While Zoe tries her luck on dating apps, her childhood friend Kaz puts his in the hands of his parents. The son of Pakistani immigrants wants to enter into an arranged marriage. Free from prejudice, “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” but don’t tell the story.
When songwriters Graham Lyle and Terry Britten wrote “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” they certainly didn’t realize it would be many years before its release. After it was initially rejected by the English singer Cliff Richard, the US artist Phyllis Hyman tore it – in vain. The song was later offered to Donna Summer, but she didn’t take it up for years, and it went through a few more stations before finally ending up with Tina Turner. And lo and behold: in 1984, at the age of 44, the singer was the oldest female artist to have the song in the US Hot 100 charts.
For many years the piece served as the soundtrack to the film “Tina – What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and in 2023 it is again the title of a film. However, this only has something to do symbolically with the exceptional artist. It just shows that sometimes it takes a lot of attempts to find the right person.
Instead, the focus is on Zoe (Lily James), a quick-witted and funny documentary filmmaker who is self-assured in her job but keeps getting caught up in her love life. If her mother, Cath (Emma Thompson), had her way, Zoe would be married and have children by now. Because since her husband left her for a 35-year-old (or as Cath calls her: a “teenage whore”), she has focused even more on her daughter’s private life and does not shy away from abusive jokes or attempts to make her happy with everyone match possible men. But between drunk one-night stands and dating apps, all Zoe wants is a partner to watch a show cover to cover with. And as long as he can’t be found, she’s content to babysit her best friend’s two daughters and tell them feminist versions of Cinderella, the Frog Prince and other fairy tales.
To avoid just such a frustrating search for a match, Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbor Kaz (Shazad Latif) has asked his parents, Aisha and Zahid Khan (Shabana Azmi and Jeff Mirza), to match him with a suitable woman. The cardiologist doesn’t have many requirements: It should only be a woman “who is British enough for me and Pakistani enough for my family”. Though Zoe is critical of Kaz’s plans, she accompanies his journey with her camera for a progressive documentary that aims to dispel stereotypes about arranged marriages.
This journey not only takes her to Lahore, Pakistan, where Kaz is to marry young Maymouna (Sajal Ali), but also to the realization that there are definitely parallels between impersonal dating via dating apps and brokered marriages. Zoe begins to question whether there is something to be learned from a social system that allows you to meet a like-minded person, chosen by the people who supposedly know you best.
Contrary to possible fears that for a few extra laughs there will be flat foreigner bashing or over-the-top culture clash à la “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” at first glance a thoroughly inclusive comedy that offers some nice insights into Pakistani culture. Probably also because Shekhar Kapur (“Elizabeth – The Golden Kingdom”) is a Pakistani director and the screenplay was written by Jemima Khan – the British ex-wife of the former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan – who also incorporated his own experiences .
Nevertheless, neither of them manage to tell the story completely free of prejudices. In the few dramatic scenes – after all, the carefree character of a RomCom must not be lost – the criticism is aimed solely at the “other”, non-white family, in which relatives are rejected or brides do not dare to tell the truth.
At this point, the chemistry between the main and many supporting characters, which all harmonize with each other, should be positively emphasized. Even James and Latif buy the lifelong friendship right away – almost too much. Because of course, from their first scene together in the tree house, where they shared their first kiss as teenagers, you always ask yourself whether the two will find each other in the end or not.
But the biggest logical mistake of the film also lies in this friendship: On the one hand, Khan and Kapur managed to convey the well-known message in “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” to modernize that there are countless ways and means to find love. They also make some effort to point out the merits of arranged marriages and the flaws of romantic marriages. However, the structure of the RomCom demands a completely different ending – from halfway on it works towards a romance between the two main protagonists. Khan and Kapur fail to realize the potential of their work. What remains is a shallow comedy that can hardly distinguish itself from its competitors.