Cool Stuff: Revisiting ‘Hav Plenty’
July 30, 2010 1 CommentOne of the more avant garde movies showcasing Black Americana in the 1990s was “Hav Plenty,” starring Chenoa Maxwell and Hill Harper.
The film, made in conjunction with the collective called Wanderlust Pictures, made some noise at the Acupulco Black Film Festival and more importantly, ushered in a phase of modern, serious nonstereotypical black filmmaking in the period (along with the work of Spike Lee).
The story revolves around Lee Plenty, a hardscrabble and aspiring author, who has a serious Jones for an old friend, Havilland. She says she’s not playing games, but just “doesn’t know what she wants.”
The plot, which evolves into a love triangle, is allegedly a true story based on actor Chris Cherot’s love for New York record exec Drew Dixon.
And Lee Plenty, who bears more than striking resemblance to singer Maxwell, plays goofball while the rest of the ensemble cast, including a cameo from then-TLC superstar Chilli, plays straight men.
The movie, released in 1998, was cool back then. It was an extension of the Huxtable Life that we were absorbed in at that time. It’s cool now.
Today, not a one of the actors in the movie is acting. Chenoa Maxwell is a popular photographer.
