Play the Album, Burn the Film: 20 Great Soundtracks From Bad Movies

If one were to judge a movie based purely on its soundtrack, then Purple Rain — Prince’s breakthrough film, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary — would possibly trump Citizen Kane on just about every “best movie” list there is. “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Darling Nikki,” “I Would Die 4 U,” “The Beautiful Ones,” the title track: these songs are all on one album, people! Unfortunately for the artist formerly known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, great music can’t hide, say, some less-than-stellar acting, shaky direction, and/or a shoddily written script. No offense, Prince fans, but even the purifying waters of Lake Minnetonka can’t cure everything.
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But Purple Rain is hardly the first “bad” movie to boast a killer soundtrack, nor will it be the last. In honor of the Purple One’s film hitting the big 3-0, we’re counting down 20 other bad movies with great soundtracks. Open your ears, cover your eyes, and read on.