“Purple Hearts” is a Netflix romance that fails to earn its title. Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and written by Kyle Jarrow and Liz W. Garcia, the film tells the story of Cassie Salazar, a waitress and musician struggling to pay for her insulin, and Luke Morrow, a Marine who agrees to a sham marriage to get health coverage. The setup sounds sharp. The execution does not back it up.
The film was released on July 29, 2022. It runs 122 minutes. Its IMDb critic score sits at 3.0 out of 10, and our own reading of it confirms why that number holds.
Trailer, via Netflix.
Cassie and Luke
Sofia Carson plays Cassie Salazar, a waitress and bartender who performs with her band The Loyal at a bar in Oceanside, California. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes six months earlier and works multiple jobs to afford her insulin. Nicholas Galitzine plays Luke Morrow, a Marine about to deploy to Iraq who became an addict after his mother died and still owes $15,000 to his dealer, Johnno.
The film opens with Cassie serving a group of Marines, including Luke, who flirts with her and gets rejected. Luke’s own troubles — addiction, a broken relationship with his father, a brother who refuses to help — push him toward the sham marriage plan. Cassie asks her childhood friend and Luke’s bunkmate, Frankie, to marry her for the health insurance benefits, but Frankie already has plans to marry his sweetheart Riley. Luke overhears and sees the deal as mutually beneficial: he earns more money, Cassie gets healthcare.
The Wedding and the Deployment
The couple marries immediately and files for divorce after a year. Frankie, the wedding witness, hands Cassie the ring he will marry Riley with, asking her to hold it safe. At a bar with their fellow Marines, Cassie argues with one over “hunting down Arabs,” sparking an argument with Luke that they pretend to smooth over. That night, Luke admits he is scared of both the marriage and Iraq.
Cassie comforts him, and they sleep together. The next morning, the Marines deploy. Luke gives Cassie his brother’s contact information, making him her next of kin. The two start emailing and video-calling to keep up the pretense while growing closer.
What Goes Wrong
The film leans heavily on the idea that a fake marriage can become real love. Cassie performs an original song, “Come Back Home,” for the Marines, which the source describes as uplifting their spirits. The problem is that the film never builds the emotional weight to justify that transformation. The couple’s connection feels staged rather than earned.
The tragedy that turns their arrangement real arrives late in the story, and the film handles it without much grace. The shift from a scheme to a bond happens fast, and the film trusts the audience to accept it without showing the work in between.
The Cast and the Songs
Chosen Jacobs plays Frankie, John Harlan Kim plays Toby, Kat Cunning plays Nora, and Linden Ashby plays Jacob Morrow Sr. The film also features Anthony Ippolito as Johnno, Nicholas Duvernay as Armando, Scott Deckert as Jacob Morrow Jr., Kendall Chappell as Mila, and Sarah Rich as Hailey.
In November 2020, an announcement confirmed Carson was set to star as the female lead, with Melton originally cast as the male lead. Right before production began in August 2021, Galitzine took over the role. In September 2021, Deadline reported the full supporting cast, including the names above.
Grammy nominee Justin Tranter wrote and produced the original songs, with Carson co-writing and performing additional music. Carson also wrote and sang the soundtrack songs.
Why the Film Misses the Mark
“Purple Hearts” tries to balance a romance, a social message about healthcare access, and a war backdrop. None of those threads get enough room to breathe. The film’s central idea — a woman and a man marrying each other for money — is a strong hook. It is also a hook that requires patience and care to pay off, and this film shows neither.
The film’s IMDb critic score of 3.0 out of 10 is a fair reflection of a movie that never quite commits to its own premise. The sham marriage should be tense, funny, and heartbreaking by turns. Instead it drifts, losing focus on what could have been a sharp character study.
The Verdict
“Purple Hearts” is a missed opportunity. The actors are capable, the premise is smart, and the setting is specific. Nothing in the finished product matches the promise of the setup. The film’s IMDb critic score of 3.0 out of 10 is a fair reflection of a movie that never quite commits to its own premise.
| Element | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Premise | Sharp, relatable | Underdeveloped, rushed payoff |
| Lead performances | Capable, committed | Flat chemistry, thin development |
| Original songs | Well-written, performed | Overreliance on manufactured emotion |
| Setting | Specific, grounded | Shallow exploration of Iraq deployment |
| Release Details | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Announcement of Carson as lead | November 2020 | Female lead confirmed, Melton cast |
| Role change | August 2021 | Galitzine takes over |
| Full cast confirmed | September 2021 | Deadline report |
| Release | July 29, 2022 | Netflix premiere |
The film’s IMDb critic score of 3.0 out of 10 is a fair reflection of a movie that never quite commits to its own premise.
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