She's Gotta Have It

Spike Lee dropping $175,000 to suck on some titties while he plays Cassavetes.

The film has an agreeably ramshackle quality; it's the flickering images of a filmmaker getting ideas onto screen before they're fully formulated, but these philosophical fragments are interesting nonetheless, maybe even more interesting because of their undercooked quality. It also makes the film's big ideas elusive: What sort of post-feminist statement is Lee trying to make with his self-empowered female artist shuffling aimlessly through her trio of paramours? I'm not sure Lee himself knows.

Emergence of an important filmmaker, touchstone of a new wave in independent American cinema, breaking ground for the representation of black people in movies, and seminal work of feminism. All that and unfortunately overlooked. Cassavetes and a bit of Nouvelle Vague are in its blood, but in totality this is a completely unique thing. I often find it easy to forgive this sort of sketchy, amateurish acting when a movie is otherwise so moving and amusing.

"She's Gotta Have It's characters talk into the camera, but they do so in service of a Rashomon-tinged postmortem on how an artistic young woman couldn't make polyamory work in her favor." - Eric Henderson

I found this endearingly quirky.

A little corny but a solid debut. Spike's technical mastery already shows in the way he handles the sex scenes. Mars Blackmon obviously a huge mood

I don't know about you, but I didn't have fun watching these three men (and the film) fawn over this smug, entitled, ugly thot for the best part of an hour and a half. This technically impressive low-budget debut doesn't make up for the vast space between how likeable I and the film finds the main character, as well as how ludicrous these tiresome relationships she's caught up in are. A lot of what makes Lee great (idiosyncratic dialogue, compelling tales, fun!) is not present.

Fairly promising for a first full-length film, but Lee is the most relatable and best actor here, and that's not a good thing.

Most of what I love about Spike Lee can be found in this low budget, low-key debut. From its character-focused method of storytelling to the warm personality of its presentation, its almost sad to reflect how rarely Lee seems to express genuineness and care in his films as of late. This romantic comedy is a true standout, with enough charm, wisdom and originality to almost make it seem like a cousin of the kind of material Woody Allen put out in his prime.

Sub-par acting wears thin after a while but there are some undeniably stylish moments

Interesting and well-written film with a good premise, but marred by poor acting from nearly the entire cast, especially the leads. Spike Lee is the only one who isn't awful in front of the camera.

Black woman who owns her body. Jamie, an "angel" who seems gentle, but wants a wife and ends up raping her (thank God she leaves him in the last monologue); Mars, a street-smart, jobless, funny kid who supports the Knicks and thinks Bird is the ugliest player in the NBA; Greer, a pseudo-black according to Mars who loves himself and his body more than anything. Shot with grace - oh those Brooklyn pics - and with a frontality - characters tell their stories and impressions - might have dated a bit

Very charming even in its most sophomoric aspects (the slightly stilted dialogue, amateurish acting, and sometimes gratuitous Nouvelle Vague flourishes). Lee's writing is stronger when it tries for cleverness than for profundity, and ultimately the film is a bit of a shaggy dog story, but its warm, relaxed atmosphere is a delight to spend time in.

Wow, this is underrated on criticker. You can see why this catapulted Spike Lee into the career he's had. Funny, sexy, and smart

Entertaining and not without its charm, but ultimately a bit simple. Spike Lee sure is on message though!

"Wonderfully textured and stylish. Great direction highlighting the intimate differences between Nola and the three men. Wryly funny at times. Interspersed with beautiful shots of Bed Stuy / Fort Greene, affirming my affinity for the neighborhood. Some of the dialogue is stilted and the faux interview narrative structure works more often than it doesn't.

avrupa sinemasıyla yeni tanışmış sanat okulu öğrencisi filmi denilince ilk aklıma geleceklerden birisi olacak artık. spike lee'nin sonradan kanıksanacak dokunuşları belli olsa da çok çiğ ve bunaltıcı.

It shows all the talent Spike will later have, but he's let down by a very weak lead actress and a kind of weak lead actor. However, he's absolutely hysterical.

