User Reviews

Celebrity bio-pics are very hit or miss, but once in a great while a really good one comes along--and WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT is one of them. Based on the autobiography of Tina Turner, the film offers a glossy but intense portrait of her rapid rise to stardom under the sponsorship of husband-manager Ike Turner--a relationship that quickly turned dark and became increasingly abusive as Tina's fame began to outstrip Ike's own.

Although the film is a bit on the obvious side, it is well-crafted and the two leads offer powerhouse performances. Angela Bassett is simply astonishing as Tina Turner; where most other actresses might have simply imitated, Bassett accomplishes the impossible: she makes you believe that she is Tina Turner, capturing both Tina's famous on-stage performing style (the concert scenes are really exciting) and giving a completely believable interpretation of her off-stage personality as well. The script offers Laurence Fishburne little more than a one-dimensional role, but he plays it brilliantly from start to finish, and both are well supported by the overall cast.

There is certainly a great deal more to the lives of both Ike and Tina Turner than this film conveys--but what it does show it presents with considerable power and conviction, and by the time Tina finally hits back at Ike you'll be roaring for her to hit him again--and again--and again--and eager to see her finally triumph entirely on her own. Recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Angela Bassett, as Tina Turner asks the musical question "What's Love Got to Do with It" in this 1993 film also starring Laurence Fishburne, Jenifer Lewis, and Khandi Alexander. The film tells the story of Tina Turner's childhood as Anna Mae Bullock her move to St. Louis after her grandmother's death to live with her mother, her meeting Ike Turner at a nightclub, her subsequent singing with Ike's band, their marriage and divorce.

By necessity, biopics have to leave out people and incidents, often combining several incidents into one or skipping several steps. In no way does a knowledge of Tina Turner''s life detract from the impact of this film. It's a story of a woman's determination, beating the odds, suffering, perseverance and ultimate success.

Ike's and Tina's marriage was pretty much a horror show. Ike was always controlling, to the detriment of his own career, and as he turned to drugs, his abuse of Tina escalated. The most stunning scene in the film (besides the performances, which are fantastic) occurs when the couple fights in a limo en route to a hotel. Ike becomes physical; Tina has discovered Buddhism and finally gets the courage to fight back. A bloody mess, she runs away from him with only 36 cents in her purse.

Angela Bassett gives a searing, electrifying performance as Turner. Her sinewy body is a great match for Turner's, and she uses it to perfection in replicating Turner's performances (Turner's voice is used on the soundtrack). She shows the star's vulnerability, fear, and internal strength throughout.

Bassett is matched by Laurence Fishburne's terrifying performance as Ike. Fishburne seethes with manipulation and anger, even in scenes where he's being "nice." When Ike loses his temper, you can see how he can't stop and the violence just gets worth. A brilliant performance.

A must see. The latter part of Turner's life is not explored, but while she always remained popular in Europe, it was a long time before she could get a recording contract here after some failed recordings. Today she remains one of the greatest singing stars ever. But there were lots of valleys in between.

Tina Turner is a great and influential performer, and many of her songs are classics for a reason. When hearing that there was a biographical drama, based on Turner's autobiography 'I, Tina', the first feeling that came into my head was intrigue, but also the worry as to whether it would do her justice.

On the most part, 'What's Love Got To Do With It' does. Sure, 'What's Love Got To Do With It' is a little obvious and over-simplified dramatically and a few of the musical scenes stop the flow at times that slows the film down. With that being said, 'What's Love Got To Do With It' has got a lot to recommend it.

Its biggest asset is the lead performances, two lead performances that one would describe as powerhouse. Angela Bassett gives a beautifully observed and deeply felt performance in the title role, her performance feels incredibly real and does not fall into the trap of being an impersonation. Every bit as good is Laurence Fishburne as Ike, on terrifying form. Both characters are very much convincing and have strong chemistry together.

'What's Love Got To Do With It' is nicely filmed and designed, as well as sympathetically directed. As predicted, the songs are terrific and well staged and performed. The script on the most part is heartfelt and avoids falling into making the characters clichéd caricatures or descending into over-heated melodrama. The story also mostly grips and can be very touching and illuminating.

