Netflix’s romantic drama “Purple Hearts” tries to pull a heartfelt story out of an arrangement that can’t help but seem absurd.
Based on the novel by Tess Wakefield, the film depicts the fraudulent military marriage between Cassie (Sofia Carson), singer-songwriter and Type 1 diabetic, and Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), a former drug addict trying to win back approval. of his father into joining the Marines. While they both initially seek the benefits of marriage out of financial desperation, the couple’s dynamic changes when Luke is injured in battle, forcing Cassie into the role of unwitting caretaker.
“Purple Hearts” had the potential to be a poignant melodrama — or perhaps a sharp satire — about the options available to those left behind by America’s healthcare system. Instead, the film wallows in contrived plots and subplots, made worse by the lack of chemistry between the two leads. As Luke violently confronts his former dealer in a parking lot in what looks like a “Euphoria” deleted scene, you wonder what part of the movie was dictated by Netflix’s content algorithm.
The film is shaping up to be a star for Carson, whose rise as the character from dive bar performances to the opening of Florence + the Machine at the Hollywood Bowl resembles Carson’s recent rise through the Disney Channel ranks. But music, like marriage, rings hollow.
purple hearts
Unclassified. Duration: 2 hours 2 minutes. To watch on Netflix.