Out next week just in time for that Valentine’s Day vibe, is What’s Love Got to Do with It? This romantic comedy-drama follows Zoe (Lilly James) and her lifelong friend Kaz (Shazad Latif). Kaz has finally caved and agreed to have a traditional Muslim wedding with his parents choosing his wife for him. Kaz in a dire moment for inspiration pleads with him to document his journey to find a wife and to see if love can come after tying the knot.
Along the way, Zoe looks at her own life and tackles what potential issues she may have when it comes to dating.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? is a wonderfully charming story about love. It’s somewhat predictable, you can guess where we’ll be by the end of the film, however, the characters within it are wonderful. Lilly James is tragically relatable as she tries to figure out her own life while watching her childhood friend figure out his. Latif is also a brilliant scene partner, they have a compelling rapport and you hope for the best possible outcome for these two crazy kids.
The film is beautiful. The locations are stunning, from the suburbs of London to the bazaars of Lahore, the film pops with colour in all the right places. Though the main story is predictable, one of the best elements of the film involves the sister of Kaz and her strained relationship with her family. It’s a fascinating and tragic look into the lives of women in that culture. I think that what makes this film so interesting is the deep dive into the culture. There is a sweet moment between Zoe and Kaz as they watch a man sing to God which is quite impressive.
An interesting aspect of storytelling from the director is how Zoe discusses her love life, comparing her experiences to twisted versions of fairy tales. The one that hits the hardest is easily the Beauty and Beast segment. There are also some genuinely sweet vignettes of couples talking about how they were arranged together when they were young.
There is a lot to love about What’s Love Got to Do with It? A compelling cast, a sweet, romantic story that has some of the right levels of bitterness to resonate properly and an ending that will have you tear up.
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