I saw Lily James and Emma Thompson on the poster and I was sold. Since Lily's breakout roles in Downton Abbey TV series and Cinderella, I've loved to watch her pretty face on the screen. But this wasn't the kind of film I expected Lily James to star in —a cross-cultural take on arranged (or “assisted”) marriages versus love marriages. I like that she's exploring diversity and acting in scripts of different genres.
What's Love Got to Do with It? (2022) is a British romantic comedy that focuses on Zoe (played by Lily James), a successful filmmaker, who gets commissioned to film a documentary on arranged marriages after her childhood friend and neighbour, Kazim (played by Shazad Latif) announces that his parents plan to find him a wife.
Zoe convinces Kazim to let her shadow him throughout the journey with her camera, from the matchmaker's office in London to Skype and Facetime meetings with the intended lady and finally to Lahore, Pakistan for the wedding. As this young pair work together, they debate matters of romance and true love with Zoe questioning Kazim's decision. Will Kazim follow through with the wedding after a lady is chosen for him?
*[Source: YouTube](https://youtu.be/0LqOp2MNwao)*Review
What's Love Got to Do with It? is an interesting film that blends love, friendship, humour, and family drama in a way that is entertaining and emotionally impactful. It's captivating because it delves into important themes of family, identity, religion and cultural heritage.
The plot is a great one but sadly it was not fully explored thanks to sloppy screenwriting, in my opinion. We meet a British lady (Zoe) and a London-born Pakistani guy (Kazim) who have been best friends since childhood but with different beliefs, especially when it comes to marriage. The guy decides to go old school and allow his parents to choose a wife for him but the lady kicks against it.
While it's fascinating to watch Kazim battle the arranged marriage issue, we are given a glimpse into Zoe's single cynical life that involves her playing her harsh reality into fairy tales. She sends the message that life is harsh with no happy endings and fairy tales are unrealistic!
On the positive side, I like that this film educates viewers on arranged marriages and their process (Pakistani marriages as a case study). It also makes a comparison (but a rather unfair one) between love marriages and arranged ones. The film roots for arranged marriages at first but eventually gives credence to love marriages.
On the negative side, I'll say the cross-cultural view or take on marriage was not well written and acted, making the film inauthentic and unrealistic. A good example is the badly written scene of Maymouna (played by Sajal Aly), the bride, who smokes and drinks at her pre-wedding party right in front of her husband, Kazim.
This should be enough to discourage any spiritual or stoic groom from going ahead with the wedding. Artistically, viewers are already given an insight into how the marriage would break up later on —from the bride's end. May I say, that was not good screenwriting and directing?
I think there's much stereotyping in this film that doesn't give credence to some countries' beliefs and lifestyles, but rather promotes the Western culture and lifestyle as better. Whether arranged or love marriages, both are credible ways to enter into the institution of marriage and should be respected. Both processes have pros and cons, neither is perfect. As for their success rate, I cannot say much because I don't have evidence or statistics to support an argument.
Overall, it's a good but unmemorable film. The acting is great. The scenes of the weddings and all the exotic displays are interesting to watch. But those who are overly sensitive on matters of culture and religion might want to stay clear of this one.
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Other images are screenshots from the movie
