IN SEARCH OF . . . NICE ‘MOON’ SHOTS

Egomania . That word came up in lots of reviews of Prince’s “Under the Cherry Moon,” which left most critics cold (opening weekend grosses were just over $5 million).

But you probably knew that. We wanted to give you something rare and different--some positive reviews of the flick. (Gun-shy Warner Bros. refused to assist our search for favorable comments). Here’s all we found locally:

“A likable, sometimes delightful work of fancy. . . . Prince may be an egotist, but he’s a fascinating egotist, and he makes the film a playful romp”--Jim Washburn, Orange County Register.

“Prince directed himself and this movie with a wonderful sense of humor”--Chantal Westerman, KHJ-TV.

“Lots of fun”--David Sheehan, KNBC-TV.

“I’ll say this much for His Purpleness--he may be responsible for turning out this nickel-plated disaster, but it’s still more fascinating than most stinkeroos”--Peter Rainer, Her-Ex.

Then Outtakes checked out Minneapolis--Prince’s home town.

“A surprisingly silly, enjoyable movie,” wrote Brian Lambert in the Twin Cities Reader, who added, “Whether Prince can act or not is beside the point. Anyone so literal-minded to think Prince has to be Hume Cronyn to get a few laughs out of a romp like this has spent too much time with Masterpiece Theater.”

To be honest, other Minneapolis critics weren’t so lenient.

Bill Diehl of the St. Paul Press-Dispatch called it “a fawning valentine (to Prince) . . . the direction is deplorable.”

“Oh, it’s horrible,” declared City Pages’ G.S. Brennan, previewing his upcoming review--”excessive, indulgent and embarrassing.”

Giving it 3 out of 10 stars, the Star-Tribune’s Jeff Strickler opined: “Prince exudes more sexiness than a high-powered lawn sprinkler. But while that may send teen-age girls into perpetual ecstasy, it isn’t nearly enough to keep the rest of the audience interested.”

Well, we tried.