User Reviews

"She's Gotta Have It" was the beginning of an illustrious career for filmmaker Spike Lee. It starred Tracy Camilla Johns as the sex driven Nola Darling. Her three men were played by Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell and Spike Lee. All the three men had certain traits that stood out. Jamie Street (Hicks) is cool, calm and caring towards Nola. Greer Childs (Terrell) was the obnoxious, stuck up, rude pseudo black man that thought he was better than anyone else. And last but not least was Mars Blackmon (Lee), he was funny and outgoing. Annoying at times but his wit could win you over. This film is full of memorable one liners like "please baby baby baby please" and much more. This film was heavily criticized for it's depiction of women (like all of Spike's films), lesbians (the character Opal) and the reality of it. But nonetheless, "She's Gotta Have It" opened in 1986 to rave reviews and grossed 7 million dollars (not a lot but it is amazing compared to the thousands it took to make it). What made this film a gem is that you don't find characters like these anymore. They all had something about them that was hard to resist. Mars Blackmon became so famous that he was reprised by Lee in Nike Air Jordan commercials with the great Michael Jordan, airing from 1988 to 1995 (the Nola character also appeared in one Air Jordan commercial with Mars Blackmon, the commercial only aired once). "She's Gotta Have It" is a decent start for a young filmmaker and a must see for those that haven't seen it.

She's Gotta Have It- Rated R *** out of ****

I read one review on here that labeled She's Gotta Have it as Spike Lee's 'feminist view'. I would agree with this in part because he doesn't show anything- the characters really- on any one side. We see her follies completely. But I think there is a male view going on with his look at these characters too; after we see how a woman can be all liberated and free of being too restricted with who she wants to love/fool around with, there's more of a sympathy going on for the men too as the situation starts to come down to an essential thing- what does Nola REALLY want? By the end of the picture, no one can really say for certain, Nola most of all, but all the while Lee has given us a look at romance that is ordinary only in how some of the typical characteristics of men and women are portrayed at times. But really, it's also out of the ordinary on showing the little things that wouldn't get into the common romantic comedy. It's a little too loosely structured and the style isn't altogether great, but it has as much ambition as Scorsese's Who's That Knocking or Bertolucci's Before the Revolution, at least in trying to convey subject matter primarily through style.

Not to say the substance is left unchecked- in fact for the most part it's one of Lee's sharpest satires on the troubles of the sexes, and the main characters are a bit more believable than those of the main white/black couple of Jungle Fever. Lee boils it downs to seeming essentials at first- Nola (Tracy Camilla Johns, not bad at all if not as strong as the main 'heroine' could be) is a magazine painter, but really its her romantic life that keeps her usually occupied. We see the various attempts of various male 'pick-up lines' (which is pretty hilarious, if dated), and then we meet guy #1, Jamie (Tommy Hicks, maybe the best 'real' actor of the group), who is really the nice guy, the kind that any reasonable woman would consider probably marrying sooner or later. But she also has male #2, Greer (John Canada Turrell, with a great, shallow look to him if not overall performance), who is a male model who is meticulously egotistical even with folding up his clothes before sex. And then there's #3, Mars Blackmon (Lee himself, in uproariously huge glasses and his name etched out in gold across his neck, surely one of his most wonderful characters played by him), who is the jokester, and word-spinner, and always takes a while to get around in a conversation.

So around and around she goes, and it's really only until the last twenty minutes when Nola finally has to come down and make the decision- and it perhaps will have to come down to the 'right' decision- but for what she just can't tell. Part of it is that she just loves sex, which becomes a problem when she invites over the three men for thanksgiving (not a totally successful scene, mainly due to the dialog and pacing, but still a nice job in awkward tension). And also a problem when Jamie, the nice guy, makes an ultimatum for Nola. At the same time in the background there is the unusual tension of a possible lesbian affair with Opal (Raye Dowell, very good in her scenes), but nothing comes to it. Scenes like those, where the sexual and relationship-type boundaries come into question, are really interesting. The self-conscious talking-to-the-camera interview bits range from excellent to just OK though, and sort of mark the quality of the film down a peg, even as the characters get to share some of their inner thoughts (Lee's being the funniest).

