The producers of Bridget Jones’s Diary and Love Actually want to remind us there are more than just superhero movies out there and that the rom-com isn’t dead. Welcome to What’s Love Got to Do with It?, the enchanting new film from screenwriter Jemima Khan, who previously served as producer of Impeachment: American Crime Story and The Clinton Affair. That should give you a sense of how shrewd, creative, and intentional Khan can be when choosing projects, and her collaboration with director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) here delivers a slow-simmer, a feel-good film with all the right seasonings.
If Love Actually showed us that love really is all around us — can we ever forget that Andrew Lincoln cue card scene in front of Keira Knightley? — What’s Love Got to Do with It? gives us a modern-day refresh, partially set in the UK, that illuminate how complicated “love” and loving can be in the 21st century. It’s “love contractually” here in a tale about an arranged — make that “assisted” — marriage that gives everybody involved something deeper to ponder. Maybe love doesn’t have everything to do with relationships — or potential ones at that. Hold that thought.
I Don’t Love You Yet, But Marry Me
Meet Zoe (Lily James of Pam & Tommy and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), a dating-app junkie and documentary filmmaker who works for a gaggle of privileged "bros" who think they know what they are doing. Sigh. How many more years will it take for these sorts of fellas to read some Deepak or watch Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday — at least once — to realize the world doesn’t revolve around them? They’re not a bright bunch, but Zoe wants to hit her stride. Somewhat desperate, she comes up with an idea.
Enter Zoe's childhood friend and neighbor Kaz (Shazad Latif of Star Trek: Discovery). To her surprise, Kaz has agreed to follow his parents’ example and partake in an assisted marriage. In this case, it's to a lovely young woman from Pakistan. Kaz and his family allow Zoe to document the journey, and along the way, Zoe remains in utter fascination with Kaz's choice. Why would he willingly choose to opt out of falling in love initially for something she feels is archaic?
That premise offers of plenty of time for Zoe and Kaz to talk among themselves, away from her documentary camera. Their debates about modern-day dating and love give each of them something to consider. But neither one stands down from their positions. Kaz challenges Zoe about her endless dates with Mr. Wrongs that lead nowhere. Zoe believes Kaz is making a huge mistake. Kaz claims only 6% for arranged marriages end in divorce. Zoe rolls her eyes. Clearly, these two, who bonded as kids, feel something for each other. Or don’t they? We’re left to wonder. (But not that much.)
Meanwhile, we have Emma Thompson of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande and so much else to brighten things up whenever she appears on-screen. As Zoe’s blunt but hilarious mother Cath, she’s aching for her daughter to finally find somebody. Zoe won’t have it, claiming there just aren’t that many good men out there. Kaz scoffs at that notion, forcing her to question her own choices. Ah, the layers get deeper now, don’t they?
Will They? Won’t They? Can They?
As we enter the second half What’s Love Got to Do with It?, Kaz’s family (along with Zoe and Cath) fly out for the traditional and lavish Pakistani wedding. Relax, the film doesn't devolve into a typical wedding movie. When Kaz first meets bride-to-be Maymouna (Sajal Aly), a law student, Zoe immediately notices the emotional walls between them. How, she wonders, can her pal go through with this. Kaz is determined though, even when it’s blatantly obvious Maymouna thinks Kaz is a bit conservative for her tastes — it’s a party scene, the girl has downed some liquor, she’s venting, you know how it goes. Still, Kaz is determined to move forward on the commitment regardless.
Shabana Azmi stands out here, too, as Kaz’s mother. It’s refreshing to see that the filmmakers gave other characters their own unique story arc, other than just Zoe and Kaz. Azmi infuses her character with grace and a sense of nobility, and it’s heartwarming to see how her own story plays out with her own children, particularly with an estranged daughter who has opted for a marriage of love with a Caucasian.
As for Lily James and Shazad Latif, these fine actors shine from beginning to end. James is an exceptional talent who can easily go from the frothy pop yumminess of something like Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again to diving into the deep pit of dark despair that was Pam & Tommy. Let’s give this commanding presence more work that shows off her unique depth, please. Latif is positively believable as Kaz. His grounded performance anchors most of the movie. And that end scene is something to savor.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? is a sweet, endearing film. It’s purposely on-the-mark, so even-keeled that, somehow, it all works. Its only off-putting element is the title, which recalls the Angela Bassett-helmed Tina Turner film of the same name from the 1990s. And yet… well, here’s one last bit: There’s a glorious thing Emma Thompson’s character says to Lily James here. In one of their mother/daughter exchanges, Cath tells Zoe, “Loneliness is a western disease, and it’s far more deadly than cancer.” She goes on to tell her daughter that perhaps it would suit her to allow other people to care for her. To that end, love, has so much to do with everything.
What’s Love Got to Do With It?, a Working Title Films and Instinct Production, opens May 5th from StudioCanal.