On the whole, intriguing and very well done with powerhouse lead performances that carry the film faultlessly. 8/10 Bethany Cox

How could anyone not like this movie? Unless they were Ike Turner, that is. When we walked out of seeing the movie during its first run in the theater, my husband commented dryly, "Well, that movie didn't paint a very flattering portrait of Ike." and we both laughed at the understatement. If you've read the Tina's book, though, you'll know that the movie goes VERY easy on him-while merely a typical abusive bully in the film, Ike treated her much, much worse in real life. I think if they put even half the abuse and torture he put her through in real life, though, the movie would have been too much of a downer-you got the idea. Fishburne does a good job of making Ike so charming when Tina first meets him that you can see why she falls in love with him, until he turns into a monster. Angela Bassett is just fantastic, she has Tina down perfect, though her upper body is so pumped up in some scenes she looks almost masculine. Tina Turner was (hell, still is at 60) toned and buff, but not a female bodybuilder. Her performance is dynamic and heartbreaking, and I can't watch the scene where she finally gets sick of his abuse and starts fighting back. When she finally hits him back in the scene in the limo, I heard the loudest cheers and applause in the audience that I've heard since I saw Thelma and Louise. I've seen the movie dozens of times and her passion in that scene still gets me emotional every time.

But the real reason I watch the movie over and over (especially when I'm trying to get motivated to work out) are the musical numbers. They include among others "A Fool in Love", "Rock me Baby" a great montage to "Make me Over", but the centerpiece of the film has got to be the perfect recreation, right down to the choreography, of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue's "Proud Mary". It is full of so much energy and rocks so much that your jaw will just hang open in amazement when Tina and the Ikettes start going into their dance moves. I never get tired of watching that scene (almost as good as the real thing). I'm still trying to figure out how they kept their wigs on when they were whipping their upper bodies back and forth, they danced so hard. Oh, and the costumes (especially on the Ikettes and the "Proud Mary" fringe dress) and period detail are not only accurate but To Die For. I can't recommend this movie enough. She should have got the Academy Award, not just the Golden Globe, and the movie should have got the Oscar for best picture of 1993.

Yes. Even though this 1993 bio-picture was a somewhat exaggerated retelling of 22 years (1958-1980) in the turbulent life of famed pop singer, Tina Turner - It was still, without question, certainly well-worth a view.

Packed with plenty of brutally-fierce drama, and high-energy musical numbers - Both actress, Angela Bassett, and actor, Laurence Fishburne gave convincing, top-notch performances as a pair of dynamic performers and ill-fated lovers whose repeated head-on collisions with each other could only lead to one final conclusion.

All-in-all - I recommend this picture, highly.

*Trivia notes* - Angela Bassett's singing was all dubbed by Tina Turner.

Director, Brian Gibson died in 2004.

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

Tina Turner (Angela Bassett) was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee. She was abandoned by her parents and raised by her grandmother. After reuniting with her mother and sister, she meets and eventually marries charismatic band leader Ike Turner (Laurence Fishburne). The volatile relationship turns violent with the drug addicted Ike.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the two leads. In fact, they're doing great work. This is based on Tina Turner's book and even features her performing in the closing credits. Obviously, she has final approval. I don't have a problem with that since her abuse by Ike is well documented. It does leave a sense of sanitized history to some extend. It's much better than a TV biopic but it still some of that flavor. While it doesn't back away from the abuse or Ike's drug use, it shows the ugliness but the style of the movie lacks the darkness. I leave that mostly on director Brian Gibson who doesn't have much in the way of style. This is a solid biopic but with the two great leads, I expect more.

It was gratifying to see rock legend Tina Turner earn the coveted Kennedy Center honor last month, certainly reason enough to revisit this wonderful biopic based on her 1987 self-affirming autobiography, "I, Tina" co-written with Rolling Stone editor Kurt Loder. Directed by the late Brian Gibson in an appropriately feverish manner, the 1993 movie still burns brightly thanks to the electrifying performances of Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. There have been several fine performances in biopics of late - Jamie Foxx in "Ray", Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line" - but I still feel Bassett and Fishburne maintain the high watermark as they seem to inhabit the roles of Ike and Tina completely in this film.

