The Purple Rose of Cairo

Set during the Great Depression, The Purple Rose of Cairo details the chaos that ensues after a movie character (Jeff Daniels’ Tom Baxter) steps out of his film and begins courting a lonely waitress (Mia Farrow’s Cecilia) – with complications ensuing after the actor playing Tom (Daniels’ Gil Shepherd) arrives in town and finds himself falling for Farrow’s downtrodden figure. It’s a decidedly unconventional premise that is, to an increasingly prominent degree, employed to engaging, spellbinding effect by Woody Allen, as the writer/director does a superb job of initially establishing the central character and the impoverished landscape in which she resides – with the deliberateness of the picture’s first act generally offset by Allen’s eye for detail and emphasis on appealing elements. There’s little doubt, then, that The Purple Rose of Cairo grows more and more engrossing as it progresses, as Allen stresses both the burgeoning relationship between Cecilia and Tom (and eventually Gil) and the impact that Tom’s decision has on the real world. (The latter undoubtedly provides the picture with some of its funniest scenes.) By the time the surprisingly heartbreaking finale rolls around, The Purple Rose of Cairo has undoubtedly confirmed its place as a top-tier effort from Allen and one of the most entertaining movies about movies ever made.

***1/2 out of ****