So, what’s love got to do with it? That’s not random question nor should it be confused with the popular song by Tina Turner, it’s instead the title of the latest romcom movie, a genre that never gets old. Yes, you may have read a lot of movie reviews here that aren’t quite in this mold however that doesn’t mean I’m not huge a fan of romcoms, I definitely and unashamedly am, it’s just a pity that I’ve never had the opportunity to delve into that space more… until now thanks to the Empire Entertainment Africa team who indulged us in an early screening hosted at the visually fantastic Monte Casino.
Okay, so I know what you’re probably thinking, this is yet another one of those sappy love stories that classic romcoms present, well, yes. After all that is the formula that’s worked well for most of them so why change it? To the movie’s credit though it does offer something a bit more in the form of symbolizing close family ties, friendship, forgiveness and reconciliation. As it is with most romcoms, there are two main characters which the storyline mostly revolves around, in this instance it follows Lily James and Shazad Latif’s characters who share quite a likable synergy throughout the movie underpinned by one main question:
How do you find lasting love in today’s world?
For filmmaker 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 neighbor 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.
One of the things I particularly like about romcoms is their ease and classic way of not taking themselves too seriously which in turn encourages you to just let go, relax and get lost in a love story, typically for an hour or two. And that’s exactly what you get with ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ Unlike other similar movies which mostly focus on the ‘romance’ (in romcom), this one does a great job of bringing in more of the comedic feel to things and that’s thanks to the clever fusion of Asian/English cultures.
A huge part of its charm is down to the other supporting cast members that include the always hilarious and vibrant Emma Thompson (Cath), Jeff Mirza (Kaz’s father, Zahid Khan) and Aisha Shabana (Kaz’s mother, Aisha Khan) who fun fact (and this is thanks to the insight shared by my partner on the night) is an amazing woman who has achieved a lot in real life including acting in more than one hundred Hindi films, has participated in several plays and demonstrations denouncing communalism, campaigned against ostracism of victims of AIDS and much more (Google her life story, it’s amazing).
Okay, back to the movie, the script leans very much more towards the tried and trusted route with no particular creativity or surprises. It finds the main characters debating romance and love and what it all means with back-and-forths that are mostly surface-level but still enjoyable enough to keep your attention. Not that it outright promotes the idea but in subtle ways it does a great job of also promoting interracial relationships and normalizing the idea; we definitely need more of that in this genre. It also shines a light on arranged marriages but don’t be of the impression that it’ll leave you having any profound statements around the concept or marriage in general.
Is it a classic? Probably not but what ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ does a great job of is presenting a couple of ideas (as elaborated above) in a neat, charming and amusing package, and sometimes that’s all you need really in a movie like this. One perfect for fellow romcom fans, those who naturally gravitate towards humor or just a good ol’ date night.
