Featured Image Credit: Mark Fellman/Netflix
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, Politics
Gabriella Ferlita
People are tearing into the current biggest Netflix movie in the world.
Purple Hearts, an original for the streaming platform, has become the most-watched film on the site with nearly 102.6 million viewing hours across the world since 1 August - beating the likes of The Gray Man, which reached 96.5 viewing hours over the week.
Watch the trailer here:
Advert
Despite its jaw-dropping success, it hasn’t stopped the romance film from garnering quite a lot of backlash about the plot.
As per the film’s synopsis: "In spite of their many differences, Cassie (Sofia Carson), a struggling singer-songwriter, and Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), a troubled marine, agree to marry solely for military benefits.
“But when tragedy strikes, the line between real and pretend begins to blur.”
Despite the loved-up storyline, many viewers found Luke’s controversial right-wing beliefs - which were apparently forgotten by left-wing Cassie in their journey to love - problematic.
One home-viewer pointed out: “Everyone hyped up Purple Hearts on TikTok because it’s ‘enemies to lovers’, but what they failed to mention is that they're 'enemies' because the guy is a racist conservative and the girl is a minority liberal.”
Meanwhile, someone else explained: “The way Purple Hearts isn't even subtle but blatantly anti-Arab, anti-Hispanic, racist, misogynistic AND pro-military propaganda but people are frothing at the mouth because ‘enemies to lovers’. YEAH, THEY'RE ENEMIES BECAUSE HE'S A PRO-GUN CONSERVATIVE SOLDIER AND SHE'S A LATINA LIBERAL.”
Someone else added: “Purple Hearts is not a romance it is a horror film because I literally cannot think of anything more terrifying than having to marry a military dude to afford my insulin."
While another echoed: “Wait there’s a Netflix ‘rom-com’ about a type one diabetic who can’t afford her insulin so she marries a man in the military for his health insurance benefits. Baby that’s a horror movie omg.”
Another person reflected on the fact that a love story that controversial could ‘only work in books and movies’.
They said: “‘Enemies to lovers’ only works in books and movies. Imagine ending up with these homophobic and misogynistic people you’ve blocked on here who literally don’t believe in your human rights as a woman. Yeah, that’s what Purple Hearts is giving.”
UNILAD has contacted a representative of Netflix for a comment on the claims.
Despite the criticism of the film, it has a strong Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 80 percent, whilst the critical score is on the floor at just 38 percent.
Claire Shaffer of The New York Times, slammed the plot and the acting abilities of its lead characters.
She wrote: "The film wallows in contrived plots and subplots, made worse by the dearth of chemistry between the two leads."
This noticed lack of chemistry between the main characters was also criticised by Luke Y. Thompson of AV Club, who said: "Carson and Galitzine are beautiful people - presumably one of the film’s primary draws - but their love scenes convey neither heat nor emotional substance, and consequently aren’t much fun to watch."
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]