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She's Gotta Have It

Play trailer Poster for She's Gotta Have It R 1986 1h 24m Romance Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 33 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Beautiful Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) can't decide what kind of man she wants to date, so she decides to date three at the same time. The first is Greer Childs (John Canada Terrell), a rich, handsome narcissist. Then there's Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks), a stable, overprotective alpha male. Finally, there's Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), a timid geek with a heart of gold. Unfortunately, while each suitor has his virtues, Darling just can't seem to make up her mind.
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She's Gotta Have It

She's Gotta Have It

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Critics Consensus

With She's Gotta Have It, Spike Lee delivered his bracing first shot across Hollywood's bow -- and set the template for the groundbreaking act to follow.

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Critics Reviews

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Stephanie Zacharek TIME Magazine It stands proud as an early calling card for one of our most provocative, inventive directors. Aug 1, 2024 Full Review Variety Staff Variety All the elements of an interesting yarn are implicit here -- save one: a compelling central figure Mar 17, 2008 Full Review Eric Henderson Slant Magazine 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. Rated: 3/4 Jan 13, 2008 Full Review Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch Stands overall as a radical, exuberant, and impressively assertive lightning bolt of an entry into the medium that Lee changed forever. Oct 7, 2023 Full Review Taylor Baker Drink in the Movies Spike's first feature is a suave and toothy flick, served up pseudo-vignette with oodles of style. Rated: 80/100 Aug 27, 2021 Full Review Marti Wilson Sojourner She's Gotta Have It is cleverly crafted. Its entertainment value is not diminished by its serious notes... Spike Lee and this film will be take seriously. Aug 23, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sam S The first feature-length Spike Lee joint. The dialogue and performances can be a little rough, but Lee’s eclectic and playful style is quite strong for a debut. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/20/25 Full Review thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/23/25 Full Review Will G A great Spike Lee film! He directed and acted in it. I liked the scene with dancing. It was nice to see NYC. It was about a woman who has relationships with multiple men. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/25 Full Review Sara J Tracy Camilla Johns really shines in this. I liked that we weren't given a "backstory" or "explanation" for her. We were only assured that she was a perfectly healthy woman. Would re-watch, just for her. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/25 Full Review Leaburn O Starts off pretty enjoyable but the final third is too turgid and the film ultimately says pretty little. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Very ahead of its time in the sense of feminine empowerment. Thought it was maybe a take on classism with the three being poor, rich, and in the middle? Not positive on that but it’s something I took away from it. Great story, great characters, lots of funny lines, outstanding film debut from the legend! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/15/21 Full Review Read all reviews
She's Gotta Have It

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Cast & Crew

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Spike Lee

Director

Tracy Camilla Johns

Nola Darling

Tommy Redmond Hicks

Jamie Overstreet

John Canada Terrell

Greer Childs

Spike Lee

Mars Blackmon

Raye Dowell

Opal Gilstrap

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She's Gotta Have It

She's Gotta Have It (1986) She's Gotta Have It (1986) She's Gotta Have It (1986) She's Gotta Have It (1986) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Beautiful Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) can't decide what kind of man she wants to date, so she decides to date three at the same time. The first is Greer Childs (John Canada Terrell), a rich, handsome narcissist. Then there's Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks), a stable, overprotective alpha male. Finally, there's Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), a timid geek with a heart of gold. Unfortunately, while each suitor has his virtues, Darling just can't seem to make up her mind.
Director
Spike Lee
Producer
Spike Lee
Screenwriter
Spike Lee
Production Co
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, New York Foundation for the Arts
Rating
R
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.0M
Runtime
1h 24m
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