I saw PR for the first time when I was five or six. It was cut, but still it's probably not a good idea. Things were different then, as far as the entertainment industry goes. Things that were considered taboo back then, are all over the place now. When I turned on the radio at that age we never heard anything like the songs they play now. Back in the 80's if an artist didn't use the word "girl" twenty times in one song, it would've been unique. lol Now, I turn on the radio and have to be very careful what I let my little one listen to. So, maybe now it wouldn't be that big a deal, children have been desensitized by the abundance of adult content thrown their way on a daily basis via the internet and tv anyway. Most days the news in more violent than anything you'd see in PR.

It's a judgment call. I wouldn't watch it with kids, but I wouldn't have a problem if I found out they were watching it.

I knew swear words when I was in kindergarten, but knew what they meant by 4th grade.

Considering what they could be exposed to or watching, it's pretty tame stuff.

They didn't glorify domestic violence. If anything, James Bond movies set a bad example when it comes to hitting women, as well as any old movie that they run on TCM.

I would just show a Prince concert video over that movie if you just want to show him performing, or go through parts of the movie where he's playing. I think if you play that movie to a grade schooler, it's going to bore them.

About as sexual as Titanic, and about as much nudity.

ThrillUorKillU said:

HotGritz said:

PR is more violent than BITH. In the latter, there wasn't any violence until the end. In the former, damn near the 1st 45 minutes has a crime (ditching out on cab fair), violence (two dudes gettin' head knocked by a bouncer), nudity (Apples billowing boobies bared to man she hardly knows) and misogyny (woman getting thrown in a garbage can for confronting her man). Oh, and there is the suggestion of pimpdom by none other than Morris Day who really looks the part from head to toe; and he called Apples a bitch without even knowing her.

I love PR but its not a family friendly movie by any stretch of the imagination. You have to be grown to watch this film uncut. Now if you want to show a kid the watered down version that is frequently aired on VH1 then by all means....knock the brat out.

I was just using Boys In the Hood as in example for way worse movies with violent themes and cussing.

Those things you just mentioned in Purple Rain are MINOR things. The cab fair, the bouncer. A kid wont remember,understand or even notice those parts. I forgot those scenes were even in the movie..And the girl being thrown in the trash is obvoiusly used for comedy purposes. And this movie has very little cussing. This movie is HARDLY Rated R by 2011 standards. A parent would have nothing to worry about. If anthing would be the domestic violence, and maybe the 3sec shot of tits. Plus there is no nudity in the basement scene. Prince was just rub her down there, you can clearly tell there was no penetration of the finger. A kid cant watch because a few people getting back slapped? Big deal.

Boyz in the Hood - gang related violence, nudity, hardcore sex, drugs, Lots of blood, lots of cussing, racism, police brutialty and the list goes on.

[Edited 5/23/11 15:35pm]

What scenes were those? I don't remember any hardcore sex and drugs. One minor glimpse of a boob was all the nudity I remember.

The girl being thrown in the dumpster in PR was not funny. PR will still get an R rating by 2011 standards because of the coarse language and the nudity and the domestic violence. And come on....you can clearly see Prince digitally stimulating Apples, I mean that shit was plain as daylight. Her quivering was not acting! Ole dude hit her spot!

eyewishuheaven said:

KeithyT said:

Don't forget to have a good explanation about VHS tape degradation ready when it gets to the "that ain't Lake Minnetonka" scene.

And don't forget the bedroom scene.

HotGritz said:

ThrillUorKillU said:

I was just using Boys In the Hood as in example for way worse movies with violent themes and cussing.

Those things you just mentioned in Purple Rain are MINOR things. The cab fair, the bouncer. A kid wont remember,understand or even notice those parts. I forgot those scenes were even in the movie..And the girl being thrown in the trash is obvoiusly used for comedy purposes. And this movie has very little cussing. This movie is HARDLY Rated R by 2011 standards. A parent would have nothing to worry about. If anthing would be the domestic violence, and maybe the 3sec shot of tits. Plus there is no nudity in the basement scene. Prince was just rub her down there, you can clearly tell there was no penetration of the finger. A kid cant watch because a few people getting back slapped? Big deal.

Boyz in the Hood - gang related violence, nudity, hardcore sex, drugs, Lots of blood, lots of cussing, racism, police brutialty and the list goes on.

[Edited 5/23/11 15:35pm]

What scenes were those? I don't remember any hardcore sex and drugs. One minor glimpse of a boob was all the nudity I remember.

The girl being thrown in the dumpster in PR was not funny. PR will still get an R rating by 2011 standards because of the coarse language and the nudity and the domestic violence. And come on....you can clearly see Prince digitally stimulating Apples, I mean that shit was plain as daylight. Her quivering was not acting! Ole dude hit her spot!

I said Purple Rain would be "HARDLY" considered rated R today..

