Think about it: when did you last see a great British romcom? Can you even remember the last time anyone achieved that perfect alchemy between wistful longing, self-deprecating humour and characters who live in incredibly nice houses? There’s been endless fretting about whether the genre can adapt to a more inclusive, feminist age – but with the big-hearted What’s Love Got to Do With It?, we can call off the search party. The first feature film written by Jemima Khan is a charming cross-cultural comedy that can be ranked alongside British classics like Bend It Like Beckham, and has the confidence of a Richard Curtis classic.
Boy, here, does not meet girl – he’s known her since they were kids, their families living next door to one another. Zoe (Lily James) now makes documentaries and Kaz (Shazad Latif) is a doctor; they are best friends, having long been part of the fabric of one another’s lives. Kaz has decided that he wants to have an arranged marriage, meaning boy will actually meet girl once she’s also met his Pakistani parents. Zoe, searching for her next project, convinces Kaz to let her film his journey, and explore how arranged marriages have evolved.