What then makes Lee's film a big step above any other number of films out there, primarily in the Hollywood mainstream, about a woman who has trouble deciding what to do with herself? It's two things; one, that the men are probably just as interesting with what they have going on as her, if not more so for Jamie, and two, the cinematic techniques imposed by Lee and cinematographer Ernest Dickerson. The latter of those two helps make She's Gotta Have it even more of a light-hearted picture than it might have been if just filmed as the script is. We get the images first put to Lee's father Bill's score, which is definitely one of his best after Do the Right Thing. Then the images get a lot of invention on such a small budget, unusually intimate and creative camera angles (I loved the bit when we see in slow-motion the extreme close-ups of Mars getting close with Nola), the lighting often very expressionistic, and sometimes the editing going to playful, odd lengths like the sex scene between Nola and Greer. Sometimes the playfulness and first-time filmmaker amazement is a little much, like the color film sequence, which is beautiful but almost better self-contained than with the black & white grittiness of the rest of the film. I also could've done without the last bit after the denouement where all the actors say their names with the clapper. Nevertheless the stylistic merits add a lot to make it a richer film in context and structure.

But if you can seek it out, especially in widescreen (I saw it on IFC, though I wish I could see the director's cut to see what was cut out, however explicit it might be), it's well worth it. It's a small film, yet one that brings up some intriguing bits about what it means to really love someone vs. desire them, and what mind-games go on between men & women, men & men, women & women, and where the middle-ground could be, if at all. A minor independent/debut classic. A-

The world was introduced to Spike Lee with "She's Gotta Have It", about one Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) and her three lovers (Lee plays one of them). Everyone in the movie has their own kinds of shortcomings, but they're all honest people, all trying to make their way in the world. Spike Lee was clearly showing the talent that he would bring to his later movies.

I should remind you that this is not a movie for people with short attention spans. Most of it is very low-key, involving a lot of dialog. But it's a very impressive flick at that. Maybe this is mainly a flick for film buffs, but I recommend it to everyone.

So I finally got around to seeing the debut from auteur Spike Lee. I felt as though I knew the film before seeing it after reading an interesting history about it in John Pierson's "Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes". If you're a fan of independent cinema, you should check out both the book and film.

Spike's familiar style and approach is evident in this early indication of a talented filmmaker. Whatever shortcomings that revealed themselves were largely unavoidable in such a low budget outing, and usually quickly forgivable.

The film's testimony approach often gave characters some depth and clearly gave the film a more intimate relationship with the audience, but at times hurt the film with some unfortunate bad acting from names you never heard before and probably never will again. Again, not Spike's fault. It does include one of my buddy's favourite pick-up lines, "Baby, I'd drink a whole tub of your bath water." I'm sure most women would appreciate that sentiment as the way to their heart.

Spike's sister and father have small roles which must say something about the man's admirable family pride. Of course, with many of his films, it seems Spike can't resist the allure of the space in front of the camera while controlling all that's behind it. Not many directors divide their energy in such a manner, but some of the most notorious directors of our time do. Whether this divides their focus in a negative aspect or not is difficult to say. But if it's a distraction or handicap, Spike seems to be managing fine

But even now I haven't stated either way if it's a good, recommendable film or not. It's largely in black and white, which is a turn off for non-film lovers. I once overheard some one say of "Schindler's List", "It's a really good film, even though it's black and white." I'm sure with some films the inclusion of colour can enhance the enjoyment of the film, but some things are not meant to be in colour, some things are better without it. Films like this one are only possible in black and white due to budget restraints. Whenever I see the efforts of some colourization nightmare, it makes my stomach turn, but I digress.

What can I say, I am a film lover, and I enjoyed it. If you fall in the same category, you probably will too.

In Brooklyn, Nola Darling dislikes commitment and she has three lovers at the same time. Jamie Overstreet is sweet and looking for a lifelong companion. Greer Childs is a self-obsessed model. Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee) is a loud-mouth childman. Nola, her friends and family narrate the movie talking directly into the camera. Opal Gilstrap is a lesbian who likes Nola. Her free-love policy runs into trouble when the three men discover each other's relationship with Nola.

This is Spike Lee's first full-length feature as a writer/director and he is also a major supporting actor. This announces the arrival of a new American cinematic voice. It's inventive and different. Sure the actors are mostly amateurs but everybody has a good charismatic energy. Spike Lee is bringing a lot of different elements into this movie. Most impressively, he has turned the normal sexual relationship between man and woman upside-down. It is a great debut and an imaginative indie.

Thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes in the quirky company of Spike Lee and his cast of weirdos. The male characters (Nora's three lovers) are all inadequate in their way, so it is hardly surprising that Nora needs several such men to satisfy her.

If men behave the way Nora behaves, it is seen as a sign of virility, whereas Nora is more or less sent to the shrink because her behaviour is so out of line.

But this is mostly comedy so you can put aside the "is it feminist, is it misogynist?" stuff and enjoy it for what it is - an unusually good low budget movie.