Adapting probably the most melodramatic parts of Tina's book, Gibson and screenwriter Kate Lanier built a dramatic framework about the former Anna Mae Bullock that is somewhat standard-issue and probably biased, but it works on a visceral level as a story of personal triumph punctuated by some of the most gut-wrenching scenes of domestic violence captured on film. Playing one of the most recognizable and enduring celebrities in the rock world, Bassett manages to capture the physical mannerisms, vocal patterns, and onstage energy of the real Tina, even though her voice obviously had to be dubbed. With her almost distracting musculature, she convincingly rips into all her musical performances with unabated fire, but it's really in her dramatic scenes, especially when she becomes an increasingly degraded victim of her husband's demons, that she soars. Fishburne has an extremely tough role, as he has to transcend the inherent villainy of Ike by displaying the bravado and talent that brought the pair the spotlight in the early years. He brilliantly manages to imbue a spirit that is at once frightening and pitiable.

With a relatively sparse filmography, Gibson provides surprisingly sturdy direction here, often using an effective faux-combination of grainy home movies and TV programs to make the movie feel like a "Behind the Scenes" rock documentary. I particularly liked how he edited the inevitable "Proud Mary" - complete with gyrating Ikettes and Tina in her classic cave woman mini - to show the passage of time between the late sixties to the mid-seventies. Unsurprisingly, no one else makes nearly the impression of the two stars, though Jenifer Lewis has a few funny moments as Tina's mother Zelma, and Vanessa Bell Calloway does what she can in her switch from hard-bitten back-up singer to becalming Buddhist. Regardless, see it for two actors - sadly underutilized since this movie was released, the wondrous Bassett in particular - giving all they have into this memorable movie. The DVD has no significant extras other than the original trailer.

I really loved Ike and Tina Turner. then I got to love Tina Turner. I remember I was so sad way back when they split up but,,... after seeing this movie SO SO,,, many years later, I see why. Maybe Ike was a driving force for the group, but Tina made it happen and as far as I can tell, Ike didn't like that he was then along for the ride... and couldn't accept it. It is Too bad he didn't know/or understand at the time what was or would've been best for for his kids and himself. Famous or not, til people understand it's FAMILY that matters, nothing will ever be right. I know this is a Hollywood-ish type-style movie, but I'm proud Tina did what she has done for herself, and I'm glad I got to grow up Knowing Both Ike and Tina, and then Tina Turner.... This is...history in the making.

If you're seriously looking for a really intense depiction of the turbulent era (from 1958-1980) in the life of pop singer, Tina Turner, then, "What's Love Got To Do With It?" should certainly satisfy your insatiable curiosity for a good part of this film's 2-hour running time.

I mean, here's a super-slick bio-pic that sure lays it on extra-thick when it comes to all of the highs (as well as the lows) that have punctuated both Turner's personal and professional life throughout these many years.

Honestly this movie deserves more praise and attention! Of all the biopics i have seen in my life, this one stands out as one of the best and most memorable!

I am a huge fan of Tina Turner, but I don't think you have to be to enjoy this movie! The movie is so much more than the music! IIs a great drama with some amazing performances and some dark dramatic scenes that are more disturbing than you may think!

Angela Basset and Laurence fishburne were amazing! They really became the characters they were playing to the point where you almost forget you are watching actors and not the real Ike and Tina!

The music were great and since I never got to experience Tina this movie is the closest i can get and it does a great job at it!

Tina had a huge influence on music, me and all of us! Incredible artist that will never be forgotten! May she rest in peace!

