Purple Hearts (2022 film)

Purple Hearts is a 2022 American romantic drama film created for Netflix and directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum. It is based upon the novel of the same name by Tess Wakefield. It stars Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine.

Its story follows an aspiring singer-songwriter named Cassie and a Marine named Luke, who agree to get married in order to receive military benefits and pay their debts.

The film was released on July 29, 2022.

The rights for the film were originally owned by Alloy Entertainment, but Netflix bought the rights from them in August 2021. The production for the film started soon after that, with most of the scenes for the film shot in locations around Riverside and San Diego, California.

Plot
Cassie Salazar is a waitress/bartender who performs with her band, The Loyal, at a bar in Oceanside, California. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes six months earlier, she struggles to afford insulin, working multiple jobs to survive.

One night Cassie serves a group of Marines about to be deployed to Iraq. One of them, Luke Morrow, flirts with her, but is shot down. Luke has his own problems: he became an addict after his mom's death, and although two years clean, he still owes $15,000 to his dealer, Johnno. Estranged from his retired marine dad, he asks his brother for help, but is declined.

Cassie asks childhood friend and Luke's bunkmate Frankie, to marry her for the health insurance benefits granted to military spouses. He already plans to marry his sweetheart Riley. Although Luke overhears and initially advises against a fraudulent marriage, he realizes they could both benefit financially. Luke would earn more and Cassie would have healthcare. They agree to marry immediately, and after a year file for divorce.

Frankie, the wedding witness, gives Cassie the ring he will marry Riley with, asking her to keep it safe. After, the newlyweds join their fellow marines at a bar. Cassie argues with one over 'hunting down Arabs', causing an argument with Luke, but they pretend to make amends. That night, he admits he is scared of both the marriage and Iraq. Cassie comforts him and they sleep together.

The next morning, the Marines are deployed. Before getting on the bus to leave, Luke gives Cassie his brother's contact information as she is his next of kin. Cassie and Luke start sending emails and video calls to one another to keep up the ruse and grow close. She performs an original song, "Come Back Home," for the Marines, uplifting their spirits after a rough day.

The song goes viral, and Cassie admits Luke might be her muse. Later, she learns that Luke has been severely injured by an IED explosion and is returning to recover. Cassie accidentally contacts Luke's father instead of his brother, angering Luke, as the retired MP would report them if he knew.

Frankie was killed in action, and at his funeral, Cassie gives Riley the ring.

Luke moves into Cassie's apartment after his hospital discharge. He makes a wedding ring out of his dog tag chain for Cassie and they re-decorate her apartment to showcase their marriage for his father, who takes him to physical therapy.

Cassie adopts golden retriever Peaches, to aid in Luke's recovery. His rehab and their cohabitation inspire Cassie's "I Hate the Way," which she performs at Whisky a GoGo, capturing the attention of record companies.

Still seeking his money, Johnno breaks Cassie's mother's house to threaten Luke. That night, Cassie goes into shock as her sugar level drops. Luke helps her recover and they kiss. The next day, Luke beats Johnno up, pays him off and tells him to stay away. Instead, Johnno informs Cassie's mother about Luke's past.

When Cassie confronts Luke, he confesses he had stolen his father's car to sell but crashed it, so he borrowed money from Johnno to pay dad back. She demands a divorce and that he leave her apartment by the next day. When Luke returns home from a run, the MPs detain him, as Johnno reported their fraudulent marriage. Luke's father calls Cassie about the charges and the impending court-martial.

Luke pleads guilty, taking full responsibility and insisting Cassie was unaware she violated U.S. military law to shield her from criminal charges. He is sentenced to six months in the brig after which he will receive a Bad Conduct Discharge.

Cassie's band is signed to a label and are opening for Florence and the Machine at the Hollywood Bowl. She sings her newest Luke-inspired song, "I Didn't Know," which she wrote while awaiting Luke's trial. Then she rushes to confess her love for Luke before he is imprisoned. He gives her his wedding ring and tells her "It's real now."

As the credits roll, six months later Luke is released from prison, Luke and Cassie are a happily married couple at the beach where they are enjoying a picnic with Peaches.

