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Danny Aiello, Spike Lee, Richard Edson, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito ... see more see more... , Rosie Perez , Bill Nunn , Ossie Davis , Ruby Dee , Paul Benjamin , Frankie Faison , Robin Harris , Joie Lee , Samuel L. Jackson , Martin Lawrence , John Savage , Rick Aiello , Shawn Elliott , Richard Habersham , Dominic Marcus , Stephen Park , Eric Payne , Angel Ramirez , Luis Antonio Ramos , Christa Rivers , Miguel Sandoval , Roger Guenveur Smith , Leonard Thomas , Nelson Vasquez , Frank Vincent , David Weinberg , Ginny Yang , Erik Koniger , Steve White , Tom Wright , Gwen McGee , Joel Nagle , Diva Osorio , Sherwin Park , Roy Thomas , Travell Lee Toulson , Robi Reed

Director Spike Lee dives head-first into a maelstrom of racial and social ills, using as his springboard the hottest day of the year on one block in Brooklyn, NY. Three businesses dominate the block: ... read more read more...a storefront radio station, where a smooth-talkin' deejay (Samuel L. Jackson) spins the platters that matter; a convenience store owned by a Korean couple; and Sal's Famous Pizzeria, the only white-operated business in the neighborhood. Sal (Danny Aiello) serves up slices with his two sons, genial Vito (Richard Edson) and angry, racist Pino (John Turturro). Sal has one black employee, Mookie (Spike Lee), who wants to "get paid" but lacks ambition. His sister Jade (Joie Lee, Spike's sister), who has a greater sense of purpose and a "real" job, wants Mookie to start dealing with his responsibilities, most notably his son with girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez). Two of Mookie's best friends are Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), a monolith of a man who rarely speaks, preferring to blast Public Enemy's rap song Fight The Power on his massive boom box; and Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), nicknamed for his coke-bottle glasses and habit of losing his cool. When Buggin' Out notes that Sal's "Wall of Fame," a photo gallery of famous Italian-Americans, includes no people of color, he eventually demands a neighborhood boycott, on a day when tensions are already running high, that incurs tragic consequences. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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85% liked it

68,741 ratings

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96% liked it

51 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Spike Lee

Release Date: June 14, 1989

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DVD Release Date: June 30, 2009

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Stats: 3,677 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,677)

  • fb733768972
    February 3, 2012
    fb733768972
    Spike Lee displays racism in the most brutal way possible, creating an atmosphere that will make you laugh, cry, and wish you could get in on the commotion. As life in the 80's, in the streets of Brooklyn, racial groups roamed the town, trying to find any way they can annoy anoth... read moreer ethnic group. Although the characters are loveable, the cast well assembled, and the story on the edge of brilliance, Lee's directing kind of transcends the entire overview of culture and stereotypes; However, I am not saying that it hurts the film in any which way. The language is vulgar but the friendships are something to cherish, even when the film reaches it's conclusion. This is one of the best films covering the topic of racism that I have ever seen. The conclusion left me with tears in my eyes and my jaw on the floor, seeing how brutal society used to be, and in some places, still remains. This is a magnificent story that needs to be seen by the world!
  • fb1664868775
    October 30, 2011
    fb1664868775
    The hottest day of the year on a block in Brooklyn, NY, this masterpiece from Spike Lee is an amazing look at race relations. Also filled with vibrant colors, a beautiful score and many standout performances. One of my favorite scenes is the tale of love and hate delivered by Rad... read moreio Raheem which is an homage to another great film, The Night Of The Hunter.
  • paulkoh110
    October 25, 2011
    paulkoh110
    Spike Lee has shown off his skills in film with a controversial comedy that not only displays racial tensions but also has underlying comedy. Mookie (Spike lee) is a delivery boy for Sal's Pizzeria and over the course of the day, issues rise and the movie's true colors start to s... read morehow. Better than Malcolm X and Inside Man, Do the right thing was exceptional.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    July 22, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Do The Right Thing is a film that contradicts the message it tries to convey. Do The Right Thing is a terrible film because there are so many contradictions that it just doesn't. The film is a sad attempt at trying to raise important issues, but fails miserably. I can't take this... read more film seriously because of the contradictory message it displays. I thought it was an absolutely pointless exercise in exposing racial ignorance. The film would've worked if the contradictions wouldn't have been there. Like for example, using violence is doing the right thing? Right. I am not racist and have no hatred whatsoever for black people, but personally, I think this film insults the black community and reinforces the stereotypes against them. Spike Lee is an aweful filmmaker who practically remakes the same film over and over. Do The Right Thing is a piece of crap that looks dated and I don't see what so great about the film, all I see are a bunch of people who contradict themselves in the film. I'll stick with American History X and Mississippi Burning. At least those films brought to light important issues that Do The Right Thing tried to do without doing the wrong thing. This film does the wrong thing all the way, and by the films conclusion you feel empty, and you wonder if Mookie did Really Do The right thing? He didn't and I thought the film was fairly awful considering the subject matter. I honestly believe this could've been a good attempt, but it has too much contradicting points to make this film a worthwhile viewing experience.
  • ythelastman89
    May 18, 2011
    ythelastman89
    Spike Lee's incredibly bold and obtrusive view on racism is definitely effective, but it still has its flaws in terms of writing and effective character development. Seeing as how it's one big political statement, there seemed to be less time spent on making the actors seem genui... read morene and that tends to make it goofy and armaturistic. It doesnâ(TM)t have the intensity of something like School Daze because it makes such a habit of being hyper-realistic. Now if it played the over-the-top card like School Daze, then it would be a lot easier to swallow. Everyone can admit that Spike Lee is not a good actor and definitely doesnâ(TM)t have the range necessary for Mookie. It kindsâ(TM) becomes one of those movies that has so many interesting things going on, but ultimately it doesnâ(TM)t deliver on telling a story or doing anything beyond its heavy handed message. Spike Lee can make a movie look good without even trying, but this is an example of his political agenda getting out of control.
  • rayman0071
    April 22, 2011
    rayman0071
    From the words of the classic Public Enemy Song:
    "Fight The Power!", "Fight The Power"! ,"Fight The Power!"
    "We Gotta Fight The Powers That Be!"