...for God's sake woman get rid of those candles! The idea of falling asleep with one hundred lit candles sitting directly on an extremely combustible wooden moon étagère would scare the crap out of me more than the idea of you needing more than one sexual partner! But I digress.

This was Spike Lee's first directorial and writing effort. Since this was Spike Lee BEFORE he was a brand name, nobody was going to cut him any financial slack in his filmmaking. He had to cut corners everywhere. He got his family into the act - one plays main character Nola Darling's best friend, another plays Nola's dad. And Spike Lee even acted in the film himself as Mars, one of Nola's three lovers. He managed to shoot the whole thing for 175000 dollars and grossed almost eight million at the box office. Who knows what he's made off of it due to cable broadcasts and home video.

The film explores the life of a young African American female artist, Nola Darling, living in Brooklyn, who has the same view towards sex and sexuality that many men have - she wants to play the field. She's not lying about anything, she just doesn't talk about any of the others to the one she is with at the time. Nola actually has three lovers - Mars - the fun and goofy one, Greer the sophisticate who hardly needs to eat because he is so full of himself, and Jamie, probably her soul mate. These guys rather meld into one entire man who is able to keep Nola happy. And then they find out about one another, with Jamie being the most wounded by the news.

Years before "The Red Pill" and "Men Going Their Own Way", that seems to be exactly what is going on with Nola, minus the bitterness. In fact, during the film she is torn between cutting herself off from men sexually for awhile - going her own way - and this Red Pill life in which there is no dishonesty but many lovers. Nola LIKES sex in and of itself, isn't looking to settle down, likes her Bohemian lifestyle.

For Law and Order fans, S. Epatha Merkerson shows up as Nola's therapist. The film was unique for its time because it had a completely African American perspective, was shot in black and white, had the characters talking to the camera about what they were feeling at the time, and had no pat answers, no neatly sewn up ending. As for me, I would have picked Mars. All he needed was a little career direction, and he was fun. But then I've always been a one man gal. I recommend it. I think you'll find it fascinating.

I liked its "mockumentary" style at first, its vivid and bold direction, the acting in general, and a couple of moments and few scenes scattered throughout the movie. Other than that, I think that Spike Lee's directorial debut isn't half as good as it's important and interesting. It's approach to the story is blatantly heavy-handed, it has tons of dull, repetitive and self-indulgent moments, a lot of pacing issues, a predictable ending, and the three main male characters are quite perfunctory and skin-deep.

(5.5/10)

I'm a Spike Lee fan from way back but missed this one. Now I'm an old retired lady with plenty of time to catch up. All I can say is that this was a wonderful funny erotic comedy. I liked the way the characters introduced themselves, especially the former roommate who moved out because Nola was entertaining so many men, and all the men who announced their charms. If you wouldn't get a laugh watching Greer fold his clothes before sex, I don't know what would tickle you! Spike Lee himself as Mars reminds me of my Border Collie: playful, obnoxiously demanding, adoring, and never understanding why he can't be #1.

When Nola is convinced that she should consult a specialist for her addiction, she comes away with no resolution, but we are treated to a wonderful aside by the therapist.

The only thing that keeps this picture from a 10 rating is the sequence in color, which I though was trite and out of keeping of the rest of the movie.

I really enjoyed this, as late as I've come to it. Equal parts funny, charming and thoughtful; it's not without problems (especially the unwise and unnecessary rape sequence), but the new don't unduly detract from the overall effect. It's a fine calling card.

This is a completely unique, humorous, sexy film from Spike Lee -- his first cinematic effort, using his friends from NYU film school as actors. He himself plays the role of eccentric Mars, one of heroine Nola darling's three lovers. Though I'm sure Lee wouldn't describe himself as a feminist, this film looks at so-called "promiscuity" from a distinctly liberated point of view. Perhaps women need more than one man, he wonders, because it takes several men to make up a complete person! The film is set in a rarely seen milieu, that of artistic, well-educated, middle-class, quirky urban African-Americans (like the view of black Chicago in "Love Jones"). It would be fascinating from that standpoint, even it if didn't display such ruefully witty characterizations of egotistical, clueless men.

You could spend an afternoon in far worse fashion than to rent this film, and view Lee's naked talent shining through in a film whose cost probably wouldn't pay the catering bill for one of his film projects these days. The fact that it is filmed almost entirely in black and white adds to its authenticity and charm.

The story of Nola Darling's simultaneous sexual relationships with three different men is told by her and by her partners and other friends. All three men wanted her to commit solely to them; Nola resists being "owned" by a single partner.

