SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT Review
All praise to Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns), the protagonist of Spike Lee’s feature film debut SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT. Not only does she does she have some spiffy living in a single apartment/art loft in Brooklyn (I mean sure it was late 80’s pricing but an art loft is an art loft!), the confident Nola also manages to juggle three lovers in her life without her head flying off. Flip-flopping between the affections and pleas of the mild-mannered Jamie (Tommy Redmond Hicks), the brash joker that is Mars (Lee, in a starring role), and the arrogant debutant Greer (John Canada Terrell), Nola lives her life unapologetically. As a filmmaker, Lee has always done the same thing. In his feature debut, just as with his main character, Lee offers a hasty film that brims with so much character and charm that even the noticeable flaws make for a good partner.
A slice of life film at its core, SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT takes particular focus on a particular woman (the sex positive Nola) in a particular place (Lee’s home of Brooklyn) in a particular situation (managing a love triangle with three separate ideal-minded men). Filmed in 12 days and supported by the grainy, monochrome lens of Ernest R. Dickerson’s cinematography, Lee’s first film moves and feels like a something created by a group of close friends and family — which it is, as Lee’s family members helped support the movie in front of and behind the camera, with Bill Lee’s groovy soundtrack being an impressive and welcome addition. As with any Spike Lee joint, Nola’s journey of navigating her unique (and shunned upon) lifestyle brims with noticeable style and flair as Lee sets down the visual tics most of his latter films would later employ, ranging from fourth-wall-breaking interludes, vibrant settings(that thrive even in black and white), and photographic montages that make the film resonate as a historical relic of sorts. For a film that essentially revolves around a lot of conversation regarding sex and relationships, SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT moves about as energetically as Mars’ mouth.
But even while Lee offers up a rough draft of a visual palette that would be perfected down the line, SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT also turns out to be a pretty unique “rom-com”. While the idea of a woman stringing on three men throughout the entire movie seems less than romantic, that’s because it might be, which is an argument all the lovers grapple with through Lee’s theatrical dialogue. Indeed, there are moments in this film where it feels less like a movie and more like a recorded stage play thanks to dialogue that can get a little too involved with itself (an issue that also follows Lee into the future) and the performers, while all doing an overall admirable job for relative newcomers, still go through some growing pains on camera in moments of awkward dialogue rhythms and reactions. That being said, Ms. Johns makes Nola into an investing character; an easy going portrait of an easy going woman that is intentionally frustrating and fun to be around. Lee’s script takes an inquisitive eye to the casual love and lust that flows between young adults in a big city and the best parts of his film find the grey area of understanding that arises amongst the lovers arguments towards what exactly Nola wants out of a relationship (if anything). With the trio of her lovers, each male actor more or less plays a young man archetype (the seeming good guy, the comedian, and the vain meathead) but each one does a good job at bringing that archetype to life in order to lead Nola on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance when it comes to relationships. These final moments are a little jagged (and at times, unnecessarily dark) for a film that’s overall pretty breezy but it stays true to Lee’s mantra of offering those less than sweet stories of groups of people that rarely get a light on screen.
Despite this refreshing look at the life of a young woman moving from man to man as she figures out her life, Lee can at times take some wonky detours. Outside of the aforementioned thematic men of Nola’s life, there are moments that occur in this film that simply feel like the first time writer/director reaching for moments that are unnecessarily dramatic. One particular scene involving sexual assault essentially comes out of nowhere and is dropped just as quickly with little narrative importance or impact. Elsewhere, Lee’s film can enter a repetitive cycle of Nola conversing with one lover, arguing with said lover, and moving onto another. Surely an intentional tic of the film but one that can at times derail the enjoyable vibe it sets in prior scenes.
But there’s a funny thing about any Spike Lee movie which is that they always manage to stick with you after the credits. In this first time feature from a young guy working with his family and friends to cinematically explore the intricacies of a single woman’s life in Brooklyn, Lee displays an undeniable talent that would soon grow beyond the humble streets and lofts of Brooklyn.
3.5/5
