowd-pleasing musical numbers. Danielle Brooks’s scene-stealing Sofia and Fantasia Barrino’s raw, triumphant Celie are singled out. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-color-purple-review-fantasia-barrino-danielle-brooks/) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (75/100, inferred): Kermode finds the adaptation a successful and valuable contribution, despite some flaws. She especially praises its dynamic Black female ensemble and Danielle Brooks’s vivid performance as Sofia. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-color-purple-2023-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) - **Paste**, Jesse Hassenger (5.9): Hassenger finds the lavish musical strained and stagebound, despite its stronger emotional moments. He praises the performers, especially Danielle Brooks, but criticizes the musical numbers for prioritizing spectacle over memorable images. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/fantasia-barrino/the-color-purple-review) - **/Film**, Josh Spiegel (4/10): The critic finds the adaptation well-meaning but unsuccessful, with its musical and dramatic elements failing to gel. He praises Danielle Brooks’s performance, while faulting the film’s uneven tone and diminished emotional complexity. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1469595/the-color-purple-review/) - **Film Stories**, James Harvey (35/100, inferred): The critic finds the adaptation ultimately unsuccessful, despite its crowd-pleasing qualities. The cast and musical performances earn praise, while the compressed story creates jarring tonal shifts. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-color-purple-review-a-crowd-pleasing-dose-of-tonal-whiplash/) ## Details - **Director:** Blitz the Ambassador - **Director:** Blitz the Ambassador - **Screenplay:** Marcus Gardley - **Novel:** Alice Walker - **Cinematography:** Dan Laustsen - **Editor:** Jon Poll - **Music:** Kris Bowers - **Production design:** Paul Denham Austerberry - **Costume design:** Francine Jamison-Tanchuck - **Producer:** Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, Oprah Winfrey - **Cast:** Fantasia Barrino as Celie; Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery; Danielle Brooks as Sofia; Colman Domingo as Mister; Corey Hawkins as Harpo; Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as Young Celie; Halle Bailey as Young Nettie; Ciara as Nettie - **Runtime:** 2h 21m - **First release (the UK):** 20 November 2023 - **Genres:** Drama - **Budget:** $90 million - **Box office:** $69 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTnircQsMaM ## Where to watch in Serbia - Amazon Prime Video: rent din 2.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy din 7.99, uhd *Checked 2026-10-03.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, MX, NL, NO, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Carmen Jones* (1954), Fi1m 65: A forceful female lead and songs that refuse to separate desire from danger. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/carmen-jones.md) - *Daughters of the Dust* (1991): Black women’s lives and family history told with patience and visual imagination. - *The Umbrellas of Cherbourg* (1964), Fi1m 88: Bright colours and continuous song give romantic disappointment room to hurt. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg.md) - *The Piano* (1993), Fi1m 88: Music carries a woman’s desires through a period drama less inclined to reassure. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-piano.md) - *Dreamgirls* (2006), Fi1m 68: Another musical carried by commanding voices, with female ambition under constant pressure. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dreamgirls.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. 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