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 ****

The problem with biopics is that most people who see them probably haven't read the book they're based on so they take everything on screen for face value. In the case of What's Love Got to Do with It, there are a lot of inaccuracies when compared to the actual story Tina tells in her book I, Tina. Keep in mind that this story is one-sided and it's from Tina's perspective so Ike's background, childhood trauma, and personal struggles isn't explored. I have read Tina's book and I also read Ike's autobiography Takin' Back My Name, so watching the film you can see how the writers took great liberties to portray Tina in a way which she has since said she is not happy about. She did not have control over the script. In her book there is no mention of Ike raping her as depicted in the film. In Tina's book she mentions the child she had at 18 with saxophonist Raymond Hill. Her eldest son is completely erased from the movie to make her appear as an innocent virgin. There was clearly an agenda with this film to slander Ike more than necessary. He was one of the founding fathers of rock n roll. His song "Rocket 88" is considered the first rock n roll song. He discovered many legendary blues musicians as a talent scout for Sun Records and Modern Records. He was taught piano by Pinetop Perkins as a child and became a roadie for Robert Nighthawk and Sonny Boy Williams. He played piano on B.B. King's early Records and later taught himself how to play guitar. Yet most people probably only know him for how he was portrayed in this movie. It's unfortunate, but Ike & Tina Turner were much more than a dysfunctional couple. They are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a reason. I wish the film focused more on their career rather than dramatized fabrications. If the film had followed closely to the story which Tina told in her book it could've been great. Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne are great actors but the inaccuracy of the script makes the film lose its appeal.

"What's Love Got to Do With It" is a fascinating and absorbing portrayal of the first 43 years of Tina Turner's life. It accurately and convincingly depicts the abuse she underwent and her escape and, finally, salvation through Buddhism. Laurence Fishburne is one of this generation great actors and gives a riveting and observant performance as Ike Turner, but cannot come close to the overwhelming, breathtaking, and mighty presence of Angela Bassett as Tina. She deservedly won the Golden Globe as the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical of 1993 and if the film had come out any other year than 1993 (during which Holly Hunter gave a performance of a lifetime in "The Piano"), she would have easily taken home an Oscar.

Music plays a huge part in the film and all of it is good. Though I'm only 12, I truly appreciate Tina's music and am always in awe when she sings "Proud Mary" (one of my favorite scenes in the film.) As Roger Ebert pointed out, one of the most triumphant scenes is where, after Tina and Ike have had a vicious and bloody fight, Tina runs away to the Ramada Inn where they take her in. It is one of the best acted scenes of this decade and I never tire of it when I see the film again.

"What's Love Got to Do With It" is one of the best films of 1993 (one of the greatest movie years in history- "Schindler's List", "The Piano") and one the most passionately and skillfully performed films of the decade.

**** out of **** (A)

Another really great rock and roll movie, only this one is non-fiction, plus it was another movie which was nothing like I expected it to be. I thought it was better from time to time and worse at a certain extent. Angela was a terrific Tina and Laurence took the job playing the brilliant, but spiteful Ike Turner. I thought the both of them really put on a great performance! It was marvelous! The costumes that Tina wore were so very dazzling and each part was vividly described.

This movie is great. A must see for all music lovers.

Tina Turner was probably the first singer I knew in my early years, there was something about her cracked voice, her vertiginous hair, her big smile that made her memorable before her own songs. So watching her biopic "What's Got Love To Do With It?" (adapted from Turner's autobiographical book) was like witnessing the slow process that turned the vulnerable Anna Mae Bullock into the flamboyant Tina Turner. Yes, when the film ended, I was like "that's the Tina I know" ... but the 1993 biopic wasn't about that Tina, but about the one whose name was associated to another name (and if only it was just the name!)

Starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne in two Oscar-nominated roles, the film makes two contradictory statements: without Ike Turner there wouldn't be Tina and yet without him, she completed her transition. Let's collect the thoughts here: Ike discovered Tina during one of his concert in some small nightclub but Anna Mae was much willing to sing and gave such a spectacular performance that it was an audition rather than an exhibition. It's true that Ike saw the potential of Tina and took the best out of her and it's true that besides putting her on the track, he gave her some good songs and gave her the name but it's no less true that Tina had a few successes on her own, and that she came up with the wigs' ideas and that if it wasn't for her presence, who know whether Ike's career would have went further than 1965.

