Shazad Latif and Lily James in What’s Love Got To Do With It? (Picture: Supplied)
Lily James and Shazad Latif star in this bright and breezy romcom about a film-maker who’s making a doc about her best friend’s wedding.
Zoe (James) is a classic London heroine: she lives on a houseboat, she sleeps around, she has an eccentric mother (Emma Thompson) and she wonders where her life is going. Kazim (Latif) is a lesser-seen movie archetype in British cinema: the handsome doctor-next-door who is asking his Pakistani parents to help him find a bride.
Bring on the culture clash, the melting pot, the mash-up: whatever you want to call it, it’s light-hearted fun.
It’s no surprise to learn that this comes from the Working Title stable: there are shades of the sharp observational humour of Four Weddings And A Funeral as this affectionately mocks elements of British culture.
There are also dilemmas akin to Bridget Jones’s Diary, as Zoe weighs up safe and risky romantic options. It’s not as slick as either of those hits, but it’s still a giggle, thanks to a witty script from Jemima Khan, who once lived in Pakistan with her politician ex-husband, Imran Khan.
Directed with a steady hand by Shekhar Kapur, this is comfortably predictable but occasionally surprising. There are charming turns from James and Latif. Not every scene or gag works and there’s something old-fashioned about the tone. But if you approach this in an indulgent mood, it’s decent entertainment.
12. Out in cinemas on Friday
It’s a bright and breezy romcom.
