Blu-ray Review: WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

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Sep 20, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Zoe Stevenson (Lily James, Pam & Tommy) is an award-winning London documentary filmmaker who’s desperately looking for an idea for her next project. When her childhood neighbor/best friend Kazin ‘Kaz’ Khan (Shazad Latif, Star Trek: Discovery) informs her out of the blue that he’s decided to let his parents arrange his marriage, this may be exactly the story idea that Zoe has been searching for. She is skeptical, and finds the idea a bit archaic—can an arranged marriage work in the modern world? How could someone agree to get married to someone they haven’t even met?! What if there is no love or chemistry? But Kaz insists that this is not like the arranged marriages of his parents’ day. In fact, they are now referred to as assisted marriages, since the participants have a say in the process—it will not be left solely up to Kaz’s parents to decide.

Zoe has always had this notion that marriage should be all about love, and that one day she would eventually find “the one”. However, Kaz points out that traditional marriage divorce rates are 50% while arranged marriages only have a 6% divorce rate. Zoe’s mother Cath (Emma Thompson) is divorced, and Zoe is still single as well, always choosing to date the wrong kind of guy. Maybe there could be something to this after all?! So Zoe convinces Kaz to let her follow him with her camera, documenting the process from his first meeting with Mo the Matchmaker (Asim Chaudhry, Hitmen), to selecting and meeting his bride-to-be Maymouna (Sajal Ali) in Pakistan for the first time, through the wedding ceremony—all within just a month’s time!

As Zoe interviews Kaz and his family and friends who have gone through arranged and more traditional marriages, she learns more about the Pakistani culture and traditions, and the extra pressures and prejudices that Kaz faces as a Muslim born in Britain. He tells Zoe that their lives are very different—even though their childhood homes were numbers 47 and 49, there was a whole continent between them. During her research, Zoe also discovers that Kaz’s sister was shunned by the rest of her family after she decided to marry a non-Muslim man. but Zoe is torn between exploring this for her documentary, or keeping her friend’s wishes to drop this topic, which is a sore spot for his family. Along her filmmaking journey, Zoe starts to question her own attitude towards relationships. She wonders if she should tell Kaz he’s doing the wrong thing—but is she really concerned, or is that just jealousy, and her own feelings towards him resurfacing?

What’s Love Got to Do with It? is part romantic comedy, part character drama, part exploration and celebration of other cultures. The Khans and the Stevensons have been next door neighbors for a long time, and feel like part of one another’s families, despite their very different backgrounds. Parents just want their children to be happy. Kaz’s mother Aisha (Shabana Azmi, Next of Kin) and father Zahid (Jeff Mirza, We Are Lady Parts) had an arranged marriage, and while it took a while for them to warm up to one another, they are now the happiest of couples. They just want this for their son, and are thrilled when Kaz allows they to assist in finding him a bride. At the same time, Cath Stevenson can’t help but try to steer her own daughter towards finally dating a good guy, like her handsome vet, Harry (Peter Sandys-Clarke), who’s always making house calls. The film has this classic ’90s British rom-com kind of feel to it. Zoe is this one who’s skeptical about love, and finds her ideas about relationships unexpectedly challenged as she records her documentary. Maybe she is the reason her relationships have never worked out?! There’s this definite chemistry between her and Kaz, but it’s nothing they’ve ever spoken or done anything about. Their eyes light up when they’re together, and Kaz gets so much joy showing her Pakistan and sharing his culture. But they come from very different backgrounds, and a relationship isn’t something that either of them ever considered.

While the story takes a few dramatic turns, the film also has lots of humor and witty writing. Emma Thompson is such as delight as the always-energetic Cath Stevenson. After her divorce, Cath decided that she wasn’t going to let life pass her by. So she is always game to dress up and participate in any of the Khans’ festivities. While she may not always be the most PC person, her actions always come from a genuine interest in and excitement for experiencing foreign culture. This leads to some fun and sometimes awkward situations.

What’s Love Got to Do with It? does a nice job of explaining and celebrating Pakistani and Muslim culture, showing a more colorful and positive side to the country that you don’t usually see in movies. (In the behind-the-scenes featurette, actress Shabana Azmi notes how nice it was to not get cast as the wife of a terrorist.) As the film heads to Pakistan for the wedding, there is a wonderful Bollywood dance number, as well as an emotional performance by Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, who plays himself in the movie. The film also has elements reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally, in the way it’s constantly cutting to these fun, sweet relationship testimonials from couples that Zoe has recorded for her documentary.

Shout! Studios’ Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, with a crisp, clean, and detailed picture throughout. The beauty and colors of the wedding also really pop. Dialogue remains clear throughout, and is primarily focused in the center channel, while the stereo and surround channels are used for the film’s delightful score, and to make scenes like the wedding party feel more immersive.

The Blu-ray disc comes packed in an standard HD keepcase with a carboard slipcover. There is no digital copy included. The disc contains an entertaining 14-minute making-of featurette with the cast and crew, as well as the film’s trailer.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:49:00)

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Surround, English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
Subtitles: English

Extras:

The Making Of What’s Love got to do with it? (14:32)
The cast and crew discuss the themes of the film, their own experiences with Pakistan and Pakistani culture, the differences in marriages between Eastern and Western cultures, integrating their own experiences into the script, showing a lighter side of Pakistan, mixing family drama with comedy, the cast, the emotional depth to the film, the production design, the dancing & music, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/producer Jenima Khan, producer Nicky Kentish Barnes, director Shekhar Kapur, costume designer Caroline McCall, soundtrack Naughty Boy, composer Nitin Sawhney, and stars Shabana Azmi (“Aisha Khan”), Lily James (“Zoe”), Emma Thompson (“Cath”) & Shazad Latif (“Kazin ‘Kaz’ Khan”).
Trailer (2:42)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

What’s Love Got to Do with It? is a fun and entertaining romantic comedy/drama that takes some emotional turns. It also does an excellent job of exploring and celebrating Pakistani culture. I first saw this film on my plane trip to SDCC, but enjoyed it even more this second time around on a screen larger than 6 inches and with proper sound. The movie features a stellar cast, who do an excellent job of selling the humor, drama and chemistry. Shout!’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes an entertaining behind-the-scenes featurette. This disc is definitely worth picking up for fans of the film, or for those looking for a humorous romantic drama. For those who still wish to check it out before a blind buy, the film should be streaming on Hulu starting Saturday, September 23.