I mean wasnt 'hardcore but the sex scene in BITH when the was telling the story when he lost his virginity and there in the bed fucking, she was ontop riding him. and her tits were out. And when he was gettin it on with Nia Long's character and her tits was shown. Point being BITH is worse movie for rated R/children standards than Purple Rain. Just makes me laugh when some said 17 in order to watch it. Thats damn near an adult.

This is the dumbest topic I have seen in a long time

PurpleLove7 said:

My son's 9 and as far as I'm concerned, he won't see a Rated 'R' movie til he's 16 or 17, depends on his maturity at that point. Purple Rain included ...

Good luck with that....

Really, I'm not being snarky, good luck! It won't be easy.

HotGritz said:

PR is more violent than BITH.

WTF?!?!

purplenuts said:

This is the dumbest topic I have seen in a long time

Ah, somebody says that about every thread.

To clarify: my boy and I just watched the blu-ray of the final concert by a-ha, of whom we're both big fans (we were lucky enough to catch them on their farewell tour, here in Toronto). But I couldn't help but feel that I should show him someone who can absolutely just tear it up on stage, you know? So my first thought was... Sign o' the Times! But then I thought that, if you're gonna be introduced to Prince, you pretty much have to start with Purple Rain. Am I wrong?

eyewishuheaven said:

purplenuts said:

This is the dumbest topic I have seen in a long time

Ah, somebody says that about every thread.

To clarify: my boy and I just watched the blu-ray of the final concert by a-ha, of whom we're both big fans (we were lucky enough to catch them on their farewell tour, here in Toronto). But I couldn't help but feel that I should show him someone who can absolutely just tear it up on stage, you know? So my first thought was... Sign o' the Times! But then I thought that, if you're gonna be introduced to Prince, you pretty much have to start with Purple Rain. Am I wrong?

We don't know your child. We don't know how PR will affect your child. We can say "Show him" or "Wait until he's [insert age # here]" but it's still your call.

I will say that it depends on how much your he has been exposed to thus far. I could say that PR is advanced or graphic, but if he's comfortable with nudity and sexual scenes, then it won't affect him the way I'm guessing it would. Also, you can only introduce him to this movie once, you don't HAVE to show him now, I don't understand the urgency.

If you want something more age-appropriate, I would start with SOTT. But that's just me, and you're free to do as you please.

And now,

eyewishuheaven said:

Okay, the 'Purple Parents' thread got me thinking: my son is eleven, and I can't help myself - I'm dying to show him Purple Rain.

please log off of life

ThrillUorKillU said:

HotGritz said:

What scenes were those? I don't remember any hardcore sex and drugs. One minor glimpse of a boob was all the nudity I remember.

The girl being thrown in the dumpster in PR was not funny. PR will still get an R rating by 2011 standards because of the coarse language and the nudity and the domestic violence. And come on....you can clearly see Prince digitally stimulating Apples, I mean that shit was plain as daylight. Her quivering was not acting! Ole dude hit her spot!

I said Purple Rain would be "HARDLY" considered rated R today..

I mean wasnt 'hardcore but the sex scene in BITH when the was telling the story when he lost his virginity and there in the bed fucking, she was ontop riding him. and her tits were out. And when he was gettin it on with Nia Long's character and her tits was shown. Point being BITH is worse movie for rated R/children standards than Purple Rain. Just makes me laugh when some said 17 in order to watch it. Thats damn near an adult.

AND I forgot about how the son made up that story about sexing that girl up at her home and her mom came in. Yep, you are right she was more exposed than Apples...kind of. Honestly, I think you only see her ass and a side glimpse of her boob.

Ok PR & BITH are tied for inappropriateness.

HotGritz said:

ThrillUorKillU said:

I said Purple Rain would be "HARDLY" considered rated R today..

I mean wasnt 'hardcore but the sex scene in BITH when the was telling the story when he lost his virginity and there in the bed fucking, she was ontop riding him. and her tits were out. And when he was gettin it on with Nia Long's character and her tits was shown. Point being BITH is worse movie for rated R/children standards than Purple Rain. Just makes me laugh when some said 17 in order to watch it. Thats damn near an adult.

AND I forgot about how the son made up that story about sexing that girl up at her home and her mom came in. Yep, you are right she was more exposed than Apples...kind of. Honestly, I think you only see her ass and a side glimpse of her boob.

Ok PR & BITH are tied for inappropriateness.

Ok if you say so

I was only 5 yrs old when I saw it. My sister was 7.

You see worse on soap operas or Xfactor, I'd say it's a family friendly movie.

I may be the wrong person to ask this question to, because the movie came out when I was 1 and my mother always let me watch it. It was the only Rated R movie I was allowed to watch. My parents actually purchased the VHS tape of the movie just so it would shut me up!

It's a judgement call for parents. If you think your kids can handle the profanity, nudity, and violence, I don't see the harm in letting them watch. It's not like they're watching Saw.

NouveauDance said:

I'd say it's a family friendly movie.

I watched parts of this film today, and I can safely say that it should not be shown to anyone.

I wouldn't.

