She's Gotta Have It Movie Review

Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) is having an affair with Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks), who thinks he can tell her what to do. Nola is also having an affair with Greer Childs (John Canada Terrell), a rich male model who's more in love with himself than with her. And finally, Nola is seeing Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), a bit of a clown, who's young for his age. Jamie, Greer, and Mars are all jealous of each other and want Nola to settle down with one of them. Nola, a genuinely free spirit, resists the idea of being forced to make such a decision. She's Gotta Have It introduced the multi-talented Lee to the world. Within a decade, we would see 10 of this fiercely free spirit's exciting, thoughtful films. His influence on the industry remains enormous, and he continues to create once-in-a-lifetime characters and to support the emergence of other new filmmakers. By 1992, cinematographer Ernest R. Dickerson was directing his own projects. Johns can be seen in Lee's Mo’ Better Blues and in Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City. A milestone film in every respect, She's Gotta Have It is also fresh, beautifully shot and scored, and very, very funny.

1986 (R) 84m/B Tracy C. Johns, Spike Lee, Tommy Redmond Hicks, Raye Dowell, John Canada Terrell, Joie Lee, Epatha Merkinson, Bill Lee, Cheryl Burr, Aaron Dugger, Stephanie Covington, Renata Cobbs, Cheryl Singleton, Monty Ross, Lewis Jordan, Erik Dellums, Reginald Hudlin, Eric Payne, Marcus Turner, Gerard Brown, Ernest R. Dickerson; D: Spike Lee; W: Spike Lee; C: Ernest R. Dickerson; M: Bill Lee. Independent Spirit Awards ‘87: Best First Feature. VHS, LV, Closed Caption