Loved the jazzy score of this. A really fun, easy watch, except that rape scene, yikes! An important film showcasing black sexuality.

Sometimes interesting, but mostly lame. The director is ironically the only passable actor here.

The film exudes incredible style and its framing of relationships fascinating. While the acting and dialog is spotty at times, I think there's an engaging interplay about what someone wants in a relationship with every man offering both positive and negative traits. I wasn't too fond of how the film geared one of the men to be the one the lead falls for, especially considering she was too willing to forgive him for his crime, but I do think that at least played into his character positively.

Without Spike Lee's skill editing and directing this film, this comedy would probably have nothing. That being said, he did both, so it's equal parts sexy and hilarious. His tin ear for dialogue fails him throughout the film, but for a debut, you can't say this film didn't leave its mark.

Score based on distant memory.

A very rough early effort from Spike Lee, featuring both good and bad elements of his work in near equal measure - his unique narrative voice, his sense of style in cinematography, his love of musicals and 30s cinema, poor pacing, meandering plot structure and bizarre tonal shifts. Interesting to see Lee's style develop from his earliest works but one for the purists - a great example of his formative style but not the pinnacle of his achievements.

A fun examination of female sexuality. Acting is occasionally a bit wooden. Overall though a decent Spike Lee Joint.

The amateurish acting really drags this one down a lot, cause the idea and overal execution are decent

79.00

78.000

A really good effort. Fun, experimental and well-shot. The acting is not the greatest and the dialogue and events are not super realistic, but that is part of the charm and didn't bother me at all, in fact it made this film more special. Worth a watch!

A really enjoyable blend of classical sensibility and Lee's own distinctive style. It's haphazard, but in a way that sets it apart from other romantic comedies (though that label, while ostensibly true, doesn't really get at this film). It's also admirably feminist, if uncertainly so, and features a really distinctive cast of characters - not the least of which is Lee himself in his turn as Mars Blackmon.

This is a very simple and endearing low-budget comedy.

I liked this movie because it felt authentic and Spike wasn't afraid to go into difficult subjects but with humor and his own style, of course the acting is not the greatest and some things are heavy handed, but it shows what a great story teller Spike can be when he puts his heart on it.

you try keep a chill vibe going on while everyone else thinks you're a whore

Lee's first feature is somewhat like Cassavetes' Shadows. Like that film, it bristles with a raw energy but is dragged down by poor acting. There's also a Woody Allen quality to it. Allen's dialogue is sometimes over-written, but he almost always makes it work. This is where Lee fails... these lines often just don't sound right. But even though the flaws bothered me, I don't want to dismiss this as a mere Cassavetes/Allen ripoff. There's a strong, unique voice at work here.

One of the best student films ever but not that great in comparison to other Spike Lee movies. It suffers from terrible acting and a pretty slow pace. It's cool to see that he went from this to Do the Right Thing in only 3 years...incredible.

Some of the acting is not great in parts of this film. The script has some issues as well. Some of the characters don't behave realistically at all. There are some good moments and some interesting scenes. Overall this film is disappointing.

You can see Spike testing out some ideas and emulating other great NY filmmakers like Woody Allen. There are some lovely segments, the in-color dance sequence in particular was wonderful, and a well-written script. Many of the actors are obviously amateurs, which was a tad distracting.

Formally, so good. Loved the mirroring of the opening shot with the closing, the interspersing of New York photographs hearkened back to Allen's Manhattan, and the exquisite dolly shot that has become Lee's trademark didn't disappoint. The film is challenging in its characterization of Nola--an independent woman (good) who takes a reckless, selfish, and destructive approach to relationships. I'd like to have a sense that the film is more aware of this, even as it celebrates her independence.

Out of the gate, Spike Lee oozes cool and style. To add this, he gives a main character that is a strong and independent black female that was light years ahead of where Hollywood was. An impressive debut while still clearly being a Spike Lee Joint.

a portrait of a black woman's alternative lifestyle. not especially meaningful but has a brisk pace, mostly good vibes, and a nice anti-climactic end. mars was great.