YMMV / Purple Hearts (2022)

• Actor Shipping: Many fans have been shipping Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, thanks to their on-screen and off-screen chemistry.
• Critical Dissonance:
  • The general audience doesn't really mind the military propaganda accusations and negative critical reviews, which can be proved by the film's massive commercial success. However, political issues aside, critics do think that it's objectively mediocre with bad directing and Narm writing.
  • On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 33% critics score and a 68% audience score.
    • Critics take note of how the lead actors can't make up for the film's "stereotype-riddled script and misguided approach to serious themes", while audiences think so otherwise.
• "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: Lead actress Sofia Carson wrote all of the original songs in the film.
• He-Man Woman Hater: Subverted. Luke criticizes Cassie's views on feminism as he believes her opinion is more of an "I hate men" rather than an "I want gender equality."
  Luke: (reading Cassie's shirt that says "The Future is Female") So what happens to the men in the future? Is it a plague? Robot wars?
• Just Here for Godzilla: Nicholas Galitzine found greater fame in 2023 for starring in the Queer Romance rom-com film Red, White & Royal Blue, meaning that his growing fandom would most likely check out his other works. Due to the controversy of this film, however, some of his fans only watch it to see his performance. Some even refuse to see it at all.
• Memetic Mutation: Nicholas Galitzine's wide-range filmography and roles led to memes within his fandom about how his characters would hate each other, most particularly Luke vs. Prince Henry^note from Red, White & Royal Blue and Timmy^note from The Craft: Legacy.
  • Some fans would also try to imagine Luke and Jeff^note from Bottoms fighting, which could probably be the most hilarious pairing ever.
• No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: Despite criticisms and allegations of being a military propaganda film, it became one of Netflix's most-watched movies of all-time.
• Overshadowed by Controversy: The film is mostly remembered for being pro-military with racist, misogynistic, and conservative undertones.
• Propaganda Piece: As stated above, the progressive community see the film as this. While it may seem like a simple enemies-to-lovers story, Cassie's character is believed to be the most obvious example to prove this point.
  • Cassie goes from being anti-military to sympathizing with them, writing and releasing a song dedicated to them, and even calling them American heroes. If she isn't the embodiment of a successful propaganda, then what else could she be?
• Signature Scene: When Cassie is carried by Luke's friends so she could kiss him goodbye before he leaves for Iraq.
• Tearjerker: The scene where Cassie finds out that Frankie, her childhood best friend and Platonic Life Partner, died during battle.
• Wangst: Much of the viewers, particularly critics, find the liberal vs. conservative arguments cringe-worthy and unrealistic.
• Will They or Won't They?: There are about four different turning points in Cassie and Luke's Fake Relationship that seem to lead to Romantic Fake–Real Turn:
  • The first one happens 40 minutes into the film during their honeymoon when they actually sleep together, only for it to be Luke wanting to "clear his head" instead of actually feeling affections for Cassie.
  • The second turning point would be during their video calls while Luke is in Iraq. However, when he returns after being injured during battle, their "relationship" remains strained.
  • The third one is when they start to take care of each other while living together. They even begin sleeping on the same bed, until Johnno (Luke's former drug dealer) starts to attack Cassie's mother, and their relationship once again begins to crumble.
  • Finally, after being caught by the military police for entering a Marriage of Convenience, Cassie and Luke separate until she realizes her true feelings for him.