So that's the duality: Ike is convinced that he made Tina, that he owns her and she owes him. But all through the film, we see a woman whose natural vocal talent can be owed to anyone but her... except if she believes that she's beneath Ike, and Ike has arguments to make her believe that, arguments... and fists. So in an infuriating series of wife-beating and verbal abusing scenes, we witness the regression of Tina's ego while her talent blossoms to no extent. If anything, this is a film about someone who's got the talent but lacks the strength. The childhood episodes could feel like the usual 'humble beginning' requirements of any biopic but what they show is a little girl who's thrown away from a gospel choir because she doesn't have the right tempo and later abandoned by her mother (who took her sister).

The childhood episodes are crucial to understand her need for singing and the way she fell instantly for Ike: this is the man who believed in her potential and treated her even better than her mother (Jennifer Lewis) did when she finally joined her. But the mother who wanted Anna Mae to work as a nurse is quickly convinced by a smooth-talking Ike that singing is the right investment. It doesn't take long for Anna Mae to build a reputation and inspire the jealousy of Ike's 'favorite' and mother of two children. In a harrowing scene, the woman doesn't bother killing Anna Mae because she's not "worth the bullet". So much for self-esteem again. Inevitably, Anna surrenders to Ike when he laters admits his love. It's true he needs her but even truer is that she needed someone who'd need her. Both are actually insecure people with a need to be important but one's got no reasons to doubt about her.

"What's Got Love To Do With It?" isn't your typical musical biopic, and as if director Bryan Gibson was aware of it, he doesn't overflood us with singing montages or abundant press covers editing, this film is a couple study and could work as well as an inspiration for women suffering from marital bullying, the film even made it #85 in AFI's Top 100 Cheers (inspiring movies). I didn't mind the musical parts as much as I felt bad watching the vulnerability of Anna Mae and the growing self-centered vileness of Ike. Such films would instantly fail if it wasn't for the performances of the two leads but Basset is incredible, she can play passion and enthusiasm but always with that look in her eyes that hints at whether she's enjoying it or she's only working out of fear. As Ike, Fishburne plays a control freak who's despicable in the way he blames Anna to the point of gaslighting her, watching him is witnessing a slow descent into evil madness.

There are many key moments in the film and it's easy to start with the first beating or the first encounter with Buddhism where her soul salvation lied. But I spotted many subtle moments where I could identify when Anna Mae was in trouble: when the crowd kept shouting Tina and you could see Ike slowly moving in the shadow (he was getting the message) or another moment where after her first solo success with producer Phil Spector "River Deep Mountain High", he expressed his rage in the most outrageous way. You know at that point that love has nothing whatsoever to do with whatever Ike sees in Anna, and the film rightfully avoids the ocean of pathos and takes us immediately to the ten minutes during where we see Tina finally fighting back in the limo (I can imagine crowds cheering in the theaters) followed by her desperate escape to the Ramada Inn (and I could imagine her sleeping in foetal position and staying in her room for three days after that) and the court sequence where she gives up all royalties to keep up one asset that she needs to pursue her career: her name. At that point, Anna Mae acknowledges her own merit and we know she's changed.

And whether the last confrontation did happen or not is secondary, this is a film about a great talent that was trapped for too long in a jail made of one man's egomania and when Tina left Ike, I had the same cheering mind than when Billy escaped in "Midnight Express".

Personally I'm not especially keen on this type of movie; movies packed with music numbers. But after all, it is the grand old lady Tina Turner we are talking about; she deserves more than something average. I really did like her songs in the 80s when she got rid of her abusive husband Ike. Her voice was strong and with a great personality.

The relationship between Ike and Tina was almost made for a movie; there is drama, violence, and music. The title really says it all. Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne are stunning as the main characters. Bassett got the nearly impossible job to portrait one of the most remarkable female artists in music history especially when it comes to the body language of Tina. However, Angela Bassett did it very well. Also in scenes with playback I could hardly notice it was an actor imitating a great rock star.

Overall a very good movie, but like I said; too many music scenes that I felt interrupted the story. But most of the songs are well known - and good!

First, I should note that I don't know most of Tina Turner's music, and I've never seen any of her performances. That said, "What's Love Got to Do with It" is a fine movie. Even though biopics have become a cliché - and many of them are cynical excuses to get the stars Academy Award nominations (the god-awful "Man on the Moon" is one of the worst offenders) - this is still a movie that you have to see. Starting with Tina's humble beginnings when she was still known as Anna Mae Bullock, we see her move to St. Louis where she meets Ike Turner. She soon becomes part of his act and marries him, only to find out that he has a volatile side.

