What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)

A film about the singer Tina Turner and how she rose to stardom with her abusive husband Ike Turner and how she gained the courage to break free.

Director:

Brian Gibson

Writers:

Tina Turner (book), Kurt Loder (book),

Stars:

Angela Bassett, Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly, Virginia Capers

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Angela Bassett	...	Anna Mae Bullock / Tina Turner
Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly	...	Young Anna Mae Bullock (as Rae'Ven Kelly)
Virginia Capers	...	Choir Mistress
Laurence Fishburne	...	Ike Turner, Sr.
Khandi Alexander	...	Darlene
Dororthy Thorton	...	Choir Member (as Dorothy Thornton)
Demetrice Cheathon	...	Choir Member
Nita Woods Allen	...	Choir Member
Helen Marie Lovelace	...	Choir Member
Natalie Wilson	...	Choir Member
Seymour Daniel Jr.	...	Choir Member
David McKinney	...	Choir Member
Jayd Stanfield	...	Choir Member
Maurice O'Neal	...	Choir Member
Frank Rasberry	...	Choir Member

Storyline

Anna Mae always had a special voice. Soon after arriving in St. Louis to live with the mother who had walked out when she was small, the now teenage Anna soon attracts the attention of pop group leader Ike Turner. She becomes the band's singer, his wife, and mother to his children - not all hers. In love with Ike and determined not to leave in the way her mother had, she finds herself the target of increasing violence from her unstable husband who can't see who is making the band such a success.

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Plot Keywords:

tina turner | singer | violence | abusive husband | love | 

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Taglines:

The Triumphant True-Life Story Of Tina Turner!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for domestic violence, strong language, drug use and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tina

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£1,583,230 (UK) (15 October 1993)

Gross:

£3,420,933 (UK) (12 November 1993)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vanessa Bell Calloway, who plays Jackie, the friend and former Ikette who shares Buddhism with Tina, was wary of chanting the Buddhist words because of her strong Christian faith. Director Brian Gibson allowed her to mouth the words silently during taping, and added the words with a voice double in post-production.

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Goofs

When Ike and Tina are fighting at the pool, Ike's lips don't move as he shouts at her.

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Quotes

Ike Turner, Sr.: Now, you listen to me. I MADE you. You were nothing before you met me, and you'll be nothing without me.

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Connections

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Proud Mary"
Written by John Fogerty
Performed by Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne and Tina Turner

User Reviews

A National Enquirer interpretation; entertaining swill...

Although based upon Tina Turner's co-authored autobiography "I, Tina", "What's Love Got To Do With It" plays like a condensed version of a star's memoir, half-fabricated and the other half taken from a supermarket tabloid. While the performances are spot-on, brave and intense, and the original tunes frequently sound incredible, the facts and details of Anna Mae Bullock's relationship with R&B shaker Ike Turner remain hazy and suspect. Certain set-pieces, like Tina's recording session with Phil Spector, look marvelous but serve no particular purpose (and the film lets us think Ike had no involvement in a group-project that resulted in a full album, not just a single release). Angela Bassett is undoubtedly just the perfect choice to portray the exciting Tina Turner, but what of Turner's own tumultuous personality? The movie's narrative gives all the fire and anger to husband Ike, despite Tina's burgeoning muscular arms (she didn't get those muscles from Buddhist chanting!). Also lost are the solo years between leaving Ike and finding success on the pop charts in 1984. The film hopes to wrap things up with a little unnecessary melodrama, but just fouls itself up trying to make a (tired) point about finding one's inner peace and independence. The look of the film is quite remarkable throughout, and the early sequences are entertainingly staged, but very little of the film's final third rings true or comes to close to matching what music-historians know to be accurate. **1/2 from ****