What’s Love Got To Do With It? (1993)
89%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
3 wins & 15 nominations total
With a fascinating real-life story and powerhouse performances from Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, What’s Love Got to Do With It? is a can’t miss biopic
What’s Love Got To Do With It is a rockin’ biopic that will have you dancing in your seat and feeling all the emotions. Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne give powerhouse performances that will leave you in awe. From the wigs to the snarls, Bassett embodies the iconic Tina Turner and Fishburne’s portrayal of Ike Turner is both chilling and captivating. The film may have some conventional elements, but it’s still a must-watch for any music lover. And let’s not forget the power of “River Deep, Mountain High” – it’s a scene that embodies the drama and will have you singing along.
Production Company(ies)
Big Beach Films, Tencent Pictures, Tri Star Pictures,
Distributor
Abril Vídeo, Buena Vista Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
El Paso, Texas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for domestic violence, strong language, drug use and some sexuality
Year of Release
1993
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 58m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United Kingdom, France
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 9, 1993 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 14, 2003
Genre(s)
Biography
Keyword(s)
starring Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Jenifer Lewis, RaéVen Larrymore Kelly, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, directed by Brian Gibson, written by Tina Turner, Kurt Loder, Kate Lanier, biography, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Derek Malcolm, Stephen Amidon, Geoff Brown, Candice Frederick, Jeff Shannon, Carrie Rickey, Philip French, Nick Levine, Malcolm Johnson, Candice Russell, Gary Thompson, David Sterritt, produced by Doug Chapin, Barry Krost, R MPAA rating, Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Sr., Anna Mae Bullock, Zelma Bullock, Alline Bullock, soul singer, Tennessee church choir, St Louis, musical team, physical abuse, leaving Ike, Abril Vídeo, Buena Vista Pictures, Surround
Worldwide gross: $39,100,956
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $81,222,664
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,120
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,857,433
US/Canada gross: $39,100,956
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $81,222,664
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 855
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,222,718
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,539,897
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,178
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $31,158,828
Production budget ranking: 1,134
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,779,029
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $33,284,807
ROI to date (est.): 69%
ROI ranking: 1,064
Laurence Fishburne – Ike Turner, Sr.
Vanessa Bell Calloway – Jackie
Jenifer Lewis – Zelma Bullock
RaéVen Larrymore Kelly – Young Anna Mae Bullock
Phyllis Yvonne Stickney – Alline Bullock
Director(s)
Brian Gibson
Writer(s)
Tina Turner, Kurt Loder, Kate Lanier
Producer(s)
Doug Chapin, Barry Krost
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
3 wins & 15 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (2)
What’s Love Got To Do With It may not be quite in the class of George Cukor but it’s a lot better, for instance, than Mark Rydell’s picking of the bones of Janis Joplin in The Rose.
May 12, 2021
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The two leads turn in powerful performances.
April 21, 2021
Stephen Amidon
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
As an actor’s showcase, the film is a dream.
April 21, 2021
Geoff Brown
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Complete with the rock star wigs, superhero body and slightly timid but ever so deliberate snarl in her speech, Bassett embodied the icon during her slow and steady rise to fame, and her tumultuous marriage…
September 8, 2017
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
A powerful portrait of emotional endurance, propelled by the outstanding performances of Bassett and Fishburne, both of whom lend a crucial dimension to the gradual redundancies of Kate Lanier’s otherwise insightful screenplay.
July 29, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Their nuanced performances give a spectrum of emotional shadings to a black-and-white script that casts Tina as the Beauty to Ike’s unreconstructed Beast.
July 29, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
A major high spot and a pivotal point in the couple’s troubled relationship comes when Phil Spector intrudes to produce ‘River Deep, Mountain High’. The power of the song embodies the drama.
May 12, 2021
Philip French
Observer (UK)
This riveting rock biopic remains a cut above…
May 10, 2021
Nick Levine
NME
Bassett ignites into a major star, a dazzling supernova, with her bravura acting and dancing as Tina Turner, a submissive wife who finally fights.
June 6, 2018
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
What`s Love Got to Do With It is sizzling film fare.
July 29, 2013
Candice Russell
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
[Fishburne’s] performance is the one X factor in What’s Love Got To Do With It, which in most respects is an entertaining if conventional pop star biography.
July 29, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News
Angela Bassett gives a superbly versatile performance as the heroine, and Laurence Fishburne’s portrayal of Ike Turner consolidates his status as one of the most expressive and intelligent actors in movies today.
July 29, 2013
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor…
Plot
Anna Mae Bullock always had a special voice. Soon after arriving in St. Louis to live with the mother who had walked out when she was small, she soon attracts the attention of pop group leader Ike Turner. She becomes his band’s singer, his wife, and mother to his children – not all hers. In love with him and determined not to leave in the way her mother had, she finds herself the target of increasing violence from him who can’t see who is making his band such a success.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Angela Bassett’s performance as Tina Turner is described as “superbly versatile” and “dazzling supernova.”
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