Let them discover it for themselves when they're like 17.

Plus they're more inclined to like it if it wasn't something Mom or Dad showed to them, you know how that goes.

xlr8r said:

eyewishuheaven said:

Okay, the 'Purple Parents' thread got me thinking: my son is eleven, and I can't help myself - I'm dying to show him Purple Rain.

please log off of life

Wow... I always thought you were nice!

Everybody else, thank you for your thoughts. Of course I know it's my call (never said it wasn't), but it's been really interesting to hear about your experiences. Thanks!

Purple Rain is not for children. It is a R rated movie. I have rad that the sex scene almost got it a X rating before the final edit. WHy would a child need to see Purple Rain?

HotGritz said:

You've got domestic violence, cussing, drinking, half naked females, Prince sticking his fingers in Apples veejayjay, Prince slapping the crap out of Apples, dirty apartments, a bouncer that looks like Santa Claus, a woman getting thrown into a trash dumpster, raggedy looking clothes, and a club owner who appears to wear the same damn thing scene after scene.

I'd say 17 is a good age to show a kid this movie.

I was 12 when I first saw the movie (just because around that time I became fan)

When i was younger, around 12 I used to watch 16 + movie's sometimes(just with a lot of action, and some sexual scene's ) same when I was 8 and watching 12 + movies. My parents never had problems with that. But that's because I could handle everything and most things I already understood what happens in the movies.

i think it really depends on how your child reacts on some certain things.

purplenuts said:

Purple Rain is not for children. It is a R rated movie. I have rad that the sex scene almost got it a X rating before the final edit. WHy would a child need to see Purple Rain?

Dutch rating saids 12 +

R Rated is 16 + ??

djThunderfunk said:

PurpleLove7 said:

My son's 9 and as far as I'm concerned, he won't see a Rated 'R' movie til he's 16 or 17, depends on his maturity at that point. Purple Rain included ...

Good luck with that....

Really, I'm not being snarky, good luck! It won't be easy.

I'm Sunni Muslim and raising my son in that faith. My son doesn't even LISTEN to music.

It is encouraged in my faith to listen to Nasheed (drums and singing in Arabic). My son doesn't even like Prince truthfully speaking. He likes MJ.

Wifey and I laugh at that all the time. He's being raised by me, his mom and his grandmom who raised me Muslim

I can't believe how many of you saw it when you were 7 or 8 or 6!! Lol. I saw it when I was 17... now I'm 18 lol.

i wouldn't show it to my kids but if they saw this film as teenagers then it wouldn't bother me. i wouldn't want a younger kid watching it just cuz it gives some bad messages.. sex violence & going off with strangers, riding on motorbikes with no crash hat, jumping in lakes & stuff

I think I was about 12 or 13 when I saw it, but I had to beg my mom for weeks to let me watch it. It took even more begging for her to let me buy a tape called "Dirty Mind."

I wouldn't show this movie to my kid unless he was begging to see it. Anything your parents force you to watch is ipso facto boring.

I was 14, and my brother was 11 when we saw it in the theaters in '84. We were close enough to the theater to walk to it. We went by ourselves, with no accompaning adult, and got in with no questions asked.

It was a different time back then. They didn't enforce the R-Rated rule with kids as much as they do today.

HotGritz said:

You've got domestic violence, cussing, drinking, half naked females, Prince sticking his fingers in Apples veejayjay, Prince slapping the crap out of Apples, dirty apartments, a bouncer that looks like Santa Claus, a woman getting thrown into a trash dumpster, raggedy looking clothes, and a club owner who appears to wear the same damn thing scene after scene.

I'd say 17 is a good age to show a kid this movie.

BwaaaHaaaahaaaahaHAAaaaahaahaaahHAAaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

I'd say he's ready. I've showed the movie to all of my nieces/nephews, they LOVE the movie. I do however skip the boob/sex/suicide/Prince-slap-Appolonia scenes. Sorry, I don't think its ok for them to see boobs and sex! The movie really isn't all the violent compared to most movies out there and I usually quickly mute out when Morris Day says bitch, MF, and faggot. Don't want them hearing that crap either.

But its not a whole lot to censor and its a great movie for kids to enjoy. Immediately after they watch it, the 4 boys run to "play Purple Rain." My 4yr old nieces fave part is "Don't get my seat all wet." That was my fave part when I saw it at 3yrs old.

There's so much that we've shared since I've shown the movie to them and we watch it during dinner evertime they stay with me. I still remember my 10yr niece's puzzled face the first time she saw it. After watching it, she asked how old Prince was in the movie. I told her, as a joke, that he was 14 b/c they were calling him Kid. She goes "How in the world is he 14 and has a motorcycle, sings in a nightclub, has a mustache, is that buff, and has chest hair?" LMAO, She has watched GB with me too, and she loves Prince's movies. My 3yr old nephew watched UTCM with me and didn't move the entire time. And that's very rare for him (only Prince movies and Rambo 1 keep him still for more than 5min).