Cast

 * Sofia Carson as Cassie Morrow (née Salazar), a waitress, bartender, and singer at a bar and Luke's wife
 * Nicholas Galitzine as Luke Morrow, a U.S. Marine Lance Corporal and Cassie's husband
 * Chosen Jacobs as Frankie, Luke's friend and Cassie's childhood friend, whom she babysat when Frankie was younger
 * John Harlan Kim as Toby, Cassie's record label owner
 * Kat Cunning as Nora, Cassie's co-worker and best friend
 * Linden Ashby as Jacob Morrow Sr., Luke and Jacob Morrow Jr.'s father
 * Anthony Ippolito as Johnno, a drug dealer who Luke owes $15,000
 * Scott Deckert as Jacob Morrow Jr., Luke's brother
 * Sarah Rich as Hailey Morrow, Jacob Morrow Jr.'s wife
 * Loren Escandon as Marisol Salazar, Cassie's mother
 * Breana Raquel as Riley, Frankie's girlfriend
 * Nicholas Duvernay as Armando, Luke and Cassie's rival
 * A.J. Tannen as Dr. Grayson, Luke's doctor
 * Michael C. Bradford as Cassie's stage manager

Casting
In November 2020 an announcement was made that Carson was set to star in Purple Hearts as the female lead for the film. In the announcement it stated that she would also be an executive producer, and write and sing the original songs for the soundtrack. In that same month it was revealed that Charles Melton had been cast as the male lead, but right before production started in August 2021, Galitzine was reported to be taking over the role.

In September 2021 Deadline reported that Chosen Jacobs, John Harlan Kim, Anthony Ippolito, Kat Cunning, Sarah Rich, Scott Deckert and Linden Ashby would round out the cast for the film. In the same report it was announced that Grammy nominee Justin Tranter would write and produce the original songs, with Carson co-writing and performing additional music.

Filming
The principal photography for the Netflix original commenced in August 2021 and wrapped up in October of the same year. Filming took place in Los Angeles County, San Diego County, Riverside, and Austin, Texas.

The director, Allen Rosenbaum, worked with military adviser and Navy Veteran James Dever to get the Netflix project to film on base at Camp Pendleton. The first proposition was rejected, however, after Dever added his touch to the script, permission was granted to film. Deadline Hollywood described the film's budget as "thrifty."

Music
Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter Justin Tranter wrote and produced the original songs for the Netflix original film. Carson also co-wrote and performed additional music for the project. On July 12, 2022, Hollywood Records released "Come Back Home" to help promote the film. Upon the Netflix release, the official soundtrack for the film was made available digitally. The tracklist consist of eight songs, all performed by Carson and includes four original songs co-written by Carson. On August 3, 2022, Sofia Carson released the official music video for "Come Back Home".

Viewership
After spending one day on Netflix the film took the number one spot on the daily popularity charts, replacing The Gray Man from its eight-day run in USA. Within the first week of release, Netflix's Global Top 10 revealed that the film had 48.23 million hours watched. In its second week, the film had a total of 102.59 million hours viewed, which was as many hours as the next five films combined. By September, the film had logged 228.6 million hours watched.

In December 2022, Netflix announced the movie was the 3rd most watched movie of 2022 spending 6 weeks in the top 10s picking up 240.48 hours between July 24, 2022 and September 4, 2022.

Critical response
On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Claire Shaffer from The New York Times critiqued the film, stating that the film "had the potential to be a poignant melodrama — or maybe a sharp satire" but "wallows in contrived plots and subplots". The reviewer also criticised the leads. Luke Y. Thompson from The A.V Club was also critical, negatively describing the love scenes that "convey neither heat nor emotional substance", and the songs as "overstuffed". David Ehrlich, reviewing from IndieWire, stated that the film was overwrought and "can’t settle down even though its two lead characters give each other something to be sure about for the first time in their lives".

Anti-military activists were angered that the movie portrayed the American military in a largely positive light and some claimed that some language used by characters in the story were offensive, which Allen later clarified was a part of the character development.

Future
In August 2022, Rosenbaum stated that "they’ve been casually chatting about doing more, but nothing is official". Carson added that she would love to see a sequel but "who knows. You never know!"

Awards and nominations
Won Best Musical Moment at MTV Movie & TV Awards