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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 40,691 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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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

Martin Lawrence's feature film debut. See more »

Goofs

Sal places a piece of pizza in front of Buggin' Out before they have their argument. After the argument, Buggin' Out sits down to eat his pizza. The piece of pizza looks different than the one Sal gave him. See more »

Quotes

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

Connections

Referenced in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) See more »

Soundtracks

"Feel So Good"
Music and Lyrics by Sami McKinney, Lori Perry, and Michael O'Hara
Performed by Perri
O'Hara Music/Texas City Music (BMI), AVID One Music (ASCAP)
MCA Publishing/Perrylane Music (BMI)
Courtesy of Zebra/MCA Records
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
practically the definition of a must-see movie
6 April 2001 | by (New Jersey, USA) – See all my reviews

I have heard people describe Spike Lee as a second-rate filmmaker; all I have to say is that second-rate filmmakers do not make films like this. Do the Right Thing is a masterpiece in both style and substance, and Im hard pressed to think of a more powerful, earth-shattering film.

But first, let's talk about the style. The color palette of the movie is wonderful; while its mostly deep reds, they manage to bring home the feeling that the residents of Bed-Stuy must have been feeling on that day. The cinematography is excellent... it features a lot of weird viewpoints and angles, but they are used to great effect and manage to work within the style of the film. One thing that really managed to impress me about the film is the razor sharp dialogue... each character has their own style of talking, and it really works well. This is a masterfully written film.

Now the substance... this movie manages to spiral into a truly spectacular ending. Throughout, its easy to see the necessary elements building, and, when it happens, it hardly seems like a surprise, but that doesn't make it any less shattering. The way that each character acts defines this movie throughout, especially at the end! Spike Lee does a brilliant job here. The movie is interesting and well-made throughout; each of the characters are three-dimensional and feel like real human beings - their motivation is understood throughout.

Do the Right Thing is a brilliant movie that never lags and never lets up. It manages to be vastly entertaining and vastly powerful at the same time. It's truly an amazing achievement in film, and its a shame it was not recognized more for its obvious brilliance when it was released in 1989.


36 of 61 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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