In the past few years many movies have addressed social issues such as AIDS, parental estrangement, aging, battered women and children, and racism. Teachers of teenagers can capitalize on these kinds of serious films in two ways: by assuming that students have thought about some serious issues and by building on that assumption. Three movies of Spike Lee, "She's Gotta Have It,""School Daze," and "Do the Right Thing" are examples of such films. Issues revolving around sexual and social relations abound in "She's Gotta Have It.""School Daze" embraces weighty political, racial, and sexual issues. And within the straightforward narrative of "Do the Right Thing" are questions of community control, racial prejudice, parental responsibility, and police brutality. The content of film can be dealt with in various ways. For example, full-length feature films can be treated as literature in the classroom, short films may be used as complements to the reading experience, and fact-based films on social issues can be studied in classes with a research component. (TD)