Do the Right Thing

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Gus L When should a film end? I could spend all day talking about how incredible this film is, but everybody has already done that to the point that I don't think I need to justify the first four and a half stars. I do, however, need to justify that last half that comes with an ending. The ending was sweet, don't get me wrong. But it dragged. This is one of those movies that would have benefited from shedding the last five or ten minutes. The impact of the film doesn't really gain anything from Sal mourning his lost business or Mookie and Sal arguing about money. If it ended with Smiley holding his photo to the wall, you get the same impact, but it doesn't get dulled by a second day. Am I inserting myself too much into the director's chair? Probably. Doesn't change the fact that this annoyed me a little, though obviously not enough to outweigh the incredibly powerful movie Spike Lee made. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/17/24 Full Review r r When Comedies Get Serious: A Powerful Message from Spike Lee. When you watch a comedy there's usually 2 guarantees. 1: you will laugh. 2: it's not very serious. While there were many moments that I laughed, the film itself had a very serious message to tell. Spike lees “Do the Right Thing” completely redefined the impact that a comedy film can have on society. For me personally, I never thought a comedy would cause me to think and reflect as much as this one did. The fact that it did just goes to show how amazing the film really is. Produced, written, and directed all by Spike lee, this comedy not only makes you laugh, but makes you reflect on racial tensions in America. Releasing in 1989, this film Takes place in a diverse neighborhood in Brooklyne during the 80s. The story follows Mookie (Spike Lee) who works at an Italian owned pizza restaurant for Sal (Danny Aiello). We watch the day unfold as racial tensions in the neighborhood grow eventually leading to violence. The context for this film is very important. Racial tension in America was incredibly high during the 80s. There were many acts of racial injustice being committed during that time such as the Howard beach incident and the murder of Yusuf Hawkins. These events directly caused spike lee to create this movie as he knew something had to be done to help change the path that the country was on. He wanted us to realize that even though we are different, we are all human. Therefore, Spike lee decided he wanted to create a challenging film that causes us to think and reflect on our own actions. He wanted the movie to simply be the doorway to a very important conversation about racial injustice. Not many movies have the abilities to spark social changes, let alone comedies. However, this film is a dominant example of how films can be used for promoting social justice. After the release of this film, a lot of talk was sparked about police brutality, racial inequality and even the role of violence in society. Lee Definity achieved his goal as this movie and its purpose is still talked about today. A device used in the film that I really appreciated and have never seen before was the Dutch angle when the screen is tilted 45 degrees. Like I said, I’ve never seen this in a film before, yet it was perfect to further signify the growing tensions that were going to evolve into madness. Having the frame titled gives an uneasy feeling of chaos like the characters will fall off the screen. Every time it happened, I would get a little nervous as I thought violence would surely break out. In the end, using a device that created a chaotic feel to the movie was perfectly complementary to the plot of racial tensions. A movie that I find similar to this is “The Great Dictator” by Charlie Chaplin. Although the plots of the two movies are very different, both films were made with the hope of enlightening people about social injustices. While “The Great Dictator” serves to expose Hitler’s atrocities and inspire the fight against his tyranny, this film serves to expose the racial divide in America and inspire people to try to make a change. Like I said earlier, I think it is amazing that a comedy can have such an important message and “The Great Dictator” is exactly like this film in that sense. Overall, even though this film has a heavy message that doesn't take away from the fact that it actually is a funny movie. If you're looking for a good laugh that actually makes you think, then this film is for you. I would rate it a 9.5/10 so if you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend that you do. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/01/24 Full Review Mason M A beautiful film that's amazingly shot, has a great cast of characters, and has a climax that makes it a must see. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/13/24 Full Review Thomas R Not as good as I was hoping it would be, but still good Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/03/24 Full Review George W A vastly overrated film, as are almost all of Spike Lee's movies. We're supposed to side with the dude with the boom box but this view almost had an orgasm when Sal smashed that infernal and moronic noise machine with a baseball bat. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/24/24 Full Review Sam N Do the Right Thing is an absolute rollercoaster of a film that leaves you laughing so hard your abs will feel like you've been doing crunches with a professional bodybuilder while also hitting you with enough thought-provoking moments to make you question if you accidentally enrolled in a philosophy class. Spike Lee's masterpiece is like an American Hot pizza – packed with flavour, sometimes a bit too hot to handle, but ultimately so satisfying that you'll be craving it again and again. With themes of racial integration, gentrification, and police brutality baked into its crust, this film deftly serves up a potent social commentary alongside the comedy. Plus, who knew a story about a pizza place could deliver such a delicious slice of life? Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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