The New York Times wrote that the film "ushered in (along with Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise) the American independent film movement of the 1980s. It was also a groundbreaking film for African-American filmmakers and a welcome change in the representation of blacks in American cinema, depicting men and women of color not as pimps and whores, but as intelligent, upscale urbanites." Although my feelings on Spike Lee are mixed, I have to say this is a decent film. I love that the message is a hard one to swallow -- that a man can date three women at the same time, but if a woman does it, she is a "freak" or a "nympho" or something. This was a bold thing in 1986 and it remains a bold thing in 2016. Strong, independent, sexual women are a scary thing... will this ever change? (And, we may as well ask, should it ever change?)

What Nola's gotta have is sex, and to get it she doesn't mind juggling three lovers, with an equal allowance of the same open, uncomplicated affection. The act of love is, for her, simply an expression of a healthy natural appetite, but for each of her men it's a distracting obsession they'd rather not share. Nothing is quite so foolish as an ardent male in heat, and writer-director-editor Spike Lee exploits that vulnerability with a shrewd eye for the idiosyncrasies of human behavior. Everyone is a target but no one is hurt; Lee even lampoons himself while playing the least conventional corner of the besotted trio. The film was reportedly made in less than a fortnight on a budget under $200,000, but with enough energy and originality to more than compensate for the lack of a professional budget (and a professional cast). In retrospect the shoestring production would have another, unexpected benefit, restricting the stylistic overkill that would mark Lee's subsequent high-profile features.

When reviewing all of Spike's work, this is hands down, probably my all-time favorite. This project introduced us to the incomparable Mars Blackman, Spike's oh so charming alter ego. "She's Gotta Have It" is a wonderful treatise on the art of love and war from interesting perspectives. On top of that, it is quite hilarious.

It is a refreshing look at a black woman who insists on taking control of her sexuality rather than allowing it to be defined by men. There are general male observations, general female observations, and specific cultural outlooks on the art of love and war from an African-American perspective.

Tracy Camilla Johns, beautifully portraying the wonderfully developed character, Nola Darling, is perfectly cast as the independent black woman who, in her quest to be sexually independent, realizes this is an uphill journey when dealing with men who still have traditional ideas about women and their roles. She was actively dating more than one man simply because she had adapted the attitude that no one man can provide everything she wanted/needed and furthermore, it was terribly unfair to label her promiscuous for doing so. Interestingly enough, Nola also found that her own reactions when coming up against the same attitude in men, were amazingly traditional.

This was a very well-written statement on the ups and downs of love. It also introduces us to Law & Order's Divine Epatha Merkerson in a short but pivotal role as a sex therapist.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeexcellent movie!!!

Spike Lee's directoral debut is classic. How can he go wrong with a black and white film... BW is the best. This film is made up of great characters(Mars) and perfect, orginal direction. I think Spike did a great job with the editing too.. oh I almost forgot his screen debut as and actor too, which was perfect as well. A smile came to my face every time Mars came in the mix, especially the Thanksgiving scene. I love those glasses Spike. 9/10

'She's Gotta have it (1986)' is Spike Lee's first joint and it's incredibly confident for a (more-or-less) directorial debut. It tells the tale of Nola and her three lovers, each of which want to have her for themselves. The three men all want Nola to conform to their idea of an ideal relationship, whereas Nola herself can't ever imagine being tied down to just one man. Jamie seems kind and considerate, but he wants an extremely traditional relationship in which he feels as though Nola is his (and his impatience eventually turns nasty); Greer is insipidly self-assured and thinks he is better than Nola, wanting her to change in order to achieve the social status he perceives himself to have; and Mars is a jokester, someone whose perfect relationship seems to be as casual as the one he already has with Nola (he's even willing to share with Jamie, just not Greer). Each of the men view Nola as something which can be theirs, something to own. Nola, on the other hand, is interested in the relationships themselves but doesn't want to be forced into one specific lifestyle. At its heart, the film is a feminist and refreshingly forward-thinking affair which makes a point of portraying the men as selfish and controlling, while affording Nola with an arc that ultimately compliments her body-positive attitude. The film, essentially, praises its lead for her desire to maintain her own autonomy; it neither judges her nor polyamory in general. Though its ending is a bit rushed and its characters aren't developed outside of their relationships, the piece is a solid and atmospheric rom-com that does an excellent job in avoiding stereotypes, respecting its female characters and portraying black people as people (the credits proudly proclaim that "there are no jericurls and no drugs in this movie!"). It does feature a poorly handled rape scene that Lee himself has mentioned regretting, but its flaws are far from unforgiveable. The affair is admittedly a little slow and, even, slightly repetitive overall. However, it's an admirable and interesting piece of filmmaking. Perhaps it could have been a bit tighter, but it's still a solid movie. 6/10.

