She's Gotta Have It

Corny is word I hate using but it sums up Spike Lee's attempt at- whatever it was he was trying to achieve with this reboot. Now, it was not completely terrible, it was easy to watch in the background while I worked on my laptop. However, I think I would have turned it off sooner had I been fully paying attention. The acting was overall quite bland. There weren't many fully realized characters in the cast, almost everyone was a shell of clichés. The close ups, especially towards the end were eye rolling. And that finale- I suppose I would've been disappointed if I was expecting something more.

I have a lot of respect for the arts but I didn't need to see this portrayal of another self righteous "starving" Brooklyn artist, who if they spent 5% of the time working some other job as they do pontificating about how the world NEEDS their art... give me a break. Nola is getting a steep discount from her godmother to stay in the gentrified neighborhood she grew up in, and she still doesn't manage to get the rent on time. They constantly talk about her hustle, yet she really isn't ever truly desperate or truly hustling. Now maybe that wasn't the show they wanted to make, but don't pretend putting 5 paintings on your stoop and walking some dogs to continue living solo in a gorgeous brownstone is roughing it. Gentrification is a legitimate issue, and I see the commentary Spike was going for but it fell quite short.

I'm sure some people will enjoy the show, as I said it is not all bad, just was not for me.

I remember very much liking the original film but this rewrite is a total miss. None of the characters are at all likable, except maybe Mars, however, if you met that guy in real life you would probably run far, far away. I read in some other review that the biggest problem with Spike Lee films is the prevalence of amateur acting. And I think that strikes at the heart of this series too. The actress playing Nola is not compelling. There seems to be this confusion of beauty with charm and magnetism. This combined with the corny lines was just cringe-worthy.

Spike Lee's style isn't for everyone. With multiple graphic sex scenes and extreme adult situations, I can understand why people don't care for this show. However, since the world of Nola is confusing and crazy, the style seems fitting. There are times when the editing sucks and the acting falls flat, but overall, you won't be bored.

The music gave it a 2 star rating... and I'll chuck an extra 1 star because they rip on Trump.

Everyone who hates on this show doesn't understand its true meaning. It's not about a woman juggling with 3 lovers. Her lovers represent the time in her life she's in. She's confused and scared to be her true self and get close to any of these guys in the beginning. Season 2 makes more sense that this show is about a young black woman coming into adulthood a little later than many, but we all have different timelines. It is a journey of growth and self discovery and when you see the ending it will all make sense (or not, if you don't get it lol). It's about learning from your life experiences. Of course she is not the perfect character, she is a real one. Because people in real life are just as confused, if not more. But we all get through periods of growth in our own way and unique situations and experiences. This is a thought provoking series and not everyone will get it, hence a lot of negative feedback. Why hate on something you don't understand? See it again and maybe you'll learn something. I'm giving it a 5 because of the negative way the character is portrayed in the beginning, she's contradicting her own words and views in life and my thought in the beginning was like many of the negative reviews on here but then I got the meaning of the show later on.