Delayed Reaction: What's Love Got to Do With It

What I Guessed It Was About: You must understand
That the touch of your hand
Makes my pulse react
That it's only the thrill
Of boy meeting girl
Opposites attract

It's physical
Only logical
You must try to ignore
That it means more than that

Oh what's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart
When a heart can be broken

It may seem to you
That I'm acting confused
When you're close to me
If I tend to look dazed
I've read it someplace
I've got cause to be

There's a name for it
There's a phrase that fits
But whatever the reason
You do it for me

Oh what's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart
When a heart can be broken

I've been taking on a new direction
But I have to say
I've been thinking about my own protection
It scares me to feel this way

Oh what's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart
When a heart can be broken

What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a sweet old fashioned notion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken 

How I Came Into It: That song is kind of an anthem to my weekly trivia night. I knew the movie carried a couple Academy Award nominations for Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne with it. I knew only the basics of Ike and Tina's relationship. After Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, I was ready for any interpretation of events the writer/director settled on.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Bassett and Fishburne earned their Oscar nominations. That's for sure. Except for a couple arch moments, they play this pretty straight. From what Wikipedia tells me, the main changes they made in the movie were the kind that I expect for a biopic (combining many friends into one character, exaggerating some beats - pun not intended, etc.). Really, it's the promise of the performance of that song that kept me going more than anything. I can't think of many musician biopics that can end on the strongest song of the singer like that without messing with the timeline some.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I was not surprised to discover that neither the writer or directors did anything else that was all that notable (my apologies to fans of Set It Off and The Juror). The script is completely predictable in structure and it's shot pretty blasé as well. There's nothing distinctive about either. Without the lead performances, this would crumble.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend