‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ (2023): Review: A Formulaic Hollywood Ending
Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got To Do With It? might be related to Tina Turner’s hit song, but it is far from it. The movie follows childhood best friends and neighbours Zoe Stevenson (Lily James) documents Kazim Khan (Shazad Latif), who agrees to participate in the Pakistani custom of “assisted marriage” to find a suitable bride. A multicultural romantic comedy that explores the practice of “arranged marriages” in the age of modern dating.
After winning multiple awards for Zoe’s self-directed documentaries, she struggles to find her next big subject. Producers aren’t willing to listen to her pitches about real-world problems, so she hastily suggests documenting the British-Pakistani custom of “assisted marriages” with the help of her lifelong friend, Kazim. After failing to find a love match through Tinder, Kazim honours his parents’ wish by agreeing to find a bride. Kazim reluctantly agrees to be the subject of the documentary, and Zoe follows him around with a camera documenting the meetings with the matchmaker, his thoughts on the whole process, and his first virtual meeting with his future bride, Maymouna (Sajal Ali), a law student in Pakistan. When Maymouna and Kazim’s family mutually agree with the match, Zoe and her mother, played by the wonderful Emma Thompson, and the Khans travel to Pakistan to conclude the process of “assisted marriage;” but will Zoe’s feelings get in the way of Kazim’s marriage?
Countless romantic comedies centre around arranged marriages, but what makes Kapur’s What’s Love Got To Do With It? special is that it is built around family, attraction, and the power of belonging somewhere. The desired themes are perfectly captured in Jemima Khan’s script, along with the complex subjects of subtle racism and colourist remarks in South Asian communities.
Throughout the process of finding a bride for Kazim, his mother, Aisha (Shabana Azmi), makes her matchmaking priorities clear. Her future daughter-in-law cannot be “too dark” for her son. She must be fairer, preferably “wheat” skin colour. Colourism has always been an issue in South Asian communities, and this problem extends to movies that centre Brown women. However, the film doesn’t attempt to explore the damaging beauty standards that prefer colourism. The “wheat complexion” comment doesn’t acknowledge the problems of colourism. Perhaps this isn’t the movie to address this issue, so what was the purpose of making that remark? Maybe Kapur wants to show how reality is reflected in the films.
While Kaz’s mother’s colourist remarks play further into the complex subjects in What’s Love Got To Do With It?, Thompson’s Cath is another questionable character. She represents the cringe-worthy aspects of how white Brits view their immigrant neighbours. Cath embraces the Khan family, showing affection and love towards their traditions, even participating in a Muslim wedding celebration. Yet, she exhibits subtle racism towards her neighbours by saying, “Wasn’t that wonderfully exotic — I feel like a concubine.” In another instance, Cath remarks that she is grateful and lucky that it wasn’t “some other Muslim family” next door. Thompson’s portrayal of the progressive white Brit adds a layer of authenticity, but again, as a viewer, it’s uncomfortable to laugh at these scenes.
Along with the racism and colourism remarks that cloud What’s Love Got To Do With It? enjoyment, Ali’s characterisation of the shy, introverted Maymouna is a worthy mention. It’s clear that Kazim and Maymouna are mismatched; they have no chemistry. Kazim realises that they don’t share the same values. Kapur doesn’t try to make her the villain; the movie sympathises with her lack of agency. Her unhappiness is clearly shown in the film, clouded with a secret she cannot reveal to Kazim because it might disappoint their families. Maymouna is expected to go through with this engagement and marriage, despite her objections due to her responsibility towards her family. It’s expected of her to marry; she isn’t allowed to object to a good match. Unfortunately, Kapur doesn’t take the opportunity to dive deeper into Maymouna’s obstacles. She is a severely underwritten character who exists to create a conflict for Kazim.
Incredibly, Kapur’s film explores the importance of family and friendships. Zoe and Kazim’s lifelong friendship is a reminder of a classic friends-to-lovers trope done well. James is simply magnetic as Zoe, who documents her best friend’s journey into his new life while also fighting with her feelings. Despite Kazim’s decision to find a bride through the help of “assisted marriage,” she learns to understand his perspective. The problem, however, the film even points out is that the documentary is shot from Zoe’s perspective, which might be problematic. But the film doesn’t treat it as such; instead, it embraces the view and the characters find clarity in Zoe’s documentary.
What’s Love Got To Do With It? is not a perfect romantic comedy. While there are funny moments, racism and colourism being used as the butt of the joke isn’t a tool for comedic purposes. Since the film doesn’t explore the complex themes in depth, especially Maymouna’s characterisation, this romantic comedy would have been a classic. However, the formulaic and unappealing characters leave a bitter taste.
