She's finally met the man of her dreams. He's not real, but you can't have everything.
Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' in hopes of raising her spirits, where she watches dashing archaeologist Tom Baxter time and again.
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Character
Nostalgic, effortless, comic and cool.
- contemporarynostalgic
- effortlessdemanding
- gravecomic
- cooloverwhelming
- rawmeticulous
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“Is this Woody Allen's best work?”
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“Is the nostalgia doing the heavy lifting?”
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“Is Mia Farrow the best thing in The Purple Rose of Cairo?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · May 20257/10
Initially, this reminded me a little of the scenario for “King Kong” as the impressionable young “Cecilia” (Mia Farrow) manages, not unreasonably it has to be said, to get fired from her waitressing job in 1930s New York. Despondent, she heads to the cinema to see the “The Purple Rose of Cairo” only for it’s star “Tom” (Jeff Daniels) to quite literally leap off the screen at her and soon her world is in turmoil. It’s not just her, neither. The studio is complaining that he is doing exactly the same in cinemas all over the shop. That gives “Cecilia” quite a quandary as she knows this man of her dreams cannot be real, whilst the rest of the nation wants to know what happens at the end of the movie - and without it’s star, well we can never find out! What is “Tom” going to decide, too? He is quite taken by his time amongst us non-celluloid types, but… I am not really much of a fan of Daniels, but he works well here as this comedy works on quite a few different levels. On one, it’s an out and out romantic comedy but on others it looks at the effects of the aftermath of the Great Depression, the crucial role of cinema in the lives of so many people and at just how repetitious and dreary
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Cast
- Mia FarrowCecilia
- Jeff DanielsTom Baxter / Gil Shepherd
- Danny AielloMonk
- Dianne WiestEmma
- Milo O'SheaFather Donnelly
- Van JohnsonLarry
- Deborah RushRita
- Zoe CaldwellThe Countess
- Irving MetzmanTheater Manager
- John WoodJason
Crew
- Woody AllenDirector
- Woody AllenWriter
- Gordon WillisDirector of Photography
- Dick HymanOriginal Music Composer
- Susan E. MorseEditor
- Robert GreenhutProducer
Where to watch
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
Be Kind Rewind 200880% alikeBoth nostalgic.
Pleasantville 199878% alikeBoth nostalgic.
Midnight in Paris 201176% alikeBoth nostalgic.
Becoming Bond 201776% alikeClose across the board.
Close across the board.
Man on the Moon 199973% alikeClose across the board.
Moonrise Kingdom 201272% alikeBoth nostalgic.
A Mighty Wind 200371% alikeBoth nostalgic.
Irma Vep 202268% alikeTelevision · Both nostalgic.
Our Flag Means Death 202266% alikeTelevision · Close across the board.
Often watched with
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