Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- Tracy Camilla JohnsNola Darling
- Tommy Redmond HicksJamie Overstreet
- John Canada TerrellGreer Childs
- Spike LeeMars Blackmon
- Raye DowellOpal Gilstrap
- Joie LeeClorinda Bradford
- S. Epatha MerkersonDoctor Jamison
- Bill LeeSonny Darling
- Cheryl BurrAva
- Aaron DuggerNoble
Recommendations
- 90
Los Angeles Times
Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It is a joyfully idiosyncratic little jazz-burst of a film, full of sensuous melody, witty chops and hot licks - 90
Chicago Reader
Made for less than $30,000, Lee's first feature poses him as a rival to Woody Allen, nearly equaling him in psychological authenticity, perhaps bettering him in virtuosity and sheer creative glee. - 88
Slant Magazine
Lee’s first film statement conveys the communal experience. - 83
The A.V. Club
From the jump, She's Gotta Have It announced that it wasn't going to define black life in terms of crime and poverty, just as it wasn't going to bind independent filmmaking to moribund realism. - 80
Time Out London
Structurally, it could be compared to Kurosawa's Rashomon for its subjective cross-examination of Nola's loves; but this delightful low-budget comedy, with its all black cast and black humour, is 100 per cent Lee. - 80
Washington Post
She's Gotta Have It is Spike Lee's impressive first feature, discursive, jazzy, vibrant with sex and funny as heck. [22 Aug 1986, p.D1] - 75
Chicago Tribune
Featuring an all-black cast, this little film is a revelation, primarily because it provides black faces with the most natural dialogue they've had in years. She`s Gotta Have It is neither a crime story nor a heavy message movie, and the conversations in it are therefore free of the shackles of most minority-oriented stories. - 70
The New York Times
These people are not victims of blind forces; they make choices, defend them and grow in understanding, not always happily, as a result. Their story would be more enjoyable in a more polished film, but it has a power that is not dissipated by this one's weaknesses.
