What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)

The story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.

Director:

Brian Gibson

Writers:

Tina Turner (book), Kurt Loder (book)

Stars:

Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, RaéVen Kelly

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
RaéVen Kelly	...	Young Anna Mae (as Rae'Ven Kelly)
Virginia Capers	...	Choir Mistress
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
Monroe Howard	...	Choir Member
Serist Roberts	...	Choir Member
Wakeen Best	...	Choir Member

Storyline

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, the now teenage Anna Mae 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:

african american singer | african american woman | 1980s | african american protagonist | female protagonist | 

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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:

25 June 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

What's Love Got to Do with It

Filming Locations:

Warner Grand Theatre - 434 W 6th St, San Pedro, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$39,100,956

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scenes depicting Dallas, Texas were based on Tina Turner's real-life domestic violence fight where Ike Turner and Tina were scheduled to perform at the Dallas Statler Hilton in July 1976. This was depicted in Tina's autobiography in graphic detail (including her walking to the Ramada Inn Plaza Hotel across the way) - the reference to her having 36 cents and a Mobil credit card was real. The Statler Hilton was sold in early 2011 to a real estate developer who intends to restore the hotel to its original state as it first appeared in 1956.

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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

Judge: I want you to be very sure about this. This means you're gonna walk out of here with absolutely nothing.
Tina Turner: Except my name. I'll give up all that other stuff, but only if I get to keep my name. I've worked too hard for it, your honor.
Ike Turner, Sr.: The name is mine. The name got my daddy's blood on it. If she wanna go, she can go wherever she wanna go, but the name stays home!

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Connections

Referenced in The Division: What's Love Got to Do with It? (2004)

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Soundtracks

River Deep - Mountain High
Written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich
Performed by Tina Turner

User Reviews

Angela Bassett should be proud

I watched the film recently, and was amazed by how brilliant it was. Not knowing about Tina Turner's life, I was shocked. The movie was pretty hard hitting.

Laurence Fishburne was amazing in his role, he was very scary, and it just made you hate Ike for being so evil. Angela Bassett's performance was outstandingly amazing though - I've never seen so much good acting out of someone in a movie.

All in all, I loved the movie, and any awards for it were well rewarded.

10/10