Fans of musical romances have been won over by Netflix’s Purple Hearts, which premiered in July 2022. The film, directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, features Nicholas Galitzine and Sofia Carson and is based on the novel of the same name by Tess Wakefield. The plot centers around Cassie, an aspiring singer-songwriter, and Luke, a Marine, who agree to marry to acquire military benefits and settle their debts but end up falling in love. Despite conflicting reviews, Purple Hearts immediately became one of Netflix’s most-watched films, leaving audiences wanting more.
If you enjoyed the themes explored in Purple Hearts, there are several other films that dig into similar territory. These films address various issues, including competition, cultural clashes, and the impact of military duties. Whether you’re seeking happy stories of love in unexpected places or tales of relationships tested by tragedy, these films offer a spectrum of emotions and experiences that will resonate with viewers. They also include lighter tones and comic elements, resulting in a well-rounded viewing experience. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and let these films transport you to a world where love has no bounds.
10. Candy Jar (2018)
A Netflix Original film directed by Ben Shelton and written by Chad Klitzman, Candy Jar is a comedy-drama about the cutthroat world of high school debate. The plot revolves around two high school seniors, Lona Skinner (Sami Gayle) and Bennett Russell (Jacob Latimore). They are co-captains of their school’s debate team and have long been academic and debate rivals, constantly fighting for superiority. Both are ambitious, aspiring to attend Ivy League universities and consider winning a state championship as a stepping stone toward their goals.
Their moms, Amy Skinner (played by Christina Hendricks) and Julia Russell (played by Uzo Aduba), add fuel to the fire that is already burning between Lona and Bennett. Both women have unfulfilled dreams and live their lives vicariously through their children. However, when they are forced to collaborate to win the State Championship, Lona and Bennett gradually begin to understand and accept each other’s points of view. They break down their preconceived assumptions and rivalry as they collaborate and communicate more.
9. West Side Story (2021)
West Side Story is a romantic musical drama film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second feature film adaptation of Arthur Laurents’ 1957 Broadway musical of the same name. The story takes place in the middle of the 1950s in a multicultural, working-class area of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Young lovers from two feuding gangs (the Jets, made up of white Americans, and the Sharks, made up of Puerto Rican immigrants) fall in love, which amounts to a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story.
Tony (played by Ansel Elgort) and Maria (played by relative newcomer Rachel Zegler) are the film’s two protagonists. Tony is a former member of the Jets, now striving for a better life, and Maria is the younger sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. The two fall in love after meeting at a dance, and their romance serves as a spark for the growing tension between the two rival gangs.
8. The Piano (1992)
Jane Campion penned and directed the period drama film The Piano, which follows a Scottish woman who is psychologically mute but finds her voice by playing the piano in a bleak frontier town on the west coast of New Zealand in the middle of the nineteenth century. Holly Hunter’s character, Ada McGrath, has her father sell her in marriage to Sam Neill’s New Zealand landowner, Alisdair Stewart. Although Ada has been mute since childhood, she can express herself through her daughter Flora’s (Anna Paquin) sign language interpretation and piano.
When the family finally arrives in New Zealand, Stewart refuses to move the piano inside, so it is abandoned on the beach. A local illiterate forester, George Baines, played by Harvey Keitel, negotiates with Stewart to take possession of the piano and offers Ada a deal. Ada can earn her piano back, key by key, by giving piano lessons to Baines. This relationship soon evolves into a complicated love triangle. Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin received Oscars for their roles; Hunter for Best Actress and Paquin for Best Supporting Actress.
7. An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
An Officer and a Gentleman is a romantic drama film written and directed by Taylor Hackford. The film, widely recognized as a classic, stars Richard Gere, Debra Winger, and Louis Gossett Jr. The story follows Zack Mayo (Richard Gere), a troubled young man who enrolls in the United States Navy’s Officer Candidate School (OCS) to become a Navy pilot. He is determined to overcome his rough history, which includes a toxic relationship with his father and a childhood of poverty.
There, he encounters Louis Gossett Jr.’s Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley, the notoriously tough Drill Instructor of the OCS. Since Foley sees Mayo’s promise and his aversion to authority and stubbornness, he is tough on Mayo. Mayo meets Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger), a local factory worker, and they begin a romantic relationship while he is in training. Paula is looking for a navy officer to marry so that she may leave her small-town existence behind, but Mayo is reluctant to settle down with anybody. Performances by Richard Gere, Debra Winger, and especially Louis Gossett Jr., who became the first African American man to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, were universally lauded.
6. Green Card (1990)
Green Card is a romantic comedy starring Gérard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell that depicts the story of an immigration-related marriage between a Frenchman and an American woman. Depardieu plays Georges Fauré, a Frenchman who wants to work in America. Bront Parrish, a horticultural living in New York City who wishes to rent an apartment with a greenhouse, is played by MacDowell. The flat, however, is only offered to married couples.
