76
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertWhat's Love Got to Do With It ranks as one of the most harrowing, uncompromising showbiz biographies I've ever seen.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranYou may not respect What’s Love Got to Do With It, but enjoying it is inescapable. A high-energy mixture of spectacular music, vigorous acting and cliched situations, this is a rough-and-rowdy fairy tale with a feminist subtext, and if that sounds perplexing, Love so pumps up the volume you won’t have much time to think about it.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliAlthough ultimately a triumphant story, this biography doesn't see its subject through rose-colored glasses. It takes chances, and that's why it works.
- 75The Seattle TimesJeff ShannonThe Seattle TimesJeff ShannonBy the time the real Tina Turner is seen performing the title hit at film's end, director Brian Gibson has achieved his overall goal: What's Love Got To Do With It may not bring anything new to the biopic genre, but it inspires renewed respect and appreciation for a woman who has earned every break in her amazing career.
- 70Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumAs a truthful account of the life of Tina Turner or as a faithful adaptation of her as-told-to autobiography, I, Tina, this 1993 film can't be taken too seriously. But as a powerhouse showcase for the acting talents of Angela Bassett (who plays Turner) and Laurence Fishburne (who plays her abusive husband, Ike) and as a potent portrayal of wife beating and the emotions that surround it (in this case, Ike's professional envy and Tina's stoic acceptance of abuse), it's quite a show.
- 70Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonLove is supple entertainment -- thanks to on-the-money performances by Bassett and Laurence Fishburne as Ike.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenThe movie makes us all want to stand up and cheer, “Shine on, Tina. Shine on.”
- 63Washington PostRita KempleyWashington PostRita KempleyOverlong and repetitious, the film doesn't live up to the high expectations set by its charming opening scene, but the musical numbers, which often feature the original wigs and trashy Ikettes gear, are handily directed by Brian Gibson of the HBO movie The Josephine Baker Story. The mitigating factor is that Bassett overcomes the limitations of the role to become more than a punching bag.
- 60Time OutTime OutAlong with the usual streamlining of history, we get a good deal of first-hand emotion and little critical perspective.