Purple Hearts
Purple Hearts
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Purple Hearts is a romantic drama with language, drinking, and some violence and peril. Two characters marry for convenience, facing potential legal consequences, because both need money: She can't afford needed medicine, and he owes money to his former drug dealer. He used to be an addict; she has diabetes and runs out of the insulin she needs to inject herself with. Their forced love story includes sex scenes, with kissing and some undressing, but no private parts. Young adults drink alcohol and debate politics, conversations that bring up their own racial, cultural, and class differences (the main characters are White, Mexican American, and African American, and some Spanish is spoken). Scenes with violence include military patrols in Iraq and fights and threats from a drug dealer. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "bulls--t," "damn," "dammit," "hell," "ass," "d--k," "piss," "screwed," "freak," "cripple," "Jesus," and "good Lord."
Community Reviews
Great movie - Love a good romance!
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Cute Movie
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What's the Story?
Cassie Salazar (Sofia Carson) is barely making ends meet with her waitressing job and fledgling music career in PURPLE HEARTS. Her prescriptions for insulin to treat her diabetes cost more than she earns. So when she overhears that marrying a Marine would give her full benefits, her interest is piqued and she asks her childhood friend Charlie (Chosen Jacobs) to consider marrying her. He declines, but his bunkmate Luke Morrow (Nicholas Galt) might be interested -- the extra cash married soldiers receive could help him pay off some drug debts. Unfortunately, Luke makes a terrible first impression on Cassie, and the two clash on pretty much every front. Luke and Charlie are also set to be deployed to Iraq. To make their fake marriage believable, the couple will have to really get to know each other and put aside their differences.
Is It Any Good?
This film is formulaic but its actors and central love story do enough to sustain its nearly two-hour run time. That's not to say that everything in Purple Hearts hits its mark. Cassie and Luke are meant to embody stereotypes of opposite ends of the political spectrum -- she the "lib snowflake," he the conservative military brat. Some of their arguments, especially those involving Luke's exaggerated Marine peers, feel very much scripted and only skirt the edges of serious topics. But their finding of common ground sends a positive message in polarizing times, and the evolution of their affection for each other feels believable enough.
Carson is the real standout in the movie, coming across as more authentic than many of her free-spirited, tough-girl film predecessors. She certainly has stage presence as a musical performer. Galitzine is a sensitive actor and is movie-star handsome, but his best scenes here are those with Carson. Sneakerella's Jacobs is also solid in a supporting role. The film runs a bit long, partly because it wants to let Carson perform at least three or four full songs (and star in an ending that looks and feels like a music video or an Instagram reel). Carson fans and the movie's target teen audience won't mind this at all.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea of marrying for convenience, like Cassie and Luke do in Purple Hearts. Do you agree with their choices? Why, or why not?
Cassie blames "Big Pharma" for her inability to get the medicine she needs to survive. What does this mean? Is it fair that life-saving medicine is so expensive?
What other movies have you seen with similar themes or characters to this one? How did they compare?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: July 29, 2022
- Cast: Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine, Chosen Jacobs
- Director: Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: Friendship, Music and Sing-Along
- Run time: 121 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: July 29, 2022
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