Purple Hearts is a 2022 American romantic drama film based on Tess Wakefield's novel of the same name. Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, it stars singer-actress Sofia Carson and actor Nicholas Galitzine. The film was created for Netflix and was released worldwide on July 29, 2022.
The film follows Cassie Salazar (Carson), a struggling musician with Type 1 diabetes, and Luke Morrow (Galitzine), a U.S. Marine who has to pay off his debts from his previous drug addiction. The two enter a Marriage of Convenience for military benefits.
Not to be confused with the 1984 film of the same name, also a romantic drama.
This film provides examples of:
- Adaptational Job Change: In the book, Luke is an Army trainee. In the film, he joins the U.S. Marine instead.
- Adaptational Location Change: The book is set in Austin, Texas, while the film is set in Oceanside, California.
- Altar the Speed: Luke and Cassie marry just a few days after their first encounter (which didn't end well at all). Justified since Luke is about to get shipped out to Iraq, and they both need the military benefits as soon as possible.
- Ancestral Name: Luke's father and brother share the same name, Jacob Morrow, which causes Cassie to reveal her marriage to Luke to his estranged father, instead of his brother.
- Artist and the Band: Initially named The Loyal, Cassie's band later becomes more known as Cassie Salazar and The Loyal.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Luke's friends say this when they see him and Cassie making up after a huge fight with Armando. Little did they know, it's all just an act.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Cassie is a liberal and Luke is a republican; prior to their marriage, they start out as foes and spend most of their time together arguing about left-wing and right-wing politics. But as a fake couple about to enter a fraud marriage, the sexual tension is undeniable.
- Black Republican: Armando is a Black American Marine who leans right and proudly cheers about "hunting down Arabs."
- Character Exaggeration: The political commentaries between Cassie and Luke are much more visible in this film than in the book.
- In the book, Cassie is indeed liberal and politically correct, although not to the extent that happens in the film. Here, she constantly argues about her left-wing political stance, and she even has Black Lives Matter and Pride flags in her apartment.
- Same with Luke, whose narrative in the book focuses on his debt and struggle to survive, while the film is blatantly about his strong conservative and patriotic values, which makes him come close to an Angry White Man.
- Concert Climax: The climax of the film takes place during Cassie's concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: An injured Luke pulls this to Cassie and his brother Jacob when they buy him a dog to help with his recovery.
- Fake Relationship: Since fake marriage for military benefits is a crime punishable by law, Cassie and Luke have to make their relationship genuine and believable.
- This becomes a challenge when Luke's father, a former military police, finds out about their marriage. They actually have to convince everyone that they are Happily Married, or else it's over for the both of them.
- Fast-Forward to Reunion: After Cassie and Luke part ways so the latter can serve his prison sentence, the epilogue shows them reuniting as a real couple.
- Granola Girl: Cassie is very much left-wing and liberal, and is not afraid of criticizing the U.S. government and the military in front of a group of marines. Most of her criticisms draw from personal experiences, however, as she is a person of color herself and a daughter of a Latina immigrant.
- Grief Song: "Come Back Home" by Cassie Salazar and The Loyal (or by Sofia Carson in Real Life) is dedicated to military personnel who are away from their loved ones.
- Cassie sings a snippet of the song during one of her video calls with Luke, just after multiple marines died in action.
- Hate Sink: Armando. His first scene shows him sexually harassing Cassie by saying "so [marines] are good enough to fight for your ass but not good enough to touch it?". The film moves forward only to show that he's also a racist bigot, although he has his fair share of wholesome moments.
- Hates Being Nicknamed: Luke doesn't like it when Cassie calls him "Commando".Cassie: There's no fluffy virgin white wedding dress in there, Commando.Luke: Stop calling me that.
- Her Boyfriend's Jacket: Cassie wears Luke's marine coat after their fake-turned-real honeymoon.
- I Got You a Drawer: Subverted. When Luke moves in to Cassie's apartment, all he gets is one small drawer for all of his stuff.
- It Doesn't Mean Anything: After Cassie and Luke's one-night stand, the former initially shows genuine interest and care for Luke, only for him to say that it only happened so he could clear his head from overthinking about going to war and entering a fraud marriage.
- Like an Old Married Couple: Cassie justifies her fights with Luke to be normal for married couples.
- Marriage of Convenience: Cassie and Luke enter one for military benefits.
- Nervous Wreck: During their honeymoon, Luke admits to Cassie that he's freaking out over their illegal marriage and his upcoming batlle in Iraq.
- Noble Bigot with a Badge: Luke, a U.S. Marine Lance Corporal, argues that attacking Iraq is a way of protecting the United States from terrorism.
- Platonic Life-Partners: Childhood best friends Cassie and Frankie acknowledge their platonic love for each other. Even Luke mistakes them for a romantic couple.
- Race for Your Love: After Cassie's concert, she rushes to Luke before he goes to prison and confesses her love for him.
- Recovered Addict: Luke used to be a drug addict before entering rehab and completely recovering. Although he is already sober, he still owes $15,000 to his former dealer, which eventually becomes the reason for Luke to enter a Marriage of Convenience.
- Romantic Fake–Real Turn: As anyone would expect, this is the result from Cassie and Luke's Fake Relationship slash Marriage of Convenience.
- Shame If Something Happened: To get Luke to pay his debt, Johnno constantly threatens exposing his fraudulent marriage to Cassie, and even breaking into her mother's home.
- The Stool Pigeon: Johnno–Luke's former drug dealer–who knows about his Marriage of Convenience with Cassie, exposes their fake relationship to his father and the authorities.
- Take Me Instead: After Cassie and Luke's fake marriage are reported to the military police, Luke takes the blame and lies that he coerced Cassie to marry him without her knowing that it's against the law. He ends up getting sentenced for six months, while Cassie is found not guilty. Could also be an Act of True Love.
- There Is Only One Bed: This happens during Cassie and Luke's fake honeymoon. They do end up "resolving" that sexual tension, but only briefly.
- Toplessness from the Back: Luke glances at Cassie while she changes to her wedding dress, but the camera only shows her back.
- Volleying Insults: "Liberal nut" and "snowflake" are just some of the names Luke has called Cassie.Cassie: I desperately need [military benefits] to literally survive. Whereas you could be, I don't know, stockpiling supplies for your bro-militia.Luke: I'm leaving. This was a mistake. "Bro-militia." Liberal nut.
- War Is Hell: Luke, Frankie, Armando, and the rest of the marines become more and more visibly distressed over time, showing how much of a nightmare being at war is.
- Wham Line:Cassie: Is Frankie gonna laugh or cry when he finds out about this?Luke: Shit... No one told you?Cassie: What?Luke: Frankie, he's, um, in the same mission as this... He didn't make it, Cassie.
- Workaholic: Cassie, a working-class Type 1 diabetes patient, has to work many jobs to pay for her medical needs. She is a waitress, bartender, and an aspiring singer.
