SITE TOOLS
|
|
|
She's Gotta Have It, 1986, 84 minutes, Rated R
By JLM
Before Carrie Bradshaw and
Sex
and the City, there was Nola Darling. In She's
Gotta Have It, Spike Lee introduced the world to Nola - a smart, sexy, independent African
American woman with an all too familiar problem. She was looking for Mr. Right. And she
found him. Well, rather she found them - three men to complete and complement her. Mars
made her smile. Greer was sexy. And Jamie was compassionate. Not to mention the added
bonus of a sexual relationship with all three men.
|
To Buy
Click Here
|
|
Perhaps that was the problem. Nola
Darling was a skilled architect and craftsperson. In the words of Greer Childs, she
created a "three-headed, six- armed, six- legged, three -penised monster." Three
men, who combined, became one man that could fulfill all of her needs. Greer conceded that
it was not Nola's fault. Rather, the men allowed her to create such a monster.
|
|
|
|
Jamie asked Nola what she was searching
for. We, the audience, are left to find the answer. Greer, Jamie, and Mars did not know
the answer. Nor did her friends, family members or even her therapist. Nola concluded
simply that she was not a one-man woman. Maybe it was just sex. Or perhaps Nola wanted
someone or some persons to share her journey. As with many of Spike Lee's movies the
debate rages on, challenging traditional sex-role stereotypes and notions of heterosexual
love. "Freak" or revolutionary?! You decide. M
March 2000 |
|
|
|
|
RLP Ventures, LLC and/or its
suppliers. All rights reserved.