What's Love Got to Do with It? Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

What's Love Got to Do with It? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 24, 2023

Shekar Kapur, the director of 1998’s “Elizabeth” and its 2007 sequel, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” returns to duty after a 15-year-long break from big screen storytelling with “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” Shedding interest in historical dramas, Kapur joins screenwriter Jemima Khan for this study of arranged marriages and challenges with true love, endeavoring to make something that deals with authentic relationship issues while still hoping to remain approachable as a study of a tentative romance. “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (which doesn’t have anything to do with the Tina Turner hit, but try explaining that to your brain) has the opportunity to say something meaningful about ongoing battles between the heart and mind, but the production isn’t courageous enough to really offer an honest assessment of near-misses when it comes to relationships, eventually turning to a to-do list of cliches just to make sure the material meets expectations.

In London, Zoe (Lily James) is a documentarian looking for her next project, pushed to cover a softer subject for the masses. She’s inspired by Kaz (Shazad Latif), her childhood friend and neighbor, who’s electing to avoid love while hunting for a wife, preferring to submit to the arranged marriage process, delighting his Pakistani parents, Aisha (Shabana Azmi) and Zahid (Jeff Mirza). Receiving permission to document the journey, Zoe joins Kaz as he hunts for a mate, dealing with matchmaking labor before he finds Maymouna (Sajal Aly), a younger woman willing to make the connection and move to London. While Zoe observes Kaz’s thinking and choices, she deals with her own love life, battling uninteresting men for the sake of her concerned mother, Cath (Emma Thompson), beginning to understand what Kaz truly means to her as he prepares to commit his life to Maymouna during their wedding in Pakistan.

“What’s Love Got to Do with It?” opens with a wedding, as Kaz’s younger brother is getting hitched, celebrating with a big party inside his family home. It’s a joyous event of love and family, and one that’s catnip to Cath, who lives to enjoy the details of Pakistani culture and see her neighbors, sustaining a bond that began decades ago when Kaz’s parents moved in next to her. Time has passed, and now Kaz is an adult, ready to settle down, but without love in his life, preparing to make a commitment to an arranged marriage to help establish his future. Zoe is also without a partner, struggling to make sense of men, more interested in her career as a documentarian, hitting on an idea to track Kaz’s experience. A plot soon forms, and a promising one, with the friends reuniting for this specialized journey into matchmaking, which includes a visit to the “Matrimonial Advice Bureau,” where a professional maps out a plan to secure a wife for Kaz.

“What’s Love Got to Do with It?” seems like a comedy, but Kapur and Khan don’t push too hard on funny business, preferring to create a character study with Zoe, who’s dealing with aging and solitude, considering freezing her eggs for future baby-making, but also wary of parenthood, even while she enjoys time with her friend’s children, sharing fairy tales that don’t line up with her own romantic experiences. More dramatic tones are pursued, even with lighter asides, including Zoe’s interactions with smitten vet James (Oliver Chris), and the filmmaker’s interview efforts are periodically explored throughout the picture, adding a little “When Harry Met Sally” energy to the feature as others recall their relationships.

What's Love Got to Do with It? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "What's Love Got to Do with It" generally offers a warmer palette for cozier living spaces and celebratory gatherings. Bright yellows and oranges capture the presence of Pakistani culture, and shimmering golds are common, along with glowing lights. Primaries are powerful, exploring the richness of clothing choices and home decorative style. Exteriors retain intended coolness with autumnal atmosphere. Greener is distinct. Skin tones are natural. Detail is strong, doing well with skin surfaces, which deliver a great examination of texture. Costuming is also fibrous, exploring ornate matrimonial dresses and religious garb. Dimension is capable, with deep town tours and full views of community gatherings. Delineation is satisfactory. Some mild banding is briefly present.

What's Love Got to Do with It? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix on "What's Love Got to Do with It" isn't built to overwhelm. This is a delicate feature, and the track follows such a lead. Dialogue exchanges are prioritized, securing differences in accents and performance choices, also preserving softer emotionality along the way. Scoring is sharp and supportive, with distinct instrumentation. Celebration sequences offer more power, with snappy percussion and deeper beats, which leads to periodic low-end response. Surrounds are generally good with musical moods, creating a feel for party scenes, and atmospherics around town and inside living spaces are appreciable.

What's Love Got to Do with It? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (14:32, HD) is a featurette following the making of "What's Love Got to Do with It," featuring interviews with writer/producer Jemima Khan, producer Nicky Kentish Barnes, director Shekhar Kapur, costume designer Caroline McCall, soundtrack producer Naughty Boy, composer Nitin Sawhney, and actors Shabana Azmi, Lily James, Emma Thompson, and Shazad Latif. The screenplay was born from Khan's own life experiences, spending a substantial amount of time in Pakistan, even working on arranged marriages. A brighter depiction of Pakistani culture and its people was focused on, with Khan aiming to change viewer understanding of the community. An appreciation for Kapur is presented, with the helmer working to soften the writing, making it much more heartfelt tale of love and family. Casting is explored, with James and Latif already friends, making chemistry all the easier to access. Characterization is also highlighted, detailing personalities. Pakistani exposure is celebrated, with Kapur and the cast pushing to get away from stereotypes, bringing dimension and difference to the parts. Technical challenges are also examined, studying colorful costuming, music choices, and dance choreography.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:42, HD) is included.

What's Love Got to Do with It? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's not hard to understand where "What's Love Got to Do with It" is going before the first act is over, with Zoe and Kaz dealing with hidden feelings as their chemistry returns, along with their personal history. The writing isn't aiming high, but it ultimately fumbles suspense by making potential romantic partners gradually undesirable, paving the way to a finale that's both predictable and deflating. Culture dominates the endeavor, and performances are capable for this type of movie, with chemistry appreciable between James and Latif, but "What's Love Got to Do With It?" doesn't take any creative risks, weakening a picture that could use genuine complications getting in the way of an inevitable pairing. Kapur gives in to formula, which involves some authentically complicated feelings concerning family ties and religious devotion, but the film doesn't have the strength to examine such topics with care for nuance. It's out to win hearts in the end, skipping a larger examination of personal psychological and emotional blockage.