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Do the Right Thing

Play trailer Poster for Do the Right Thing R Released Jun 30, 1989 2h 0m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 151 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Salvatore "Sal" Fragione (Danny Aiello) is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), 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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Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing

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Critics Consensus

Smart, vibrant, and urgent without being didactic, Do the Right Thing is one of Spike Lee's most fully realized efforts -- and one of the most important films of the 1980s.

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Critics Reviews

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Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution Spike, baby, you're beautiful when you're angry. Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Alexander Walker London Evening Standard [Do the Right Thing] uses its abundant energy simply to knock down bridges that have been built and raise the wall of the ghetto mentality a row or two higher. Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Derek Malcolm Guardian ...Do the Right Thing is a welcome return to Spike Lee's best form after the disappointment of School Daze... Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Peter Keough Boston Phoenix In Do the Right Thing Lee has progressed beyond tour de force and experiment; he’s succeeded in wedding subject and form in an aesthetic whole. Apr 1, 2025 Full Review Stephen Hunter Baltimore Sun ..."Do the Right Thing" is like a prism: You beam your own hot glare of racial animosity onto it, and it refracts it into a rainbow spray of understanding. It tells you why you hate, which may be the way to stop hating. Rated: 3.5/4 Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Hal Lipper Tampa Bay Times Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing is the most poignant, disturbing and frighteningly real film about race relations ever made by a black American film maker. Rated: 4/5 Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jeff D I enjoyed the movie overall, but I can’t get over how bad the acting was. I seriously don’t understand how the acting was so bad Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/13/25 Full Review Josh D I can see why this movie is so loved and acclaimed. In many ways, it deserves it. The message, story, and acting are all genuinely incredible. The film’s last 30 or so minutes are an absolute masterpiece. The climax of the movie is (unfortunately) just a relevant and painful today as it was when the movie released. The reasons that I deducted some stars from this film come from the first hour and a half. Prior to the final confrontation at Sal’s, the movie feels like a mess structurally-speaking. There are so many scenes, characters, and dynamics that are not only irrelevant to the main plot, but weigh it down. Also, at points earlier in the movie, the visual elements of the movie were strange, and not in a good way (to me). At some points during the earlier parts of the movie, it felt like I was watching a high school play. This isn’t so much on the actors as it is on the direction, set design, and shot composition. All-in-all, this movie holds a very strong message, delivered powerfully by a talented cast, but unfortunately the film is weighed down by some incohesive writing and filmmaking choices. I think that a little more time in pre-production could have gone a long way for this one. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/01/25 Full Review Tim M Still Spike Lee's seminal joint, Do the Right Thing deconstructs a microcosm of racial relations in ways both playfully humorous and deeply harrowing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/25 Full Review Jerrod G The weak "Time to fight back" plot with not too much acting just can't hold the test of time Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/21/25 Full Review Benjamin H An essential, thematically rich and impactful piece of 80s cinema that is both lively and thought provoking, Do the Right Thing is a very intelligent and affecting movie that manages to balance comedy with hard hitting social commentary, which can be attributed to the level of quality presented in Spike Lee's writing and direction plus the excellent work by the talented cast. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/14/25 Full Review Audience Member To this day, I refer back to this movie's urgent message in conversation. It has left an important impact on me. I am a white, middle-class woman of 69 years. Was in my 30s when this movie grabbed me into its world. Spike Lee is a genius. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/01/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Do the Right Thing

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Cast & Crew

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Spike Lee

Director

Danny Aiello

Sal

Ossie Davis

Da Mayor

Ruby Dee

Mother Sister

Richard Edson

Vito

Giancarlo Esposito

Buggin Out

Movie Clips

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Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Da Mayor & Mother Sister Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Da Mayor & Mother Sister 1:38 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Fight the Power Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Fight the Power 3:00 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Your Jordans Are F***ed Up! Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Your Jordans Are F***ed Up! 2:23 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - No Nasty Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - No Nasty 3:17 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Destroying Sal's Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Destroying Sal's 2:59 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - 20 "D" Batteries Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - 20 "D" Batteries 1:15 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - LOVE and HATE Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - LOVE and HATE 1:51 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Racist Stereotypes Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Racist Stereotypes 3:04 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Boycott Sal's! Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Boycott Sal's! 3:00 Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Today's Forecast Do the Right Thing: Official Clip - Today's Forecast 1:24 View more videos

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Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing: Do The Right Thing's Best Scenes Do the Right Thing: Do The Right Thing's Best Scenes 8:44 View more videos
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Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing (1989) Do the Right Thing (1989) Do the Right Thing (1989) Do the Right Thing (1989) Do the Right Thing (1989) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Salvatore "Sal" Fragione (Danny Aiello) is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), 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.
Director
Spike Lee
Producer
Spike Lee
Screenwriter
Spike Lee
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 30, 1989, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jun 28, 2019
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 30, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.0M
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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