Several months after Radiohead challenged the way music is sold by self-releasing the download-only In Rainbows, the film industry has followed suit. Purple Violets, the latest movie by writer/director Ed Burns (The Holiday, The Brothers McMullen) passed on a theater run and was released directly to iTunes on November 20 with a price tag of $14.99. While it’s not as revolutionary as Radiohead’s offering—it doesn’t allow users to choose their own price—it nonetheless opens up an intriguing new possibility for independent films hoping to find a larger audience.
Of course, as with any movies historically not shown in theatres, it’s easy to assume that the movie is awful. But Purple Violets isn’t awful—in fact, it’s good. While it follows a largely by-the-numbers narrative arc, its characters are strongly developed and its subtle stylistic choices make it a successful romantic comedy.
The movie has several main characters, but the story is told largely through following Patti Petalson (Selma Blair). Out to dinner with her longtime friend Kate (Debra Messing), she runs into her ex-boyfriend Brian (Patrick Wilson) whom she has not seen in twelve years. Interestingly enough, he’s out to dinner with his longtime friend, played by Burns, who happens to be Kate’s ex-boyfriend. The film then follows the four characters as they rebuild their relationships and learn new things about themselves.
The characters are what make Purple Violets a success. Each of the actors, and most especially Blair and Wilson, give wonderful, diverse performances. They are handed a variety of different situations to show off their range and they take full advantage of them. The script, dense but also charming, funny and surprisingly honest, compliments each character’s distinct personality.
Like much of Burns’ work, Purple Violets is set in New York City and has a slick style. With its smooth cinematography and its impeccably dressed, preppy young characters, it often seems like the movie is a feature-length J. Crew commercial. As such, its appeal is probably limited to college kids and young professionals who are still forming the relationships that will define the second halves of their lives.
Still, the movie is noteworthy because it admirably avoids slipping into cliché—although its plot relies on many standards of the romantic comedy, its references to them are endearingly self-aware. It also features an excellent soundtrack written by PT Walkley.
Both Patti and Brian are writers and the movie’s pensive mood reflects that. It seems that Burns has matured with Purple Violets, and as such it shares more with heartfelt movies like High Fidelity than some of Burns’s past films. At this point in time, though, it seems like the movie has been largely ignored by the media, and that’s a shame. It remains to be seen if its unique method of distribution will eventually pay off.
