Do the Right Thing
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Movie Reviews of Do the Right Thing
Movie Review: A Brilliant Movie From A Brilliant Director
Summary: 5 Stars
The fact that Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing wasn't given Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director is still considered by movie buffs to be one of the biggest Oscar snubs of all time. This was the best movie of 1989, and ranks among the best that Spike Lee has ever directed.The story unfolds on one scorching summer day in Brooklyn, New York. It centers around Mookie (Spike Lee), a down-and-out pizza deliverer who works for Sal's Famous Pizzeria, owned by Sal (Danny Aiello) and his two sons. The neighborhood where the story unfolds is low-rent and crime-ridden, and the residents are mainly black. While his sons beg him to relocate the pizzeria to a nicer neighborhood, Sal doesn't mind the surroundings. In fact, he takes great pride in having run this restaurant for so many years, and that the people of this neighborhood were raised on his food. Tensions flair when a militant called Buggin Out notices that there isn't a single picture of a black celebrity on the "Wall of Fame" that Sal has put up in his restaurant. Buggin Out insists that Sal put up pictures of black people, considering that most of his customers are black. Sal maintains that the Wall is for Italian celebrities only, so Buggin Out decides to organize a boycott of the pizzeria. This idea of a boycott eventually escalates into a riot at the end of the day, burning down the restaurant.
Though Sal is emotionally crushed by the destruction of his life's work, he is more hurt by the fact that Mookie helped in destroying the restaurant. Earlier on that same day, Sal had lovingly told Mookie that he thought of him as a son.
This movie was extremely provocative when it first came out, and it still remains compelling today. It's about race wars and loyalty, and those who struggle to choose sides. I think this is the kind of movie that should be shown in classrooms and then discussed at length. It's extremely entertaining and also very educational. I have only the highest of recommendations for Do The Right Thing.
Movie Review: this movie is the right thing
Summary: 5 Stars
Spike Lee's 1989 film is without question, the highlight of his career. Do The Right Thing would be a highlight of any director's career (yes, ANY director). This film is set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn and takes place in one day. The film's protagonist (though not hero) is a young black man named Mookie (Spike Lee). Mookie works at Sal's Famous Pizzeria. Sal (Danny Aiello) and his two sons are Italian and have pictures of famous Italian-Americans on the Wall of Fame. The restaurant, on the other hand, serves a primarily black clientele. The day this film takes place is a very hot day, a near record high temperature pushing 100 degrees. On a day like that, tempers as well as temperatures will be high.
The film deals with the issue of race relations. The first part of the film is spent setting up the characters. We see who Mookie is, where he works, what kind of relationship he has with his girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez in her film debut). We see Sal and his very prejudiced son. We see neighborhood characters. By the time the middle of the film hits, we are able to view the Bed-Stuy neighborhood as a very real place with very real people. When a young black man notices that the Wall of Fame does not have any black men on it, he calls Sal on it. Sal gives his reasons, but the young man does not buy it, and calls for a boycott of the pizzeria. While most people don't go for the boycott, a couple of people do. Around closing time that night, these few people enter Sal's pizzeria and demand change. Tempers flare and violence erupts.
This is an incredibly powerful and moving film and is the best reason for explaining why Spike Lee was one of the most important filmmakers of the 90's (this film being released in 89, and followed up later by Malcolm X). It is also the reason we should be on the lookout for the next Spike Lee joint.
Movie Review: A beautiful movie, by the genius of our time.
Summary: 5 Stars
Do the right thing is amazing!!! As we all know it is the tale of race relations in America, set in Brooklyn in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community. This movie glows as it shows the racial tension that still goes on today. Lee shows that as diverse as America is, instead of diplomatically talking out our differences, we fear what we do not understand and as minorities fight ourselves, while (some) of the racist majority laugh as they like to see our downfall. It is downright dazzling that Spike Lee can show culture whether black, Italian, Chinese, and white in a fun perspective when talking about race. The day like this one has happened in communities across America racial tension and all and it is about time that somebody said documented it. This being stated a common point is often missed in the film when Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Who did the right thing? They and the black characters both did. By buggin' out boycotting Sal's Pizzeria for selling pizza to African Americans in their community, and not acknowledging them (pictures on the wall), he represents Martin Luther King. MLK boycotted to make a difference and when inspiring leadership he found it hard to get followers in some states (like buggin out did). When they burned down the shop as a act of revolution for killing radio rahiem it was Malcolm X, not to say that Malcolm was violent, he was nonviolent, and peaceful man who believed in self defense, however, he said that revolution is violent and that is what happened. In the end Spike Lee communicated how a man lost his shop and another man lost his life becuase we did not, and still at times are not working together to solve our problems. Spike Lee is the last classic director we have in illustrating what America tries to hide, and challenges us to change it!!!!Movie Review: Do The Right Thing
Summary: 5 Stars
I still remember coming out of the movie theatre crying after seeing this film. Spike Lee is one of the most thought provoking writer/directors of his time and this film proves it.Using the hottest day in Bed-Sty as the backdrop for escalating racial tensions was genius. Watching the film, one never knows why on this particular day Buggin Out became enraged about the fact that there were no pictures of African Americans on the pizzaria's wall of fame but then, one doesn't have to. The message in the film was & is to this day that racial unrest/tensions simmer just below the surface in situations, neighborhoods, and work and ANYTHING at any time came cause those passions to escalate into an out of control situation.
The title Do The Right Thing encourages each viewer to ask him/herself exactly what the right thing is. The character of Mookie was not there to show that his actions were the "right thing" only how one young man reacted in a given situation.
I still remember reviewers advising strong police turnouts at theatres showing this film stating that "the natives" might riot due to the nature of the film - patented to keep the white people scared and away from the film. Thankfully it didn't work and hopefully people who view this movie do so with open minds - it's a great commentary on race relations because quite frankly, a lot of us live in neighborhoods just like this one.
Movie Review: A Portrait of a Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
In this film Spike Lee once again proves he is one of the top 5 directors/writers in cinema history. "Do the Right Thing" portrays many problems in the black community. The main one in this film is when a small ethinc group happens to control all busniess in a black community. Such as characters like Sal (Italian) the pizza store owner, and the Korean family who owned the convienent store. Since the 1940's you would have an all black community such as Harlem runned by ethnic groups such as Jews. In response to the Latino reviewer who labled Buggin' Out and Radio Raheem as violent, trouble-making instigators, that remark is from but one perspective. On one hand it was indeed Sal's business, and he could do whatever he wanted to do with it. But at the same time his business is in a black community. It is black people, rather Afro-Americans that keeps his business running. It is rather an embarresment to only see pictures of a different ethinc group in the place that you choose to dine in. In the end it shows all of the chaos that occured could have been evoided if he had hung but one picture of a black figure. And this review is coming from a young brotha. Overall this is a must see film. An absolute classic. Also check other great films that has to do with many issues in the black community such as: "Malcolm X", "School Daze", "Jungle Fever", "Boyz N Da Hood", and "Baby Boy".