Critical Condition: She’s Gotta Have It

She’s Gotta Have It | Netflix, from today

➢ “It’s a marvel to watch She’s Gotta Have It unfold. In an age when the parade of endless sequels, reboots and remakes is exhausting, it may seem odd for Spike Lee to adapt the 1986 film that put him on the map as a Netflix series. But once you dive in to Lee’s stylised, colourful exploration of Nola Darling, her art, her lovers and her Brooklyn, it’s clear why the movie was the perfect choice for expansion.” — USA Today.

➢ “Like fellow ’80s auteur David Lynch, Lee has found a new gear through self-revival. The premiere ends with Nola posting street art over an advertisement for the original film. It’s a meta moment, but also a mission statement. This new series isn’t an adaptation. It’s a profound act of cinematic graffiti, gentrifiers be damned.” — Entertainment Weekly.

➢ “The new She’s Gotta Have It is smart, refreshing, and trenchant in some specific ways. Lee, who directs all 10 episodes, is well able to create memorable and even stunning set pieces throughout the season … Even with Lee’s directorial skill, there’s something almost mediocre about the reboot; his style has become so iconic — and has been so thoroughly imitated — that his signature style feels less like his muscular vision and instead another attempt to be like Spike Lee.” — Variety.

➢ “This is full-on Spike Lee, not craftsman-for-hire Spike Lee, and the series requires taking his excesses — not just in episodic running times, which all spill well over 30 minutes, often needlessly — for better and for worse … The closing three episodes move the furthest from the movie’s storyline and feel the most free and experimental. She’s Gotta Have It is already a very good show and maybe a second season could rewrite some rules the way the movie did.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

➢ “This isn’t the gentrified, prettified, hipsterized Brooklyn of Girls, but a multicultural Brooklyn — and specifically Fort Greene — with a rich black history. Lee and She’s Gotta Have It are rueful and nostalgic over what’s been lost but they’re hardly cranks about it. This also celebrates what’s been gained. She’s Gotta Have It is a love letter, full of colour, life and a superior soundtrack.” — Newsday.