What’s Love Got to Do with It?, 2022.
Directed by Shekhar Kapur.
Starring Lily James, Shazad Latif, Shabana Azmi, Sajal Aly, Emma Thompson, Asim Chaudhry, Jeff Mirza, Mim Shaikh, Iman Boujelouah, Mariam Haque, and Sindhu Vee.
SYNOPSIS:
For documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbour Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films his hopeful journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.
By now, many of us are sick to death of rom-coms that follow the same formula. This is mostly thanks to Netflix essentially beating the subgenre to death, as the streaming service constantly pumps out needless and plainly irritating offerings that often lack both romance and humour. So, when a good rom-com releases, it certainly deserves a lot of love.
Working Title returns to its beloved roots in the form of What’s Love Got to Do with It?, which follows Zoe (Lily James), a woman who decides to film her neighbor and best friend Kazim’s (Shazad Latif) arranged marriage for a documentary on the process and modernization of arranged weddings in Muslim culture. The result is a hilarious, beautiful and traditional cross cultural rom-com that feels more in line with classics like Notting Hill and Bridget Jones then any infuriating Netflix outing.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? certainly doesn’t shy away from delving into the genre tropes we have all grown accustomed to, which is to some degree to the movie’s credit. The movie is predictable from the get go, like any rom-com really, but it uses these tropes to allow audiences to turn their brains off and enjoy an highly entertaining film.
The story is beautiful, but it’s far from perfect. What’s Love Got to Do with It? showcases the process of arranged marriages, the benefits, as well as the downfalls. Likewise, the movie shows the beauty of Muslim culture, presenting glamorous events, loving families and communities, and their beautiful traditions, as well as the cross-cultured contrasted views on love and relationships.
Kazim’s plan on the arranged marriage derives from his parents’ happiness, a type of relationship he aspires to be in. And after attempting to find love on his own, which has failed so miserably in the past he has now resorted to an arranged marriage. Contrast that with Zoe’s love life, who has dealt with cheats, and men who have broken her heart and those around her, tarnishing her image of men and relationships. She is, however, thriving for her independence, which is of course very admiring. Yet, when she finds a really sweet, charming and caring guy, Zoe reveals that he is just a safe backup, which of course doesn’t work out great between the two. These opposing views on love, tradition, family and relationship are what drive the film, providing a compelling story with some great thematic messaging to go along with it.
Arguably, the movie’s best asset comes in the form of its brilliant cast. Lily James and Shazad Latif are endearing as the two leads, who both share some truly infectious chemistry every time they are on screen. But it’s the movie’s supporting cast where the film shines. Asim Chaudry’s small role was delightful and uproarious, yet the film’s shining star is of course Emma Thompson. She is as always fantastic, but her role in What’s Love Got to Do with It? has to be her funniest role to date, delivering perfect comedic timing, beat after beat. No joke or mannerism falls flat, due to her tremendous charm and caliber as an actress.
Thompson rightfully steals every scene she is in, even if she appears in the background, her subtle facial expressions are enough to have you curled up on the floor crying with laughter. As hilarious as she is in the movie, Thompson also gets some heartwarming moments with her daughter Zoe, spewing out many inspiring words of wisdom. It’s safe to say that without Thompson What’s Love Got to Do with It? just wouldn’t be the same.
Perhaps the movie’s biggest downfall, besides falling into genre stereotypes, is the runtime. Yes, it’s only 110 minutes, but the movie’s pacing towards the end of the movie is very uneven, making things drag a little at the end. The movie ends up overstaying its welcome before immediately rolling to credits, which was also in itself a little jarring.
All in all, What’s Love Got to Do with It? is a fantastic cross cultural rom-com that helps bring a new, yet familiar light to a tired genre. Its cast is delightful, with Emma Thompson as always stealing the show. The humor is uproarious and the story and its themes are beautiful, but certainly not perfect, wrapping up a little too quickly with an uneven pace towards the end.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Olly Dyche
