Brookelynn Taylor

Netflix recently aired a new 2022 romantic movie titled Purple Hearts, which is based on Tess Wakefield’s 2017 novel. In the beginning of this movie the main character, Cassie, portrayed by Sofia Carson, is a type one diabetic who finds herself unable to afford her insulin prescription in the wake of a severe diabetic emergency. Fortunately, she soon meets Luke, a former addict who’s attempting to win back his father’s approval by joining the Marines, portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine. Luke owes one of his past friends an abundance of money, and after learning about Cassie’s financial trouble, he hatches a plan for them to get married solely for the military benefits. Although Cassie announces a firm no-soldiers dating rule, based largely on the rowdy, misogynistic behavior of the recruits who frequent the dive bar where she serves and sometimes sings, she could not help but to accept his offer. Soon after she gives in and breaks her rule, tragedy strikes and the line between real and pretend begins to blur. 

The pleasant part of Purple Hearts is that it moves away from the cheesiness of other romance films. Alternatively, it brings some real-life issues and blends them into the neat little story that Purple Hearts tells its audience in just over two hours. Immigration, the Big ‘unaffordable’ Pharma, the drug epidemic, and the United States’ frequent foreign military interventions — Purple Hearts is a melting pot of American problems. However, director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum doesn’t take this opportunity to make social commentaries. 

Through the almost two-hour duration of the film, watchers can see the obstacles papered over by simplistic solutions, almost all of which find their origins in the conservative line of argument. Not only does it aim to reconcile contrary views but it also wants to do so in a politically-charged climate. Since it also treads the line of ‘the personal is political’ with both Cassie and Luke seemingly born into their political leanings, it should have centered it when resolving their conflicts. Choosing to sideline the same renders a shallow product. This movie is wonderful for anyone who enjoys good romance! It’s heartfelt and sweet, with a great ‘opposites attract’ vibe. The story is intriguing, complicated, and realistic in the sense that at no point did the movie really lose credibility. This is a great feature in a movie because it allows people to connect with the plot and characters in a different way than in fantasies and fictional stories.