I came into this film without any expectations and I was charmed into enjoying what is essentially a friends to lovers relationship.

The premise is a London based documentary film maker Zoe Stevenson, who grew up next door to a Pakistani family the Khans, hears that her friend Kazim Khan has agreed to an arranged marriage and she pitches turning the process into a documentary "Love Contractually". Khan is a a successful doctor born and raised in London to a Muslim Pakistani family, who now in his thirties has agreed to an arranged marriage to a woman of his parent choosing. The woman ends up being a twenty four year old Pakistani native named Maymouna.

The wedding takes place over three days (as is tradition beginning with the henna night) in Pakistan which offers a colorful oasis that is a feast for both the eyes and ears...but it also gives us a better look under the veil of Maymouna, who may not be as sweet and innocent as she first appears.

There is a wonderful theme about mother's only wanting their children's happiness and a secondary theme of people need each other.

I was happy to see the familial resolution and the ending that I was hoping for. Yes, I'm a romantic and I think other romantics will enjoy this film as much as I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sufi singer and I appreciated the translation of the story as a Westerner.

Zoe's quirky single hurt girl retellings of traditional fairytales to her nieces was hilarious and I enjoyed Emma Thompson as the eccentric mother of Zoe...the icing on the cake for me was two male offerings to the question of if you could cheat knowing you wouldn't be caught by your wife would you?

No, because I would know.

And No, because he would know.

I found both those answers to restore my faith in men.

This is a recommendation to all you romantics out there.

I'm not really the kind of guy to watch rom cons and only went cause of my missus and it was our anniversary so

Nevertheless I found myself highly entertained throughout this film . As a Pakistani man who had an "assisted " marriage myself I could relate to the main character and the cultural nuances depicted and thought it was well depicted .

I have had an issue with how Pakistanis have historically been portrayed in film but thankfully movies such as this and "The Big Sick" capture the dynamics right - and it is frankly refreshing to see a Pakistani lead with a semblance of personality rather than him/her being relegated to terrorist villain or supporting character for the normally white lead

It is entertaining film that does raise important questions about relationships and marriage not just in an Eastern Pakistani context but also as viewed through more of a Western lens ( as is seen by Lily Janes story arc ) .

The two leads - Shahzad Latif and Lily James have refreshingly good chemistry and the powerhouse that she is Emma Thompson brings good hearted humor to the screen

I see a lot of the reviews by Pakistanis bombing this film citing this film as "discrediting Pakistanis " or "against Pakistanis " just cause there were a few depictions of Pakistanis drinking . Come off it honestly ! This depiction is tame to what a lot of Pakistanis in the home country and abroad do and we need to stop this obsession of "being squeaky clean " . Please - were just as human as everyone else and this film shows a good depiction of that.

What's Love Got to Do with It? Doesn't completely commit to its central idea of a more nuanced and balanced exploration of assisted marriages but it remains a really good romantic comedy that has a little more unpredictability than the average rom com and boasts an enjoyably heartwarming story.

Lily James and Shazad Latif are real life, longtime friends and that really comes across in their on screen chemistry which is very palpable. Emma Thompson has way more screen time than expected and is a definite scene stealer with a constant stream of jokes that always land.

Shekhar Kapur's direction is really good, especially with the tone which starts of as something broader in its humour (which works) and then gradually scaling that humour back as it gets surprisingly emotional and sincere by the end.