Sick Product of a Sick System

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

this movie is about a boy who is working and has a kid and is trying to take care of his sister and his baby mother and his daughter in this hot summer of 1989. i think that this would have been a good story if they would have let us know more about what the boy did after he collected his money from his job.

This movie is a really raw movie. This is by far my favorite movie. Not only is it really humour, but it really shows you how the youth in a community are impacted by oppression and police brutality. One of my favorite characters in the movie was Mookie, the main character. I think people can relate to mookie and how many priorities he had as a young black man, especially seeing his black friend being murdered. It was a lot going on in mookie's world. He had many dilemmas, but he always tried to remain respectful and keep his composure. I really recommend this movie especially do many minorities who's seen corruption within their neighborhoods. Very raw movie. Fave movie indeed!

How often do we see a film as powerful & engrossing as 'Do the Right Thing'? I mean this was way back in 1989, when Producer/Writer/Director Spike Lee blew up the big-screen with a hard-hitting, gut wrenchingly honest story on racism, that, sadly, remains timely to this day. And despite choosing a subject as grim as this one, Lee, the genius, presents it like an entertainer, that never comes across as a lecture or a depressing experience. It roars without ever screaming at your face!'Do the Right Thing' Synopsis: On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford- Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.'Do the Right Thing' is about people engulfed with hate & pressure, despite having the ability to 'love'. Spike Lee delivers an important, smart & unforgettable tale on racism & its pointlessness, with interestingly diverse characters, right from White, Black, Italian & Asian. Lee has Written each character with a distinctive personality, thus, making them all interesting, a few even being memorable. The climax here is a reflective & provocative one, one that truly asks you the question - Why is this happening & if there is a problem, is the solution always this ruthless? I won't give away spoilers, as there might be some readers out who are yet to see this film. But, Lee's question in the finale will throw you in a tightrope & you'll have to figure yourself who actually you stood for & why. Its truly thought-provoking! Lee's Writing is masterful. His Screenplay is among the most important ones Cinema has Produced. Its intense, intelligent, volatile & entirely engrossing, all at the same time. Lee's Direction is Fantastic. He has handled this terrific film, with a touch of realism, that's so rare in movies nowadays. Special Mentions for Ernest Dickerson's Cinematography, Barry Alexander Brown's Editing & The Excellent Art & Costume Design. Now coming to the Performances: Lee shines an an actor as well. He embodies the central part with unmistakable honesty. But the show- stealer here is undoubtedly Danny Aiello. In his portrayal of Sal the pizzeria owner, Aiello is simply astonishing. Right from his body-language to his powerful dialogue delivery, Aiello offers a true acting masterclass! Its among the finest performances of all-time & there is no exaggeration here! Of the rest of the cast, John Turturro is remarkable as Aiello's conflicted son Pino, while The Late/Great Ruby Dee is haunting as Mother Sister. The Late/Great Ossie Davis as Da Mayor, is wonderfully restrained. The Late/Great Bill Nunn is excellent & Rosie Perez as Tina, in her breakout role, is feisty. Rest lend great support.On the whole, 'Do the Right Thing' is a powerful piece of modern cinema. Its a film that demands your attention, asks you questions & never forgets to keep you engrossed. This one's a MASTERPIECE!

I wrote this review in 1989, before IMDb existed. That's why I'm submitting it now, with updates to reflect recent news story that this film addressed.Nearly two months after its release, and after reading numerous articles about it, I finally saw Do the Right Thing. It's a remarkably entertaining, enlightening, controversial, and well balanced view of race relations in an inner city neighborhood (Bed-Stuy). The story in brief: Sal (Danny Aiello) and his two sons (including John Turturro) operate a pizzeria in Bed-Stuy that caters to blacks and other ethnic minorities. Mookie, who delivers pizzas and is played by Spike Lee, is the only black employee in the store. There are numerous interesting side stories: • Mookie's relationship with his sister, his Hispanic girlfriend and their son. • The relationship between Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) and his attempt to win the affection of a neighborhood woman (Ruby Dee) • The interaction between Sal and his two sons. The characters are developed fully, and we see them at regular intervals throughout the film as the director builds our empathy for all of them, warts and all. These include the slick D.J., Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), who is never seen without his ghetto-blaster (A large, portable, radio cassette player, measuring about 1.5 m wide & 1.0 m high. It's played especially outdoors, in public places at loud volume; & carried on one shoulder with loudspeakers facing the head; since replaced by today's mobile devices), and Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), an outspoken person in the community. The movie's strength comes from its acting, realism, and how it challenges us to re-examine our attitudes on race relations. This movie could serve as an excellent vehicle for schools and community groups to discuss race relations and defuse violence. Here are some discussion questions: • Was it reasonable for Buggin' Out, one of the more activist blacks in the film, to insist that Sal put the pictures of some "brothers" on the walls of his pizzeria? • Were the police accurately portrayed as all-white, bigoted and insensitive to the needs of the community? Or were they stereotyped? (This film predated the "stop & frisk" and "police brutality" charges that would emerge decades later.) • Were African-Americans shown to be unusually belligerent to the only two whites we meet outside the pizzeria, the Yuppie owner of brownstone, and 50-ish owner of an antique car?Concerning the series of events that led to the riot at the end, • Was the riot caused by Radio Raheem's defiance in Sal's pizzeria, first by entering a closed shop, and then by blasting his radio inside, knowing how offensive Sal would find it? • Was Sal's destruction of the radio justified on the grounds that he was provoked beyond the breaking point? • When the fight between Raheem and Sal broke out, should Mookie, who was close to both of them, have interceded? • Should the group of local blacks have stopped the fight, since both Sal and Raheem were liked by both? • During the fight, was it realistic that no weapons were produced? • When the police arrived, did they use unreasonable force to restrain Raheem, or were they misled by his size and strength from realizing that they were choking him to death? (This film was decades before the Eric Garner case that presented very similar circumstances.) • After Raheem's death, which was not Sal's fault, was Mookie justified in breaking Sal's window? Was the looting of Sal's pizzeria understandable, if not forgivable? • Was the ending regarding Mookie and Sal believable? • Should there have been coverage of black prejudice against other groups to parallel the bias shown by Sal's sons toward blacks? Considering all possible biases that could have been shown, the movie is reasonably well-balanced to show them all. There are some especially meaningful dialogues about racial attitudes: Between Sal and his bigoted son, between Sal and Mookie, between Mookie and the son, and between the white police officers and Sal. Each tests our deepest beliefs about race relations, and there is a fair balance between moderate and extreme views. Movies exploring this important topic have become scarce in recent years. One notable exception was Crash, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2005.Do the Right Thing has excellent camera work, direction, pacing, characterization, music and authenticity. Not quite a masterpiece, but it is so rich, daring and unusual, that it's a must-see for those interested in the inner city of today. See it, enjoy it, and most importantly, discuss it with friends and those on both sides of the issues!