ABSTRACT
Before I see Spike Lee’s film She’s Gotta Have It, I hear about it. Folks tell me, “It’s black, it’s funny, it’s something you don’t want to miss.” With all this talk, especially coming from black folks who don’t usually go to the movies, I become reluctant, even suspicious. If everybody is liking it, even white folks, something has got to be wrong somewhere! Initially, these are the thoughts that keep me from seeing the film but I don’t stay away long. When I receive letters and phone calls from black women scholars and friends telling me about the film and wanting to talk about whether it portrays a liberated black woman, I make my way to the movies. I don’t go alone. I go with my black women friends Beverly, Yvette, and Maria, so we can talk about it together. Some of what was said that evening in the heat of our discussion informs my comments.
