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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 40,230 users   Metascore: 91/100
Reviews: 339 user | 92 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 ...
ML
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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

Spike Lee originally wanted Robert De Niro for the role of Sal (Salvatore Fragione). But De Niro turned down the part, saying that it was too similar to many of the parts he had played in the past. In the end the part went to Danny Aiello. See more »

Goofs

Mother Sister's bouquet of flowers. See more »

Quotes

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

Connections

Referenced in Step by Step: Do the Right Thing (1996) 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

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User Reviews

Spike Lee's explosive, brilliant cinematic masterpiece
8 January 1999 | by (Fargo, North Dakota) – See all my reviews

I felt that Do the Right Thing should have been included in the AFI's Top 100. It has remained a powerful and moving film that I cannot stop thinking about years after its release. All of the elements so beautifully coalesce: the acting (from Turturro to Davis to Harris to Esposito; its all superb), the cinematography (Dickerson's extreme angles and vivid color scheme perfectly contribute to the feeling of heat), the screenplay (funny and light catapults to poignant and fierce in the blink of an eye), and the direction (Lee is never afraid to take huge risks in his technique). Everything pays off double. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen.


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Message Boards

Recent Posts
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
The pivotal moment hisredrighthand
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