    Years before "Crash" or "Avenue Q" reminded us that everyone's a little bit racist,Spike Lee's 1989 surprise hit made all of us that w... read moree are racist within ourselves regardless of creed,color or national origin. Released in the summer of that year,alongside "Batman" becoming the highest grossing film of that year,and the third installment of the latest Indiana Jones trilogy,"Do The Right Thing" made us aware of our own prejudices and how we look at different things from a perspective. During its initial release,critics were worried that there would be riots,and there weren't,and Lee criticized the critics for suggesting that black audiences weren't capable of self control.
    Which is ironic,as the film is all about losing control over the course of a long hot summer day,the mood shifting from congenial to dangerous as we come to know the residents of a Brooklyn neighborhood and their prejudices(both black and white). It's hard to pass judgment on what happens(which includes the infamous riot scenes that bring forth the climax of the film's 129 minute running time),but we do learn valuable lessons on how a restaurant's "Wall Of Fame"(where the wall includes pictures of Italians ranging from Frank Sinatra to Al Pacino and Robert De Niro where the character of Bugging Out asks the Pizzeria owner Sal as to why aren't there any blacks on the wall?" And Sal replies:"Once you get your own business going,then you can put whatever you want on your own wall.
    This is my store,and you don't come in here and tell me how to fucking run it.")reflects its neighborhood's demographics,how not to respond to an overly loud boombox and the dangers of curbside trash collection,not to mention dealing with the overly trigger happy cops and lowlifes that surround the neighborhood. The large cast of actors make up for this brilliant study of race relations and the like which includes not only its producer-director-star Spike Lee,but has Danny Aiello(Sal);John Turturro (Pino),Rosie Perez(Tina),Ossie Davis(Da Mayor),Ruby Dee(Mother Sister),Ginacarlo Esposito(Buggin Out),Samuel L .Jackson(Radio DJ Senor Love Daddy),Bill Nunn(Radio Raheem),and Richard Edson(Vito),along with Martin Lawrence,Tisha Campbell,and Joie Lee(Spike's sister). "Do The Right Thing" is one of those rare films which manages to provoke those disparte
    passionate responses while being an entertainment masterpiece that is one of Spike Lee's best works.
  • ajv2688
    April 4, 2011
    ajv2688
    Spike Lee's greatest film ever! If you aren't a fan of Lee's work, you probably haven't seen this movie. It's brilliant, takes place in one day, fiercely investigates race relations, and it just overall is a great story about human nature. I highly recommend it.
  • mjgildea
    February 22, 2011
    mjgildea
    Not a bad movie but Radio Raheem should've been blaring "Don't Believe the Hype" instead of "Fight the Power" every 5 minutes. I'll give Spike Lee his due for his directorial style and the cinematography. The performances were also good (namely Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee) but the f... read moreact that Lee presented everyone as equally racist was what pleasantly surprised me about this movie. What kind of bugged me about Do the Right Thing was how it just seemed to come across as a bunch of (mostly) disjointed vignettes then all of the sudden -- WHAM! Absolute chaos! The opening titles also bugged the shit out of me. The whole thing kind of came across like a student film with a bigger budget. Definitely not bad, but not as good as I've been lead to believe.
  • fb100001493964409
    December 4, 2010
    fb100001493964409
    In a very vague way, this film reminds me of "American Graffiti." Both films are time capsules of there time. But where "American Graffiti" decided to be about the last innocent age of growing up in America, "Do the Right Thing" is a time capsule into an age of racial tension tha... read moret has yet to leave America. The story presented here is fictional, even the setting is technically fictional. The setting is on a block in Brooklyn near a black neighborhood, but some people have noted that the streets that this block is positioned on never actually meet at a corner. This doesn't matter though because the characters have a certain quality to them that make them seem like people you would see everyday. With that said, it also means the acting is very well done, including a nice role from Samuel L. Jackson as a radio DJ who is something of an unintentional narrator. The cinematography and set design are pitch perfect, making Brooklyn a colorful but dark backdrop. But what makes this film work is the fact that all of these characters are used to each other and the tension has always existed, the only thing that happens to be different is the fact that its the hottest day of summer in Brooklyn. To be honest, the film isn't very violent, 3/4 of the film is just filled with the day to day (uneasy) relationships the characters have with each other. Its not until the last 1/4 that the tensions explode, the rest is a sort of suspense that immerses you in the final moments of the film. Some films aren't simply watched, they're experienced. This is one of those films. Highly HIGHLY recommended.
  • guttersnipe28
    October 18, 2010
    guttersnipe28
    Cracking stuff, the film that put Lee on the map, and in doing so creates one of the funniest, pertinent and vital films of any decade. Also instrumental in establishing black directors (though few could match his talent). RADIO RAHEEM!

