Starring: Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine
OUR RATING: ★★½
Story:
Netflix romantic drama directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum. Purple Hearts (2022) centers on Cassie (Sofia Carson), a struggling singer-songwriter, and Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), a troubled marine, who in spite of their many differences, agree to marry solely for military benefits. But when tragedy strikes, the line between real and pretend begins to blur and their fake relationship all too real.
Our Favorite Quotes:
'Risk nothing, gain nothing.' - Cassie (Purple Hearts) Share on X
Best Quotes
Cassie: Oh, great. Marines. Mild to medium harassment by nine, chaotic evil by ten.
Frankie: [referring to Cassie] No. Okay? Just no. It’s not going to happen, never. Just let it go, cheekbones.
Luke: What? You two?
Frankie: No, she’s like an older sister to me.
Nora: Cassie has a “no soldiers” policy, sorry.
Luke: You know, we’re not all alike.
Cassie: Oh, really? Yeah. Because your friend is talking about his right to touch my a**. Which apparently, you also feel entitled to.
Luke: Okay, we’re just blowing off some steam. It’s actually a pretty big night. Last night on leave. We ship off in a few weeks.
Cassie: I get it, but not really an excuse for casual misogyny though.
Cassie: Sorry, it’s just fascinating to me. Do you have a PhD in mansplaining?
Luke: When it actually comes down to fighting for these rights, you don’t want to do anything, right? Because guns are mean. You’re a pacifist. I guess, it’s our job to go off and fight those battles for you, right? I bet you have a little “peace-dove” tattoo on your back to prove it.
Cassie: On my a**, actually. Which you can’t touch, but you can kiss.
Nora: Do you see the guy that looks like he’s twelve years-old? He told me that I should reconsider my stance on men, because if I marry him, I would get incredible health insurance.
Cassie: Health insurance. That’s some dirty talk right there.
Nora: So hot.
Marisol: I feel like you’re not taking this seriously. You could die at any moment.
Cassie: Mom! I know. I’m fine. I’m doing everything right. I’m bartending, and delivering food, and playing gigs, and teaching piano on my spare time. And I’m constantly exhausted and running late. And I can’t sleep because I have this medical debt that just grows like some mold in a basement. So, please, please just be kind to me!
Cassie: I’m just on my own weird journey, and it’s a little bumpy. But I love it.
Luke: So, what happens to the men in the future? Is it a plague? Robot wars?
Cassie: Do you really want to know? It doesn’t end well for the bros.
'If the man doesn't see enough right angles, he unravels.' - Cassie (Purple Hearts) Share on X
Frankie: So, what’s the big question, girl?
Cassie: It’s going to sound a little crazy.
Frankie: I’m ready.
Cassie: I was wondering, I was hoping that you might marry me.
Frankie: What?
Cassie: The insurance I have doesn’t actually cover the insulin that I need to like, live. So, I can either pay off my debt, or pay my rent. But I just, I can’t do both.
Cassie: [after her proposal of marriage to Frankie] And why wouldn’t this be a real marriage?
Luke: I don’t know, because you’re not in love?
Cassie: Well, we respect each other. We’re not in love, but we love each other. We’d be able to sleep with other people, which basically sounds like the healthiest marriage ever.
Frankie: Cass, I can’t. Okay? I’m sorry. Plus, I don’t think my girlfriend’s going to understand me having a wife.
Hailey: [to Luke] Wow. It’s like hugging a tree trunk. I didn’t think it was possible to get so buff in eight months.
Luke: Well, if we do this, if, we need to be very careful. Alright? We need a story. You and I didn’t get along at the bar the other night. The others saw that. But the next night, I was very charming and persistent, and I convinced you to go out with me.
Cassie: You did? Was it hot? When you asked me out?
Luke: Very.
'It's okay to accept help sometimes.' - Cassie (Purple Hearts) Share on X
Cassie: I’m sorry. I’m just going to need you to explain yourself, because a week ago you were lecturing me on how this is fraud, so.
Luke: It is fraud. I don’t want to do this.
Cassie: Okay, so don’t.
Luke: Believe me. If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t be.
Luke: Marriage should be for love. And where I come from, it’s for life.
Cassie: Do you come from a fantasy land? Because, where I come from in reality, marriage is really just a pointless legal arrangement that turns lovers into enemies, so.
Cassie: Why don’t you have another choice?
Luke: Don’t see how that’s your business.
Cassie: Kind of is. I am possibly about to marry you. Why?
Luke: I need the extra two grand a month married guys get.
Cassie: I have an ethical code that doesn’t include blind obedience, and I desperately need this to literally survive. Whereas you could be, I don’t know, stockpiling supplies for your bro-militia.
