(L-r) TARAJI P. HENSON as Shug Avery, FANTASIA BARRINO as Celie and DANIELLE BROOKS as Sophia in Warner Bros. Pictures’ bold new take on a classic, “THE COLOR PURPLE,” a Warner Bros.

Sophia is a perfectly chiselled supporting ... the big finish with a spiritual song and a warm family reunion, The Color Purple is shameless in its wish to be loved by audiences.

In the four decades since author Alice Walker published “The Color Purple,” the novel has been adapted into a film, a Broadway show and now a movie musical. But fans and academics tell CNN ...