The Color Purple (1985)
It's about life. It's about love. It's about us.
Keywords
The Color Purple rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
IMDb7.7/10· 102K votes
Rotten Tomatoes72%
Metacritic78%
TMDb7.725/10· 2K votesWith 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.7/10 on IMDb and 78/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been positive.
About The Color Purple
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.
Cast of The Color Purple
Danny Glover
as Albert
Whoopi Goldberg
as Celie
Margaret Avery
as Shug Avery
Oprah Winfrey
as Sofia
Willard E. Pugh
as Harpo
Akosua Busia
as Nettie
Desreta Jackson
as Young Celie
Adolph Caesar
as Old Mr.
Rae Dawn Chong
as Squeak
Dana Ivey
as Miss Millie
Leonard Jackson
as Pa
Bennet Guillory
as Grady
The Color Purple facts
- Budget
- $15M
- Box office
- $146.3M
Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026MethodologyData sources
Audience opinions
What the audience liked
- •Powerful direction tackles difficult themes with emotional authenticity
- •Complex character arcs chart meaningful transformation across decades
- •Historical perspective on African American experiences feels important and relevant
What the audience disliked
- •Heavy subject matter including violence makes viewing emotionally demanding
- •Pacing occasionally stumbles in translating novel structure to film
Trailer
Where to watch The Color Purple(US)
View on JustWatch →Rent / Buy
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Spectrum On DemandAvailability may change. Data by JustWatch.
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