100 Chicago Tribune | Gene Siskel A cornball adventure film about a dashing young explorer mixing with New York cafe society types. What a delightfully complicated fantasy film this is. What Woody Allen has done with The Purple Rose of Cairo is create a classic film about our love affair with fantasy. [28 Jun 1985, p.1] Read full review
100 The New York Times | Vincent Canby I'll go out on a limb: I can't believe the year will bring forth anything to equal The Purple Rose of Cairo. At 84 minutes, it's short but nearly every one of those minutes is blissful. Read full review
88 TV Guide | Allen has done better than this, but The Purple Rose of Cairo is a sweet little film and an interesting diversion for his legion of followers. Read full review