“Sorry, it’s just fascinating to me. Do you have a PhD in mansplaining?”
Cassie Salazar, Purple Hearts
Starring: Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine
My Rating: ★ 1/2
Purple Hearts details the enemies-to-lovers story of an aspiring musician who agrees to a fake marriage with a prospective Marine in exchange for money and health insurance. It follows Cassie Salazar, a first-generation American working in a bar and composing music in her free time, and Luke Morrow, a former addict attempting to win back his father’s approval. While they initially seek the benefits of marriage out of financial desperation, their dynamic shifts when Luke is injured in combat as Cassie becomes his unwilling caretaker. This causes conflict since they must present as a happy and functional couple in front of Luke’s father, even though they initially hate each other because of their widely differing political ideologies.
Even though I hate-watched this movie after seeing profusely negative reviews, I still kept an open mind. However, I came to the same conclusion as everyone else: Purple Hearts was hot garbage.
It almost felt satirical regarding the political discourse being so on the nose. Cassie displayed both Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ stickers on her car’s rear window and was revealed to have Type 1 Diabetes. Luke referred to Cassie by nicknaming her “snowflake” and “liberal nut.” When he isn’t calling her these names, Luke can be found degrading Cassie’s mother for illegally immigrating to the United States. One of Luke’s Marine comrades said “Let’s go kill some Arabs!” Not to mention the film was flooded with military propaganda as the U.S. Military was involved with its production.
Purple Hearts deals with especially serious themes, such as poverty and the United States’ broken healthcare system. The couple constantly clashes due to Cassie’s distaste for the military, but Luke always talks her down by painting her as a political hypocrite. The entire film is written completely on the basis of stereotypes, with Cassie portraying what conservatives deem “progressive.” Although every character occupies a generalization, it is very clear which side the viewer is intended to sympathize with.
Despite their intense hatred for each other, while Luke is deployed, Cassie composes songs about their fake relationship, which go viral and propel her to stardom. When Luke is injured in combat and returned home, Cassie looks past all of their vehement differences and commits to their fake marriage. Eventually, she decides that it’s the realest thing she knows.
Purple Hearts had the potential to take serious topics such as United States’ healthcare system as well as the lack of support for veterans and provide criticism, but instead it was shallow and remained a stereotypical political commentary. It furthers the idea that left leaning ideologies are fundamentally incapable of supporting active duty military personnel or veterans. Cassie’s lyrics read “I hate the way I say words that I laughed at before,” describing how she previously mocked the military, country, and God. However, none of these values are inconsistent with feminism or anti-racism like the film wants you to believe. Suggesting that they are is Purple Hearts‘ truest form of propaganda.