What's Love Got to Do with It?
Shout! Studios | Release Date: May 5, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
12
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
TheWrapMartin TsaiSep 20, 2022
Everything about this one is lovely and magical, but it’s also deeply heartfelt. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowMay 5, 2023
This one has familiar beats but appealing performers, better dialogue, and more depth of character than many more formulaic movie romances. Read full review
80
The IndependentJessie ThompsonFeb 23, 2023
The tone is distinctly feelgood, but the film, directed by Shekhar Kapur, thoughtfully explores the different ways that relationships can be built, and what cultures can teach one another. Read full review
75
Original-CinKaren GordonMay 19, 2023
Yeah, the movie does noticeably follow the formula. But still, it got to me. I rooted for the couple who didn't yet know what we knew from the beginning, and I even welled up towards the end, just when the film wanted me to. Predictable reaction. But then, it’s a rom com after all. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleSavita PatelMay 5, 2023
Indian director Shekhar Kapur, who returns to film after more than a decade, is known for “Bandit Queen” (1994) and “Elizabeth” (1998), so this may be considered among the acclaimed director’s lighter films. But the Academy Award-winner’s skillful steering of characters allows the movie to showcase a diverse milieu rather than become a narrow East versus West portrayal. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinMay 3, 2023
James and Latif make an appealing, soulful twosome, infusing their nicely dimensional, well-modulated characters with low-key charm and credible longing. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenSep 18, 2022
What’s Love Got To Do With It? serves as a master class in how to adhere faithfully to the classic romantic-comedy template and yet still emerge with something that delivers delightfully on both sides of the hyphen. Read full review
70
Screen DailyWendy IdeSep 18, 2022
The film’s authenticity comes not so much from the parties and celebration, and certainly not from the documentary device, but from the emotional connection between Kaz and Zoe; the way he leans slightly towards her as he translates the words of a traditional love song, the brief loaded pause when their eyes lock. Read full review
65
Film ThreatAlan NgMay 5, 2023
Writer Jemima Khan and director Shekhar Kapur not only bring the Pakistani perspective on romance but incorporates it into modern English culture. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrMay 5, 2023
Within a conventional rom-com package, the ending of which isn’t the slightest of mysteries, tropes are subverted, big questions are asked about marriage and love, and a warm spotlight is shined on Pakistani culture. Read full review
60
Screen RantRachel LaBonteMay 4, 2023
Though the sparks could be brighter for its central couple, What's Love Got to Do with It? still has plenty of charm. Read full review
60
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMay 4, 2023
A glossy lesson in how to pour nontraditional content into a traditional rom-com mold, Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got to Do With It? shapes competing notions of happily-ever-after into comfort food. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeFeb 26, 2023
The sparky chemistry between James and Latif leaves few surprises in how it all pans out, but it’s an unexpectedly, disarmingly sweet film. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeFeb 24, 2023
Khan, like her documentarist heroine, clearly seeks to offer a balanced take on arranged marriage – opening non-Muslim viewers up to their own prejudices while admitting the restrictions. That balance proves, however, difficult to sustain in a genre that relies on a desperate, final rush to the airport (or whatever) as soul mates admit their attraction. Read full review
60
Time OutWhelan BarzeyOct 27, 2022
The non-judgmental message – that there are endless routes to finding love and that no one owns the map – may not be revolutionary, but Jemima Khan’s modern, personal spin on the concept gives it a likeable new freshness. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 18, 2022
Khan’s script is one of competency rather than creativity: a sound structure, a propulsive pace and a learned awareness of genre conventions but dialogue that often feels a little first draft, a little placeholder-heavy, zingers not really zinging quite as they should. Read full review
50
VarietyGuy LodgeMar 10, 2023
As strenuously as the film professes to give arranged marriages a fair shake, its whole cornball narrative is rigged against the very concept: “Love Contractually” may be the pitch, but “Love Actually” is the preferred outcome. Read full review
50
Little White LiesFatima SheriffJan 25, 2023
Romantic comedies are meant to be cringe-y and based on morally questionable conundrums, but James and Latif’s individual charms and dynamic is undone by the way their characters’ choices make them feel lost in a way that is completely unrelatable. Read full review
50
The PlaylistMarya E. GatesSep 18, 2022
Wearing its influences on its sleeve, the rom-com aims to show where arranged marriage traditions and modern dating habits can fit in a multicultural modern Britain. Unfortunately, it can’t shake the screenwriter’s white gaze. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubLauren J. CoatesMay 4, 2023
Though it sets out with noble intentions, What’s Love Got to Do With It is inelegant and reductive. It’s a well-meaning but misguided film that ends up playing into the same prejudices and preconceptions its characters are meant to be challenging. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 5, 2023
Between the half-formed romance, the uneven comedy, and the observations that stop just short of real insight, it's a wedding invite that's easy to skip. Read full review
40
EmpireHelen O'HaraFeb 21, 2023
A likeable cast and colourful depiction of Pakistani (and Pakistani-British) culture makes this look warm and inviting, but the central romance can’t hold our attention as it should. Read full review
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