What's Love Got to Do With It
(1993)LEAD SINGER Angela Bassett dons big wigs and small skirts to play Tina Turner, the '60s R&B singer who escapes her abusive husband Ike (Laurence Fishburne) and becomes a solo pop superstar nearly 20 years later.
PITCH-PERFECT? Tina herself provided the vocals for Bassett, who convincingly embodies Turner despite looking almost nothing like her. Nevertheless, Bassett — and her Linda Hamilton-like biceps — nabbed an Oscar nomination for the role.
HUMBLE ORIGINS Tina (née Anna Mae Bullock) grows up poor in Nutbush, Tenn., before hooking up with Ike to become a hit-making team. Ike turns out to be a drug-addicted monster who becomes jealous of Tina's popularity.
HIGH NOTE In the closing sequence, Bassett-as-Tina performs the movie's smash-hit title song, which segues into footage of the real Tina belting it out in concert.
TRAGIC ENDING?�Nope.�After years of marital torture, Tina finally leaves, and even hits Ike back on the way out. Ike, on the other hand, is reduced to a Saturday Night Live punchline (''I never hit her with my shoe!'').
