It's the hottest day of the summer. You can do nothing, you can do something, or you can...
Sal is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
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Character
Earnest, overwhelming, contemporary and prestige.
- earnestironic
- cooloverwhelming
- contemporarynostalgic
- unpretentiousprestige
- resolvedopen-ended
Who loves it, who doesn't
27 profiled raters. Loved most by The Prestige Hunters; disliked most by The Cartographers.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is this Spike Lee's best work?”
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“Does it glamorize what it means to condemn?”
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“Is Do the Right Thing emotionally manipulative?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Curator Co.'s numbers.
- Wuchakon TMDB · Aug 20216/10
_**When someone does the wrong thing and others react the wrong way**_ On a hot summer day in a predominantly black neighborhood in Brooklyn, one person makes the wrong decision and sets off a chain of events that results in havoc. Rosie Perez is a highlight on the feminine front. “Do the Right Thing” was Spike Lee’s breakthrough film that he made when he was 31. It’s a stylish and spirited account of a mostly black community in New York City that’s well-rounded with drama, humor, entertainment, honesty and tragedy. On the one hand, this neighborhood seems like a pleasant enough place to live, if you don’t mind the big city. The characters are not painted as one-dimensional, generally speaking; they have both attributes and faults. Yet it’s a relatively peaceable environment with the various races/ethnicities getting along just fine with only minor (and amusing) altercations. Nevertheless, it’s a tinderbox that doesn’t take much to set aflame. The last act leaves a bad taste. I can’t believe Lee had the gonads to be this honest, but he shows why most people don’t want to live or do business in black neighborhoods, including many blacks. While people debate who’s right and who’s wro
Read the whole review on TMDB - CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jun 20246/10
Whilst there can be no doubt of the potency of the theme here, I thought the nature of the story telling was all over the place and angry. With temperatures rising, literally and metaphorically, the bored youth of an area of Brooklyn are becoming more and more frustrated. The thrust of these frustrations is epitomised by a battle of wills between Italian American pizzeria owner "Sal" (Danny Aiello) and his growing number of African American clientele. His walls are covered with famous faces - Al Pacino, Frank Sinatra, etc. from his heritage but his new customers feel that they are under represented. "Sal" isn't about to be bullied into anything, and to be fair to Spike Lee he does cleverly use this slow burning fuse to illustrate an whole slew of racial attitudes amongst a diverse community where change was coming - like it or not. As the heat shows no sign of abating, tempers finally flare and a denouement results in quite some eye-opening tragedy that though effective, I found completely anachronistic. It's told very much from one perspective but not puritanically. I think that might actually exacerbate my dislike of the proceedings because what appears to be happening to a decen
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- Danny AielloSal
- Ossie DavisDa Mayor
- Ruby DeeMother Sister
- Richard EdsonVito
- Giancarlo EspositoBuggin Out
- Spike LeeMookie
- Bill NunnRadio Raheem
- John TurturroPino
- Paul BenjaminML
- Frankie FaisonCoconut Sid
Crew
- Spike LeeDirector
- Spike LeeScreenplay
- Ernest R. DickersonDirector of Photography
- Bill LeeOriginal Music Composer
- Barry Alexander BrownEditor
- Spike LeeProducer
Where to watch
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
Crash 200576% alikeBoth earnest, contemporary, overwhelming.
Beasts of the Southern Wild 201276% alikeBoth earnest, contemporary, prestige.
The Crying Game 199274% alikeBoth earnest.
Amores Perros 200073% alikeBoth earnest, contemporary, overwhelming.
Us 201973% alikeBoth overwhelming.
Widows 201873% alikeBoth earnest, contemporary.
Hamlet 200972% alikeBoth earnest, overwhelming, prestige.
Only the River Flows 202370% alikeBoth earnest.- good kid, m.A.A.d city 201277% alikeAlbum · Both earnest, contemporary.
Mr. Robot 201572% alikeSeries · Both contemporary, earnest, overwhelming.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.
