| | | A Spike Lee Joint.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled, Sensormatic
A breezy, funky film about a sexy, independent black woman and the three "macho" men who compete for her romantic attentions. Which one will she finally choose in this streetwise and charming film written, directed and starring Spike Lee.
"A joyfully idiosyncratic little jazz-burst of a film, full of sensuous melody, witty chops and hot licks..." Los Angeles Times
"...crackles with energy and sex...Dickerson's camerawork is fluid and assured and the smoky score sets a laconic rhythm." Total Film
Editor's Note
SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT formally introduced the name Spike Lee to audiences all over the world. The film, an intelligent comedy shot in black-and-white with one sequence of color, places--for among the first time--a young, bright African-American woman in the cinematic spotlight. Nola Darling (Tracy Camila Johns) is an attractive young woman with a problem--three problems to be exact. She is simultaneously being wooed by three hopeful, but hopeless, male suitors: Jamie (Tommy Redmond Hicks), a sensitive type who wants to settle down with her; Greer (John Canada Terrell), a narcissistic model who sees her as his trophy; and Mars Blackmon (Lee himself), an aggressive and funny bike messenger who makes her laugh. Nola is attracted to the best in each of them, but is unable to make up her mind as to whom she likes best. She even entertains the notion that something may be wrong with her, thinking perhaps she's oversexed. When a visit to a therapist fails to clear her mind, Nola finally comes to the realization that she must take control of her life. Lee's feature-length debut features a lush jazz score by his father, Bill Lee, and demonstrates a witty, distinctive style. The critical success of the film paved the way for a new generation of independent African-American filmmakers to begin to be recognized by Hollywood on their own terms.
Plot Summary
Spike Lee's first feature--an appealing comedy that evokes the style of Woody Allen yet bears its own, unique stamp--evolves around the life of Nola Darling (Tracy Camila Johns) an independent and sexy young African-American woman, and her simultaneous romantic entanglements with three men (one of whom--Mars Blackmon-- is played by Lee). The director's father, Bill Lee, provides a seductive jazz score for this winning debut that put Spike Lee on the filmmaking map.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Mono | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: TCFHE/MGM |
| Release Date: 1/15/2008 |
| Running Time: 84 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1986 | | Catalog ID: 109924 | | UPC: 00027616099235 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: B&W and Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.66:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1987) | | | Independent Spirit, Spike Lee, Best First Feature | |
Nominee (1987) | | | Independent Spirit, Tracy Camilla Johns, Best Female Lead | |
Winner (1986) | | | Cannes Film Festival, Spike Lee, Award of the Youth - Foreign Film |
| Memorable Quotes| "Please, baby--baby--baby, please!"----Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), to Nola (Tracy Camila Johns) upon being dumped |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...The film probes important and intriguing questions....It has a power..." 08/08/1986 p.C14Variety
"...[Lee displays] exemplary depth and talent....[The] camerawork of Ernest Dickerson is most impressive and stylish..." 03/26/1986 Los Angeles Times
"...A joyfully idiosyncratic little jazz-burst of a film, full of sensuous melody, witty chops and hot licks..." 08/21/1986 p.C1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...For all the laughs and sweet moments it provides, this film forces its audience to consider rather than drool over the subject of sex..." 08/21/1992 p.35 Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[The script] crackles with energy and sex, Ernest Dickerson's camerawork is fluid and assured and the smoky score sets a laconic rhythm." 07/01/2006 p.127 Variety 8 of 10
This worthy but flawed attempt to examine an independent young woman of the 1980s was lensed, in Super 16mm, in 15 days but doesn't appear jerrybuilt...All the elements of an interesting yarn are implicit here - save one: a compelling central figure (played by Tracy Camilla Johns). The young woman who's the focus of the pic is, clearly, trying to find herself. She juggles three beaus, fends off a lesbian's overtures and consults a shrink to determine if she's promiscuous or merely a lady with normal sexual appetites...The three beaus, an upscale male model, a sensitive sort and a funny street flake, all essayed nicely by, respectively, John Terrell, Spike Lee and Redmond Hicks, serve to keep the scenario moving with interest.
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