''Purple Violets'' is a 2007 American independent

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film written and directed by Edward Burns, who also co-stars. It is set in

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

, about four friends from college who unexpectedly meet again after twelve years apart. The film stars Selma Blair,

Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty (musical), The Full Mont ...

Debra Messing Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing starred in the television series ''Ned and Stacey'' on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox (1995–1997) an ...

and Burns. It also features Dennis Farina,

Donal Logue Donal Francis Logue (born February 27, 1966) is a Canadian-American film and television actor. He played the starring role of Sean Finnerty on the sitcom '' Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005), and Detective Harvey Bullock on the DC Comics adapta ...

and

Elizabeth Reaser Elizabeth Ann Reaser (born July 2, 1975) is an American film, television, and stage actress. Her work includes the films '' Stay'', '' The Family Stone'', '' Sweet Land'', '' Against the Current'', '' The Twilight Saga'', ''Young Adult'', and '' ...

. ''Purple Violets'' became the first feature film to debut on the iTunes Store.

Plot summary

Patti Petalson ( Selma Blair) is a promising writer, but her marriage and conventional job keep her from her dream. She longs to return to her writing, especially after running into her first love, Brian Callahan (

), a successful crime novelist. Kate (

) is Patti's best friend since college. She's a tough-talking schoolteacher who plays therapist to all Patti's problems, while she's got a few of her own. Despite Brian's gorgeous Tribeca loft and perfect house in the Hamptons, he longs to write works of greater literary value. Michael Murphy ( Edward Burns), his lawyer and best friend from college, still carries a flame for former girlfriend Kate, even though their relationship ended badly. Since he spotted Kate at a restaurant, she has become all he can think about. She holds a grudge, but he will go to any length to win Kate back. When Patti sells Murphy a new apartment, and Brian publishes his personal novel, these old friends reconnect in unexpected ways.

Cast

Soundtrack

''Purple Violets''′ soundtrack mainly includes songs by the

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band " The Blue Jackets", notoriously the indie-rock ballads "Do You Remember" and "You Send Shivers"; the latter is played during the final scene and end credits.

Distribution

''Purple Violets'' became noteworthy for being the first feature film to debut on the iTunes Store. It was released on November 20, 2007. The movie was exclusive to

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

for one month after release. Subsequently, ''Purple Violets'' was released on DVD through

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...

References

External links

Official siteiTunes Page
* *
Movie trailer
{{Edward Burns 2007 films Films about writers 2007 romantic comedy films American independent films Films set in New York City Films directed by Edward Burns American romantic comedy films 2007 independent films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language romantic comedy films English-language independent films