WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

The film "What's Love Got To Do With It" is a loosely based biography film on the great singer Tina Turner. The film stars Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne (Aka Cowboy Curtis) as Ike and Tina Turner and the film shows and focuses on Tina's rise to stardom and her relationship with Ike. That's pretty much the films plot and boy did the film immediately suck me in the very minute it started.



One of the many aspects that makes the film great is the performances from our two leads. The supporting characters are good but they don't leave a big of an impression or an impact as Bassett and Fishburne! Angela Bassett as Tina Turner, I'll be honest I am unfamiliar with her work but that doesn't matter because her performance as Tina Turner was so convincing and believable that I can almost swear that she is her and sometimes not knowing an actor who is playing the lead can leave a big impression on you then a big named star or someone you know so much about. Throughout the entire film, I felt her emotions and struggle of how she dreams to be away from her abusive husband Ike, so she can become a solo artist and even though I know that she's going to get her wish, I still felt like she wasn't going to get away from him since the film makes the audience feel as trapped as she is. On top of it, she looks so much like Tina Turner (Especially towards the end of the film) that it's kind of scary yet enchanting. Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner, when I heard that Cowboy Curtis was going to play Ike Turner, I began to wonder how I'm going to be able to separate one of my favorite childhood characters with a famous and abusive man. Surprisingly, Fishburne played the role of Ike so well and so convincingly that I completely forgot that this guy has ever played a Cowboy on "Pee Wee's Playhouse". He looks like Ike, he performs like Ike, he acts like Ike, just like Bassett as Tina, Laurence Fishburne is Ike Turner. Even when I see him abuse Tina, use drugs and hear him swear, I don't feel like my childhood has been ruined because I can't help but just see him as this real life person.



The films soundtrack is without a doubt fantastic. Yeah Bassett doesn't actually sing in the movie since she lip syncs to Tina Turners singing voice that was made for the film but with that said, I still felt like that I was watching her as Tina Turner live on stage because she moves like Tina, she looks like Tina and the lighting, cinematography, the editing and atmosphere does such a superb job on making you believe that she's actually singing that it doesn't matter if she is or isn't. To my surprise, Fishburne not only makes a believable Ike Turner but he actually does his own singing for Ike Turner and you know what, he actually sounds like him. Wow, who'd a thought that Cowboy Curtis can sing, ok, ok I'm done with the "Pee Wee's Playhouse" references but still I'm stunned! The choice of songs in the movie are all great but the songs and music sequences that stick with me the most are "Rocket 88" when we first meet Ike, "Shake Your Tail Feather" with Tina dancing on TV, the "Proud Mary" montage and the finale with Tina singing the title song. I should also mention that the costumes and sets in the movie are also really great too!



What the film does suffer is inaccuracies to the true story and the relationship between Tina and Ike. However, I am 100% aware that Hollywood does do that very often with true stories and sometimes must change things around for dramatic purposes. So I'm sure most of you wondering, what did they change, what didn't happen and does it work? Well first off, when Ike and Tina first met during the club scene where Tina auditions for Ike, her audition actually happened during an intermission while Ike was playing piano and she was given permission to sing by Ike's drummer. While most of us would probably want to see the true event, I did find the films version to be very enchanting when Tina and Ike first meet. Speaking of Ike, most of Ike's actions in this film such as pushing a cake in her face, getting her out of the hospital, raping her in the studio and threatening her with a gun was actually all fictionalized. Again, while Fishburne is great as Ike, most of the actions I just mentioned are not only not true but I also find it to be very disrespectful to the real Ike Turner. In fact, the real Ike Turner was actually upset by his inaccurate portrayal in this film and I don't blame him at all. I'm not saying he didn't abuse his wife but come on, did you actually believe that he actually pointed a gun at Tina at the Ritz? Even I knew that it was fictional and made up before I looked anything up on the film. Tina's best friend Jackie (Vanessa Bell Calloway) is also a fictional character and is just a combination of friends that Tina has met on the road. To be perfectly honest, I don't mind that at all because I do find her to be a lovable character and the relationship between her and Tina is very heartwarming. I think the biggest flaw this film has is messing up the dates to actual events and even unintentionally getting the facts not straight like mistaking "Private Dancer" as Tina's first album for example. It shouldn't bother the casual viewer but for a fan of Tina Turner who knows her history, you're in for some huge disappointments.

While not being an accurate film to the story of Tina Turner it's certainly nowhere near bad. Some of the changes they made do work, the soundtrack is great and Bassett and Fishburne are absolutely incredible as their roles. If you can overlook the inaccuracies, I'm sure you'll find it to be a very enjoyable film.

RATING 4/5