A Critique of Spike Lee's Debut Film "She's Gotta Have It"

Piece by piece, we are given an in into Nola's world. A posh Manhattanite, she is hunted down in the city streets by would-be admirers, Mars, and Greers is evident by her choice of mates, Nola is open-minded and explores facets of herself inspired by her mates. With Greer, she tries sophisticate-wear and fine dining. Jamie is the traditional type, and his notions of romance almost win her over. Even her ex-roomate's art influences Nola's decoration.

Greer's character hit home because he has fulfilled the American dream, yet he is lacking in substance, and the kicker: "I'm gon' date a white girl." The statement was ludicrous but had an ounce of truth to it because he embodies American ideals of "Work hard, play hard", competition, and an obsession with appearance. Given these superficial goals, a blonde bimbo would be the icing on the cake. His disgust with Mars and Jaime is unwarranted and is actually dissatisfaction from within.

Then there's Mars. We can't help but fall in love with this kid who tries so hard to bring a smile to our faces. He commits to character with rat-a-tat-tat, in your face dialogue, which usually ends up more of a monologue. He disarms people with his childlike ways. If he's not getting groomed by Nola, he's strutting around in oversized sneakers and a lopsided cap. In spite of his joblessness, Nola loves him as a mother would.

Most important to me as a viewer is a thoroughly developed storyline. Nothing feels rushed or forced. The ending doesn't seem contrived. Spike manages to create high drama through realistic plot twists such as Nola's lesbian lover and Jamie's loss of self-control. Gems like "It's not a matter of appearance" and "You know what the scary part is? I enjoyed it." confronts issues like rape and homosexuality.

As all directors omit for a reason, I believe that not showing any interaction with her parents creates the sense that she is truly on her own. However, a less forgiveable oversight is the lack of development in Noa's character. Sure, she's a jetsetting artist type, but what brought her here? More importantly, where is she going? In Mars, we find hope, humor, even vulnerability. Nora at the end of the film is the exact shell of a person she was at the beginning, albeit in various stages of undress. This lends credence to the theory that Spike never intended on building Nora up as much as he wished to objectify her. To this, we have an abundance of evidence from the rough way Jaime handled her to slow motion body shots.

On an upnote, the play-by-play is easy viewing despite the elephant in the room. This love triangle is played out as a delicate love story. When I envision a man-made movie about a love triangle, I think "action-action-action! Man wins/and/or saves the girl." Usually the sex scenes are straight out of porn without a lot of dialogue or foreplay. I was awed by the way Spike set up those intimate moments through lighting, back-drop, and camera angle. You really got the sense that her body was living breathing art.

The reason why this movie appeals to such a wide audience is because both men and women, the young and old have their fifteen minutes of fame. We feel for Julien just as much as we do for Nola. Even the dancer has her range of emotions, as she lays down the ultimatum "I'm not gonna be here when you get back." As romances kindle and ebb, the dance continues beautifully, leaving us with a sense that life does go on.