In their mutual self-interest, Georges and Brontë enter a sham marriage. Georges gets to stay in the U.S. legally, and Brontë gets her dream apartment. They expect to be able to go their separate ways after the wedding, but immigration authorities conduct an investigation that forces them to stay together. The two become increasingly familiar with one another and develop genuine feelings. They deal with cultural differences, quirks, and unexpected emotions, leading to hilarious and endearing situations.
5. Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Through the prism of a lavish Punjabi Indian wedding, the drama-comedy Monsoon Wedding brilliantly examines contemporary Indian culture. Filmmaker Mira Nair and screenwriter Sabrina Dhawan delve into the lives of an upper-middle-class Delhi family as they prepare for the arranged marriage of their daughter Aditi Verma (Vasundhara Das) to Hemant Rai (Parvin Dabas), an Indian-American engineer. Though Aditi is having an affair with a married TV host, she agrees to the arranged marriage.
Storylines involving the contractor P.K. Dubey (Vijay Raaz), who falls for the family’s maid Alice (Tillotama Shome); the heartbreaking tale of Ria (Shefali Shah), who reveals a family secret; the financial worries of the Verma family; and many other complex relationships and plotlines are all interwoven seamlessly, showcasing a rich tapestry of life. Mira Nair’s spirited directing and the strong performances from the actors in Monsoon Wedding have earned the film many accolades. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes and won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
4. The Proposal (2009)
Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds lead The Proposal, a romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli, with Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, and Betty White in supporting roles. Margaret Tate, portrayed by Sandra Bullock, is a no-nonsense editor at a New York City publishing house. Margaret comes up with a scheme to stay in the U.S. after she is threatened with deportation to her native Canada due to an expired visa. She manipulates her young employee, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), into pretending to get engaged and then getting married.
To overcome the immigration official’s skepticism, Margaret and Andrew take a trip to Sitka, Alaska, to meet Andrew’s peculiar family and attend his grandmother’s (Betty White) 90th birthday party. Margaret learns more about Andrew and herself as she spends time with the family and adjusts to life in Alaska. Despite their early hostility and anger, the two eventually develop genuine affection for each other, which leads to hilarious and endearing scenarios. The Proposal received high marks for its comedic banter, engaging plot, and the sizzling on-screen chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds.
3. Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
A breakout performance for Toni Collette, Muriel’s Wedding also features Rachel Griffiths as Muriel’s best friend, Rhonda, in this Australian comedy-drama by P.J. Hogan. Set in the fictitious town of Porpoise Spit, the film centers on Muriel Heslop, a young woman who is socially awkward and unemployed and who must endure the abuse of her controlling father and the scorn of her more popular siblings. Muriel, constantly harassed by her “friends,” seeks comfort in the music of ABBA and fantasizes about having a lavish wedding even though she is far from getting married.
Muriel finally finds a true friend in Rhonda, a high school classmate she runs into at a vacation resort. Rhonda helps Muriel get the confidence she needs to stand up to her overbearing family. Muriel uproots her life, follows Rhonda to Sydney, and rebrands herself as Mariel. However, she still thinks that getting married will solve all her issues and grant her the esteem and happiness she desperately seeks. Muriel’s Wedding launched the international careers of Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths, with Collette’s performance earning her a Golden Globe nod for Best Actress.
2. Dear John (2010)
Dear John follows Channing Tatum’s character, Army Sergeant John Tyree, and Amanda Seyfried’s Savannah Curtis, a college student aspiring to work with autistic children. They meet over the summer while John is on leave and Savannah is on spring break, and they fall in love instantly. Their brief romance turns into a long-distance relationship, with John returning to his responsibilities and Savannah resuming her student life.
They agree to write letters to one another to keep their love alive. However, their relationship is tested by separation and time, and the film explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the decisions we make that might alter our futures. Emotional scenes and sad moments, typical of film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks’ novels, are the film’s calling card. Dear John‘s successful box office performance can be attributed to the film’s honest and moving examination of love, duty, and dedication.
1. The Big Sick (2017)
Written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani and directed by Michael Showalter, The Big Sick is a romantic comedy-drama that offers a touching, humorous, and authentic picture of Nanjiani and Gordon’s remarkable love story. In the film, Kumail Nanjiani plays a version of himself, a Pakistani comedian struggling with his career and family expectations in Chicago. Despite the wishes of Kumail’s conservative Muslim parents, who want him to have an arranged marriage with a Pakistani woman, he begins dating Emily (played by Zoe Kazan).
Emily’s sudden illness and subsequent medically-induced coma from a rare lung disease forces Kumail to confront his genuine feelings. While visiting Emily in the hospital, Kumail has several uncomfortable, passionate, and enlightening exchanges with her parents, Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano). Skillfully, The Big Sick explores the thorny issues of cultural incompatibilities, the vulnerabilities revealed by illness, and the surprising ways love can blossom.