Luke: I’m leaving. This was a mistake. “Bro-militia”.
Cassie: Look, I don’t like you.
Luke: No s**t.
Luke: We have to make this look normal, like a real marriage. We’d have to write some romantic emails in case somebody reads them. And we just have to keep it tight for my tour. And once I’m back here, we file for divorce. That gives you a year of free health insurance. And we can split the cash down the middle. Yeah?
Cassie: Great.
'You know you can let a guy help you and still be a feminist, right?' - Luke (Purple Hearts) Share on X
Luke: We’d also have to go out with my company. Act like we…
Cassie: Like we like each other.
Luke: Like, love each other.
Cassie: So, are we out of “if” territory? Are we doing this?
Luke: Yeah. Yeah, we’re doing this. But you can’t tell anybody that doesn’t need to know. You have to promise.
Cassie: I promise. In fact, I pinky swear.
Luke: No. I’m not doing that.
Cassie: We’re getting married, man.
Luke: [referring to her guitar and keyboard piano] Do you play?
Cassie: No, it’s just to impress guys. You impressed?
Cassie: I’m a musician. It’s what I do. My band and I have been working at it for like, five years.
Luke: That’s got to be rough.
Cassie: Rough would be punching the clock at some soul-sucking job while I’m just making the rich richer. I’d rather hustle for my art any day.
Cassie: [referring to her tattoo] “Risk nothing, gain nothing.” It’s something my grandma said to my mom when she moved to America.
Cassie: [to Luke] Hello, my prince. Today is the day that our credit scores shall become intertwined.
Luke: [as they enter the motel room] I asked for two beds.
Cassie: Sure. Sure you did.
Luke: Alright, because, what? You think I’m into you?
Cassie: Maybe a little. Just breathe, dude.
Luke: Well, because I’m not.
'Look at us. We're so cute and suburban, it's disgusting.' - Cassie (Purple Hearts) Share on X
Cassie: All I know is you’re a hot mess.
Luke: What is that supposed to mean?
Cassie: I don’t know, because a normal person would just admit that they’re scared.
Cassie: I’m not scared. I’m not scared.
Luke: You’re right. I’m scared. Between the marriage, and Iraq, I’m kind of losing it.
Cassie: I’m sorry. Hey, you’d be absolutely crazy if you weren’t. That was really brave.
Luke: [after they spend the night together] I couldn’t sleep at all. So, I went for a run. That’s what I do.
Cassie: So, you’re that guy? Pretend-it-didn’t-happen guy.
Luke: I don’t know what you want from me. I just have a lot on my mind.
Luke: [to Cassie, as he’s about to be deployed] Remember, from here on out, we’re being watched, alright? Emails, video calls, everything.
'We vowed to take care of each other. In sickness and in health, and we did that. And I think this is a real marriage. I think this is the realest thing I've ever been in.' - Cassie (Purple Hearts) Share on X
Cassie: Dear Luke. We fell in love so quickly. I figured I’d write you and fill in the gaps that we didn’t have time to fill. So, here’s what you need to know about me. Music is my everything.
Cassie: So while most people learn to speak their feelings out loud, or write them into a journal, I learned to make mine into music. My whole life, I’ve loved to sing, but I’m kind of terrified to sing what I have to say. So I sing covers. I hide behind someone else’s words instead. Ironic, since I have been told I’m more than opinionated. It’s just that every time I sit down to write something original, making a living and all my medical problems get in the way. Maybe that’s a cop-out, but I guess now that we’re married, I’ll find out.
Luke: Dear Cassie, here’s what you should know about me. I’m a third-generation marine. My grandpa fought in the battle of Iwo Jima, and my dad got a Purple Heart for being injured in combat in Desert Storm. After high school, I kind of spun out. I thought that by enlisting, I could earn back my dad’s respect. But now, that I’m actually here, I’m starting to understand that I’m not doing it for him. I’m doing it for me. To serve my country, and to be a better man.
Luke: My mom got sick, and my dad retired from the Corps to take care of her. He went to every single one of her chemo appointments. Sat up all night by her bed when she went to the hospital at the end. And that’s what love means to me. I guess that’s what I want for us.
Cassie: My dear husband. Car ride over plane ride. Breakfast tacos over late-night tacos, with lots of hot sauce. Lots of it. I’ve never left California, but my dream is to circle the globe with my band someday. If I were home more, I’d have a pet iguana. Shut up. They’re highly intelligent.
Luke: My darling wife. Nothing ruins a taco more than hot sauce. It totally kills the flavor. Someday I’m going to run a marathon in every major city. That’s how I’m going to see the world. And I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but an iguana isn’t in the cards for us. The only pet I’ve ever had was a goldfish I won at the state fair.
Trailer: