Purple Rain: Is it just 80s cheese, or something more?

Alright, alright, settle down, kids. Moviebuff_marc back at it again. So, I just rewatched "Purple Rain" the other night. Yeah, I know, it's Prince, it's the 80s, it's...well, it's a lot. But even with the big hair and the frilly shirts, I gotta say, it kinda holds up. Does anyone else get a serious "Rebel Without a Cause" vibe from this flick? I mean, the Kid's got the tortured artist thing down pat, just like James Dean, but set to a Minneapolis beat. And the whole thing with his dad? Brutal. I think they were intentionally going for the same kind of raw, emotional core, maybe a bit more glam rock, though. Of course, it's also ridiculously 80s. The fashion alone is enough to make you choke on your Aqua Net fumes. And Apollonia...bless her heart, her acting isn't exactly Oscar-worthy. But the music? C'mon. "Let's Go Crazy," "When Doves Cry," the title track itself...those are straight-up bangers (sorry, had to use that word!). Plus, the concert scenes are genuinely electric. You can feel the energy crackling through the screen. I'm pretty sure that's what kept this movie in the zeitgeist so long. What I find interesting on a rewatch is the toxic masculinity displayed throughout. The Kid is a complicated character for sure. He's got talent bursting out of him, but he's also prone to violence and controlling behavior. I think it reflects the darker side of the romanticized "tortured artist" trope. It's not all sunshine and guitar solos, folks. What do you all think about his character's arc? Did he actually grow as a person by the end, or was it all just a stage performance? Basically, Purple Rain is a flawed movie, for sure. But it's got a certain magic to it that I can't deny. It's like a time capsule of a very specific moment in music and pop culture. It can be easy to dismiss it as pure cheese, but I think there's some genuine pathos and artistry buried beneath the surface (and all that purple!). So, who's still got their Purple Rain vinyl? I still do! raises hand Let's hear your takes!