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Do the Right Thing (1989)

 -  Drama  -  30 June 1989 (USA)
7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 40,695 users   Metascore: 91/100
Reviews: 339 user | 93 critic | 15 from Metacritic.com

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.

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Title: Do the Right Thing (1989)

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Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

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Paul Benjamin ...
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Jade
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Clifton
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Storyline

It's the hottest day of the year in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, and tensions are growing there, with the only local businesses being a Korean grocery and Sal's Pizzeria. Mookie, Sal's delivery boy, manages to always be at the center of the action. Written by Jon Reeves <jreeves@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

It's the hottest day of the summer. You can do nothing, you can do something, or you can...

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

30 June 1989 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Heatwave  »

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$27,545,445 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

'James Earl Jones (I)' was originally offered the role of "Da Mayor", but turned it down in order to make Best of the Best. See more »

Goofs

When Buggin Out is bumped into by the man with the bike, he gets hit on his left side, but when he looks at his sneaker, the scuff mark is on the outside of his right shoe. This is to further illustrate the mentality of these characters. They will look for a fight in any scenario and they are not concerned if their actions are justified. The man in the Larry Bird jersey didn't really scuff up Buggin' Out's shoe, but Buggin' Out was just such a loose cannon that he was waiting to be set off. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Mister Senor Love Daddy: Wake up! Wake up! Up you wake!
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #4.1 (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

"Why Don't We Try"
Music and Lyrics by Raymond Jones, Larry DeCarmine, and Vincent Morris
Performed by Keith John
Jerrelle Music Publishing (ASCAP)/Zubaidah Music, Inc./Unicity Music Publishing (ASCAP)/Hey Nineteen Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Black Bull Productions
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

An underappreciated masterpiece
20 April 2000 | by See all my reviews

I find it a tremendous oversight that this film gets so little recognition. The American film institute couldn't find one place in one hundered American films for this cinematic masterpiece that pulls no punches . It got no academy award and most importantly I could not find one friend who had heard of it. I call this a tremendous oversight because the film is wonderful. I know that Spike Lee is a rather eccentric personality and is not well liked by everyone, but his films are brilliant and this is no exception.

For about the first two thirds of the movie the plot meanders around a section of New York City as the characters awaken and start their days. For this first two thirds we have a comedy that is funny because of the eccentric and wonderfully developed characters. The audience is pulled into the story by the rich dialogue and inventive cinematography. There is just some quality about this film that makes it seem so real. This all sets up for the imminent tragedy to be all the worse as a result of the connection the audience has with the movie.

Then the film explodes. Those who have seen it know what I mean and those who have not should see it. This last third of the film should not be explained, it must be experianced. In fact this whole film should be experianced. I can't say enough.


56 of 95 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Black supremacy doctrine undertone (No racism intended) Ramuna
Radio Raheem was an idiot jhiller420
I'm not racist, but I was on Sal's side. Vikingsrock158
Great film.... but Sal forgot how to run an American business. dasein_williams
divided sympathies denham
does such a wretched neighbourhood exist? frogca
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