From humble beginnings, filmmaker Spike Lee made quite the impact on modern day cinema and pop culture with his early realistic black focused dramedies. In 1986 of all years, the young filmmaker and his team of artists had a smash hit with a low budget B&W flick known as She's Gotta Have It, which won the award of the youth foreign film at the Cannes Film Festival and kickstarted Lee's directorial career. As of now, the film has been deemed culturally and historically significant in the National Film Registry and even spawned a Netflix original series adaptation. So what's so special about this film after all?

The main scenario of the feature concerns a young woman named Nola Darling who simultaneously sees three men of different backgrounds and mentalities, thus causing tumultuous feelings that such an arrangement would provoke. From that perspective of a woman desiring more than just one simple relationship, the film's biggest strength lies in the conflicts between Nola and her lovers. All three of them are completely different in personality, such as Jamie Overstreet being a well-intentioned mensch, Greer Childs being a self obsessed model and Mars Blackmon being an immature foul mouth. All three of them have pros and cons that could make or break a relationship, not to mention Nola's own insecurities, and the stress that befalls them and Nola to juggle their feelings is all the more turbulent and relatable. Add on to the natural performances of Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell and Lee himself and you've got yourself such a fascinating cast of characters worth sympathizing with as far as complicated relationships go.

Because Nola's mentality lies within the freedom to have multiple sexual partners as her own woman, she is a shockingly strong representation of the struggle African American women faced at the time of the film's release. Perhaps some of the sexual politics within the feature have not held up tremendously, such as Mars's ideas of pleasure and how the film treats it's only gay character Opal Gilstrap as a concept than a fully realized individual, but the way Nola chooses to go about life is beyond brave and noble for what could've lay ahead of her. In her mind, monogamy is a choice rather than a demand, which both reinforces Nola's personal agency and independence and also turns off the pleasure and trust from Jamie, Greed and Mars individually. Given that the film's lower New York city neighborhood is meant to be a public space that informs the characters and the community they live in as a whole, She's Gotta Have It nails it's complicated message in a realistic scenario that entangles how some perceive race, sex, boundaries and class through different backgrounds.

Now being that the film was made on a micro $175,000 budget and was shot in just two weeks, the limitations actually give the film its own identity. While there are some weird flashy cuts every now and then, the overall editing feels very natural to what you would find in a documentary, with the characters introducing themselves, sharing their beliefs, and then an immediate cut to the scenario that occurred. The black & white cinematography by Ernest Dickerson gives a lot of personality to an otherwise down to earth dramedy with a lot of pressure and heartbreak, therefore coming off as appropriate for the rocky tone. It also allows the filmmakers to take special advantage of the apartment settings, making the viewers feel a part of the spacial interior as much as our lead characters. In an effort to portray the Fort Greene neighborhood as a vibrant cosmopolitan community, complete with thriving graffiti and residential everymen, the comfort within the filmmaking lies in the public spaces that breathe as much life into themselves as Lee did with miniscule funds.

As a groundbreaking low budget dramedy, She's Gotta Have It marks as one of the finer directorial debuts from the New York side of filmmaking, at least for its time. Thanks to a lot of highly relatable personas, believable acting and comforting low scaled filmmaking, there's enough worth checking out in this film from anyone. If you're interested in checking out films that tackle the struggles in multiple relationships or you're getting into Lee's filmography, this is definitely a good place to start. As the film that launched a risky filmmaker's career into new heights, there's many reasons to admire its setbacks and triumphs.

There is something bizarrely authentic about this film--baked into the costumes, the camerawork, the locations, the amateur cast; it's always there, and it'll suck you right in if you let it. However, the endearingly low-budget feel of this film is undercut by it's corny and naïve writing, its borderline sexism, and a generally masturbatory nature.

If it wasn't for the nudity, there wouldn't be much of a reason to watch "She's Gotta Have It". It's an interesting movie up to a point. Director/writer Spike Lee does have a good visual eye but the dialogue and acting are a bit stiff. The non-stop music is also a demerit. Film critic Leonard Maltin thought the best part of the movie was the color scene. I disagree. I thought it was the weakest. Even with a short running time (84 mins), "She's Gotta Have It" wears out its welcome after a while. Unless you're a big fan of Spike Lee's movies, there's no reason to watch this movie a second time.