Sofia Carson
Cassie Salazar
Overview
An aspiring musician agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-deploy Marine, but a tragedy soon turns their fake relationship all too real.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readPerforming the American Dream in Lavender and Khaki
I keep coming back to the strangest thing about Purple Hearts: how determined it is to use a familiar, almost old-fashioned setup — the marriage-of-convenience romance — and make it speak in the jargon of the present tense. On paper, it’s a fake relationship story. latestnetflix.com's view is that in practice, it’s a movie about money, health care, patriotism, military bureaucracy, and the way young people are asked to turn every part of themselves into a negotiation.
That’s a heavier load than the glossy poster suggests, and Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum mostly understands the burden. Not all the way. But enough that the film feels more interesting than the backlash-or-devotion discourse around it would lead you to expect.
Rosenbaum, whose earlier work has often lived in the orbit of teen feeling and female self-invention, approaches this material with a clean, telegraphic style. She doesn’t seem interested in muddy psychology or social realism in the strict sense; she wants the emotional mechanics to click, like a latch. That choice matters. Purple Hearts arrived as a Netflix-era romance with the usual instant visibility and instant suspicion — is it escapist, propagandistic, embarrassingly earnest, politically naive? — but the real conversation around it has always been a little messier than those labels.
People argued about the military framing, about whether the film romanticizes institutional power, about whether its sentiment is sincere or manufactured. I think it’s both sincere and manufactured, which is not a contradiction at all. That’s basically how popular love stories have always worked.
What gives the movie its odd charge is the way it keeps returning to the economics of feeling. Cassie, played by Sofia Carson, isn’t introduced as a dreamy romantic heroine but as somebody counting, planning, and worrying — a musician whose talent is real but whose life has been pinched down by debt and bad timing. The film gives her a body under strain: shoulders held tight, jaw set, movements a little too controlled, as if she’s always aware that one more bill could tip everything.
That physical tension is one of Carson’s best assets here. She’s been working across teen and young-adult pop culture for years, and the surprise is how well she uses that polished, camera-ready presence to suggest a person trying not to fall apart in public. She doesn’t “transform” so much as let the gloss crack.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 6.0/10
"A divisive Netflix chart-topper that critics panned but romance viewers embraced."
Purple Hearts follows struggling singer-songwriter Cassie and troubled marine Luke, who agree to marry solely for military benefits, with the line between real and pretend blurring when tragedy strikes. Created for Netflix and directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, it was released on July 29, 2022 as a drama, romance and music story running 122 minutes. It reached No 1 on Netflix with some viewers hailing it as beautiful, while critics were largely negative and other viewers pushed back hard, latestnetflix.com argues, leaving a clear split between romance fans and detractors.
What viewers praise
- Chart-topping romance watch Reached No 1 on Netflix with viewers describing it as beautiful.
- Fake-marriage hook with music Centers on a singer-songwriter and a marine in a benefits marriage that turns real after tragedy, led by Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine.
Common complaints
- Cold critical reception Received generally negative reviews and was described as lambasted by critics, with a 33 per cent positive critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Rough ride for some viewers Drew harsh viewer reaction coverage framing it as dumb and a worst Enemies to example.
Recommended for
Fans of fake-marriage romance dramas Viewers who like music-centered love stories with a military backdrop
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsSofia Carson Fights Back Against "Purple Hearts" Backlash—What Fans Are Really Debating
Netflix’s Purple Hearts (2022) arrived with all the hallmarks of a modern rom-com: a marriage of convenience, a struggling musician, and a brooding Marine. But the film, directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, latestnetflix.com contends, quickly became a lightning rod for criticism—sparking a rare public defense from its leading lady.
The Plot That Divided Viewers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRzxf5a7Fz8
At its core, Purple Hearts follows Cassie Salazar (Carson), a singer-songwriter with Type 1 diabetes who can’t afford insulin, and Luke Morrow (Galitzine), a Marine drowning in debt. Their solution? A fake marriage to secure military health benefits for Cassie and financial stability for Luke. What starts as a transaction, predictably, turns into real love—complete with a soundtrack of original songs and a deleted scene where Luke admits, "Sometimes, it doesn’t even feel like an act" .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdETf8_Q3i8
The premise isn’t new, but the execution polarized audiences. Some praised its emotional beats and chemistry between the leads, while others called out its "problematic themes," including the ethics of exploiting military benefits for personal gain 
. The film’s 5.8/10 rating on SensCritique, based on nearly 1,300 votes, reflects the divide .
Carson’s Clash with Critics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCf9FK8qgzk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em_JWNPZsSs
Sofia Carson didn’t shy away from the backlash. In multiple interviews and clips, she pushed back against accusations that Purple Hearts romanticized unethical behavior. "It’s a love story, not a documentary," she argued in one video, defending the film’s creative choices . Another clip shows her addressing viewers who called the plot "unrealistic," emphasizing that the story was always meant to be a fantasy—albeit one grounded in real struggles like medical debt and military life .
The debate even bled into broader conversations about how romances handle "marriages of convenience," with some fans arguing the trope is inherently flawed when tied to systemic issues like healthcare. Carson’s responses suggest the cast was prepared for scrutiny but didn’t anticipate the intensity of the pushback .
Behind the Scenes: Music and Deleted Moments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcTDlsUej2w
Beyond the controversy, Purple Hearts leaned heavily into its musical roots. Carson, who co-wrote and performed several songs for the film, including "Come Back Home," brought a personal touch to Cassie’s character . The soundtrack became a bright spot for fans, with some calling it the film’s strongest element.
A deleted scene released by Netflix offers a glimpse into the film’s emotional core, where Luke’s confession to Cassie hints at the couple’s deeper connection . While it’s unclear why the moment was cut, it’s become a fan-favorite clip, fueling speculation about an alternate ending.
What’s Next for the Cast?
Nicholas Galitzine has since moved on to high-profile projects like Red, White & Royal Blue and The Idea of You, while Carson continues to balance music and acting. As for Purple Hearts, the film remains a Netflix staple—controversial, but undeniably talked about.
Whether you see it as a guilty pleasure or a problematic rom-com, one thing’s clear: Purple Hearts didn’t go quietly.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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