Angela Bassett puts on the performance of a lifetime as Tina. I understand that she managed to impersonate Tina's moves to a tee. And then there's Laurence Fishburne as the abusive Ike. His performance made me feel as if I was walking on eggshells. The rest of the characters aren't developed that extensively, but the focus is supposed to be on Tina and Ike anyway.

Bassett and Fishburne received Oscar nods for their performances. Although they didn't win, you can't deny the effort that they put into these roles. It affirms them as two of the greatest actors of their generations. It's one outstanding film, and I recommend it.

In more recent developments, Ike died in 2007. Tina renounced her US citizenship and now lives in Switzerland with her current husband.

"WHAT'S LOVE... knows what appeals its audience most and makes a meal of it, factual fidelity gives way to tweaking here and there, like the bane which haunts the biopic genre, intentional simplification sours one's appreciation. And if Gibson's tactless direction isn't worth much ovation, it is Bassett and Fishburne's electrifying performances that truly matter, they are both nominated for an Oscar. For Fishburne, his Ike is like a tyrant without charisma, his musical talent is dwarfed by his outward meanness, it is a tricky, categorically objectionable role, yet, in Fishburne's able hands, Ike isn't merely a menacing-look monster (although the script makes him one), there is scant spark in his eyes, especially in the fictional confrontation scene where he pulls out his pistol, trying to earn an upper hand over the now liberated Tina, Fishburne has that stunning, almost transfixed look when he realizes that his browbeating pettiness can no longer intimidate Tina, Ike is licked, reduced to a pathetic fool, and that look alone makes him a human again, however remotely."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks.

One of the best biopics out there, especially in that area. The only other one that rates that high my mind could be the current Elvis biopic. Her story is amazing right up until the current day. She's been an interesting icon. The music soundtrack is outstanding, and above all the acting. The intensity of the domestic brutality comes through. I can make you uncomfortable, because it is so filled with anguish, pain, suffering. This relationship is the epitome of what domestic violence looked like especially then, and carries on to current times. Growing up the way she did what and when she did is also an interesting part of the movie. I just watched it again after many many years and it's still awesome and relevant. Angela Bassett was incredible so was Lawrence Fishburne, but Angela stole the show. She was amazing throughout.

The story Ike and Tina,, at times a fairytale,, but most of the time a horror story. The best actor/actress nominations for the two leads were very well deserved! Fishburne and Bassett gave incredible performances (hopefully Fishburne didn't go TOO method,, yikes).

Even those who don't like her, I think, have the honesty to recognize the impact and relevance of Tina Turner's music. She doesn't please everyone (nobody pleases everyone) but it is still a reference in 20th century music. Owner of a record that is hard to match, she has several awards, several Grammys and two stars on the Walk of Fame, among other honors. The film we have here, heavily based on the singer's autobiography, shows us a little of her personal life, how she became famous and her difficult marriage to Ike Turner.

I never read the original book, but I believe the movie omits a lot of information and data to try to focus on the main thing. Brian Gibson ensures an efficient direction and the script is quite good, mainly because of the way it sticks to the story and facts, avoiding melodramas and cloying sentimentality. Of course, not everything goes smoothly: the film is quite predictable, and its pace, although pleasant, goes through several bumps that are basically musical pauses.

The most relevant point in favor of this film is the excellent choice of the cast and the impeccable way in which it acts. Lawrence Fishburne has the difficult task of bringing the truculent Ike to life (and there aren't many characters more disgusting than an abusive husband), but he put in such effort that he manages to capture our attention with magnificent charisma. Beside her, the great Angela Bassett never seemed so powerful and electrifying. Incidentally, the resemblance of the two actors to the real figures they embody is truly remarkable.

The film has excellent cinematography and good scenery. The costumes, props and even automobiles play an important role in building the atmosphere of the time in which things are happening (between the 50s and the beginning of the 80s). The soundtrack is also good and, predictably, it's basically based on songs by Tina Turner and Ike Turner.