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Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
April 24, 2009
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

Lee cagily provides a litmus test for racial attitudes in 1989, but he does so by destroying the integrity of his characters, black and white. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
June 26, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

A powerful and persuasive look at an ethnic community and what makes it tick--funky, entertaining, packed with insight, and political in the best, most responsible sense. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Mr. Lee's movie is anything but minimalist. It is bursting with character, color, incident and music, including a militant rap number performed by Public Enemy. Full Review

February 13, 2001
Variety

Spike Lee combines a forceful statement on race relations with solid entertainment values. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Comes closer to reflecting the current state of race relations in America than any other movie of our time Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

A movie made by filmmaker working in sync with his times -- an exciting, disturbing, provocative film. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Are you covering your soft parts? Spike Lee is about to drag you into a sizzling kitchen called "Do the Right Thing." Full Review

Rob Humanick
August 1, 2011
Rob Humanick, Projection Booth

The many joys of the film are equaled only by the fiery injustice it bears witness to in the apocalyptic third act. Full Review

Kevin Carr
September 21, 2010
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

Sure, the movie opens up the racial problems of everyday life in New York, but it also has a very forgiving tone to what one could label as the oppressed. Full Review

Brian Orndorf
August 26, 2009
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com

It's perhaps one of the greatest summer movies of all time. Do the Right Thing is as perfect as a film can get. Full Review

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    • Buggin Out: Sal! We gonna boycott your fat pasta ass!
    • Ahmad: What? I ain't boycotting jack you string cheese head mother fucker! I'm about to go get a slice right now!
    • Mookie: Pino, fuck you, fuck your fuckin' pizza, and fuck Frank Sinatra.
    • Pino: Yeah? Well fuck you, too, and fuck Michael Jackson.
    • Buggin Out: Yo, Mookie.
    • Mookie: What?
    • Buggin Out: Stay Black.
    • Da Mayor: Always do the right thing.
    • Mookie: That's it?
    • Da Mayor: That's it.
    • Mookie: I got it, I'm gone.
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  • In what movie does this convosation take place:- "There will come a time when you will have the chance to do the right thing!" "I love thoses moments, i like to wave at them as they pass by!"  Answer »
  • What movie is this quote from... "There will come a time when you have a chance to do the right thing..." "I love those moments. I love to wave at them as they pass by."  Answer »
  • What did the movie Click teach you?  Answer »
  • What movie did this line come from "Doctor, Always do the right thing"  Answer »
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