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The Color Purple

The Color Purple

It's about life. It's about love. It's about us.

1985154 minPG-13Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Director
Steven Spielberg
Starring
Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey

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.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Color Purple?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Color Purple streaming on Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Color Purple?

The Color Purple earns 15 badges, led by Stood the test of time and Top 5% of films.

Show 7 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Color Purple worth watching?

The Color Purple's Midcredits score is the 96th percentile of all films, from 263K ratings across 6 sources. 84% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

96th percentile

Better received than 96% of films

97th percentile among Drama96th percentile among 1980s
Acclaim (how much people like it)95th
Approval (how many liked it)94th

78 /100

95th percentile of all films

96th percentile among Drama97th percentile among 1980s

Critics 78 · Audience 78

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

84% liked it

94th percentile of all films

95th percentile among Drama95th percentile among 1980s
84% rated it 7–1016% rated it 1–6

Critics 73% · Audience 94%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 11 Oscar noms · 14 wins / 29 noms overall

  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Actress in a Leading Role
  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Actress in a Supporting Role

96th percentile

263K ratings across platforms

97th percentile among Drama97th percentile among 1980s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 10% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$15M
Opening weekend$1.7M
Domestic gross$98M
Worldwide gross$98M

Returned 6.6× its budget — 97th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps see the film as a visually lush, emotionally charged adaptation that softens the novel's harder edges.

Fans praised

  • Goldberg's transformative performance as Celie, from timid to resilient
  • Emotionally overwhelming journey that elicits genuine tears of joy and sadness
  • Quincy Jones' soulful score and Spielberg's visual storytelling of Southern life

Detractors panned

  • Spielberg's sentimental gloss and Disneyfied tone undermine the novel's rawness
  • Slapstick humor and cartoonish characterizations clash with serious themes of abuse
  • Rushed, overly tidy redemption arc for Albert and contrived happy ending

What stands out

ActingDivisive85

Whoopi Goldberg's debut praised as virtuosic and deeply felt; detractors find her overacting and Oprah Winfrey's performance caricatured

Emotional impactDivisive85

Fans report cathartic crying; detractors feel emotions are mechanically triggered rather than earned

Sound and musicDivisive85

Quincy Jones' score called soul-stirring by fans; detractors find it saccharine and manipulative

CinematographyDivisive85

Lush Southern landscapes and glowing, painterly compositions; some detractors find it too pretty for the grim subject

CharactersDivisive75

Celie's arc from submissive to empowered celebrated; detractors brand Albert, Harpo, and Sofia as stereotypes and one-dimensional

EndingDivisive70

Reunion scene called deeply satisfying by fans; detractors dismiss it as a contrived, saccharine wrap-up

Plot and storyDivisive60

Epic, compelling structure praised by fans; detractors call it episodic, meandering, and relying on contrivances like hidden letters

PacingDivisive55

Long but fast-paced for some fans; detractors feel the runtime is bloated and the middle act drags

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 7 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 6 points apart
  • Critics vs users 2 points apart
  • US vs non-US 3 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Color Purple like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Moving and uplifting: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want to be moved and come out lifted.

It is intense, takes its time and leaves you hopeful. Skip it when you want an easy night or you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings and patience.

What it feels like

Moving and uplifting.

Moods
MelancholicTriumphantTense
Heaviest: middle
Warm humor
Register
Sentimental · 8% of filmsTender · 13% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneSteven Spielberg treats the material with sincere, heartfelt earnestness, never undercutting the emotional weight.
The rideThe film's emotional weight peaks during Celie's years of abuse and Sofia's imprisonment, before shifting toward liberation and reunion.
StructureThe story unfolds chronologically across three decades, following Celie's life from girlhood to reunion.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Hopeful.

The answer rests on this: HopefulCathartic · 6% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film's journey through profound suffering to a joyful reunion leaves the viewer feeling uplifted and emotionally cleansed.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Rebirth
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13% (this title): Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% (this title) · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Rebirth: A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed. · Liberation: Breaking free of a confining life (Room).

13% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeCelie's journey from an abused, voiceless wife to a self-sufficient woman who reclaims her family and identity is a clear rebirth, specifically liberation from a confining life.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfFamilybonds
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% (this title) · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Family bondsIdentity · 14% of filmsRedemption · 6% of films: Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film centers on the relentless love between Celie and Nettie and the recovery of lost family, while Celie discovers her own worth and Albert eventually seeks redemption.
StanceThe film celebrates the endurance of family bonds and self-liberation, affirming that love and dignity can prevail over systematic cruelty.

The world

Early 20th centuryRuralDomesticStylized realism
Orchestral classicalFolkJazzForeground music · original score · Quincy Jones
SettingSmall-town Georgia from 1909 to 1938, primarily on a farm and in a juke joint
MusicThe score blends gospel, blues, and period-appropriate spirituals, with the song 'Miss Celie's Blues' as an emotional landmark.

Content guide

Is The Color Purple okay for kids?

PG-13

The Color Purple is rated PG-13. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (67/100), sexual content at intense (62/100), language at moderate (51/100), drug and alcohol content at intense (61/100) and frightening material at intense (70/100). Overall it is heavier than 97% of PG-13-rated films.

Ratings in 19 other countries
  • UK15
  • AustraliaPG
  • Germany12
  • FranceU
  • Ireland15
  • New ZealandG
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil14
  • Denmark11
  • FinlandK-16
  • Hungary16
  • IndiaU
  • ItalyT
  • MexicoB-15
  • Netherlands12
  • Poland16
  • PortugalM/14
  • Spain12
  • Sweden11
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 72% of all filmsHeavier than 97% of PG-13-rated films
Violence & Gore
Intense
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 86%
Sex & Nudity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 98%
Profanity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 72%
Alcohol & Drugs
Intense
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 97%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 90%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Heavy almost across the board: frightening material, violence, sexual content, and drug and alcohol content. Everything else sits at or below what PG-13-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Color Purple have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Color Purple?

Cast

3 of the 10 billed cast had never appeared on screen; Whoopi Goldberg won the Globe for this film.

Danny Glover
as Albert
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Whoopi Goldberg
as Celie
Globe win: Golden Globe — Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - DramaTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Margaret Avery
as Shug Avery
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Oprah Winfrey
as Sofia
Oscar nominee: Academy Award nomination — Best Actress in a Supporting RoleTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Willard E. Pugh
as Harpo
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Akosua Busia
as Nettie
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Desreta Jackson
as Young Celie
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Adolph Caesar
as Old Mr.
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Rae Dawn Chong
as Squeak
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Dana Ivey
as Miss Millie
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Color Purple?

Movies like The Color Purple include The Color Purple (2023), East of Eden (1955) and The Man in the Moon (1991). Of the 12 closest matches, most are liberation stories, and most are films set in the American South.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

6 of these 12 share its world: farming country. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Color Purple?

7K other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: found family. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.