Parents' Guide to

She's Gotta Have It

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Spike Lee's breakout comedy has lots of nudity and sex.

Movie R 1986 84 minutes
She's Gotta Have It Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 1 parent review

ahmed aiman 99
ahmed aiman 99 Adult
April 27, 2019
age 17+

Meh!

I liked its "mockumentary" style at first, its vivid and bold direction, the acting in general, and a couple of moments and few scenes scattered throughout the movie. Other than that, I think that Spike Lee's directorial debut isn't half as good as it's important and interesting. It's approach to the story is blatantly heavy-handed, it has tons of dull, repetitive and self-indulgent moments, a lot of pacing issues, a predictable ending, and the three main male characters are quite perfunctory and skin-deep. (5.5/10)

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) is a young graphic artist living on her own in Brooklyn, New York. Three men and one woman each want to be the "it" that Nola's just gotta have. But all four of them, in their own way, want to change Nola by telling her who she ought to be and how she ought to live. Nola may not know exactly what she wants, but she knows it's not just one person, or one thing. And it's definitely not someone else controlling anything about herself or her life.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

The movie that launched Spike Lee's career takes a humorous and sometimes dark look at Nola Darling's struggle to keep control of her own life and body in 1986 Brooklyn. Filmed in black and white, and structured as a series of flashbacks from people being interviewed about their relationships with Nola, this "mockumentary" doesn't pass judgment on any of the characters, inviting viewers to draw their own conclusions.

Legend has it that She's Gotta Have It was filmed on a shoestring budget in 12 days, with absolutely no retakes of anything. That may explain why a lot of the actors sound more like they're reading out loud than speaking naturally. Still, it's a sometimes funny, always insightful, effective character study. It also asks questions as important today as they were in 1986, about female empowerment, African-American representation in the media, sex, and sexuality. The frequent sex scenes and nudity make it best for mature teens ready to tackle these and lots of other adult issues.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the sexual content in She's Gotta Have It. How much is OK to show in movies? Why?

  • Have attitudes about having more than one partner changed since 1986? If so, how? If not, why not?

  • Why do you think the movie is in black and white? What other black-and-white movies have you seen? Do you like it, or do you wish it were in color?

Movie Details

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