Everything Spike does in this movie is so intentional and considered. Even the quotes by Malcolm and Martin are to show he doesn't have the answers but still ends with them smiling and shaking hands as a glimmer of hope or a tragic example of what never was. One of the best films ever made.
No joke, this is the only film that ever made me feel sick to my stomach. Not because it's bad, it's just painful. I remember watching this and Radio Raheem's death made me literally nauseous because of how painful it was.
Thanks for discussing this film. As a Brooklyn native, I remember when it came out and how much we in Bed Stuy and Flatbush loved and supported it and Spike's work. Appreciate your service in the Nation Guard Corey. From one Marine vet to another serviceman, Semper Fi!
Yay,fellow guardsman here,but,my service is a-LITTLE different. LOL.I did 4 deployments to go-FIGHT-in Iraq ( I volunteered for all 4 tours )with the Texas Guard ( also did 2 tours back-to-back )my first tour was with an infantry unit at Camp TQ ( it was a marine FOB then )we did joint ops with the marines,there was also a PRC Marine unit there,they also got tha action. GO-PRC/Marines !!! They were our brothers-in-arms,unfortunately we lost friends from both branches of the service. It was an honor to serve with the guard,marines & tha PRC unit. Go-GUARD !!!! LOL.
Such a classic movie. You know a movie is good when the supporting cast is just as good as the leads. I don't think there was a character in this movie I didn't care about.
Back when I was 14, i watched in theaters. Came out and said , "I want to become a filmmaker like Spike Lee." Brought the script and learned how to write a screenplay from it. The film really changed me. 5yrs later I had the best "film school" experience....I worked for him on Get On The Bus. Learned so much. Thanks Spike And yes Im a filmmaker...just aint made shit in years. Hahahha. But ill be back
I was about to mention that pivotal ice cube scene and then I just learned that Rosie Perez cried throughout because she felt violated by Spike Lee. That's why you never saw her face in that scene. And apparently her brother came up to the set armed with a machete so no other more risque scenes could be filmed without her consent.
I am about to be the same age that Spike Lee was when he was in this movie. "Do The Right Thing" is truly one of my favorite movies that was relevant back then, and is still relevant today.
Facts!There's alot of faces I pointed out to my son watching this.Check out Robbie Robertson from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man yelling about DDD batteries for his radio!Moff Gideon is stirring up trouble at Sal's!Falcone was always an ass hole before he took over the Gotham City crime scene!Looks like Nick Fury was the voice of reason in the end
Top 5 Spike Lee movies: 5. School Daze 4. Inside Man 3. Crooklyn 2. Do the Right Thing 1. Malcolm X (this one truly hit different when I rewatched after reading the Malcolm’s autobiography)
Still watching the review, but I gotta say, Ossie Davis (RIP) was the standout for me when I watched this. "You making a man change his beer ain't right!" haha
Man! You brothers are the truth! Do the right thing kicked off the 'hood' movie genre. Even John Singleton said he was inspired to do Boyz in Da Hood because Spike Lee did his thing in New York, so he had to represent in LA. A very boss Retro Movie Review!!!!!
This film gets richer and more complex when really looking at it, and it was one of the first R rated films I saw at a young age. A quote from Roger Ebert's review I think sums up this film, he said "Spike Lee had done an almost impossible thing. He'd made a movie about race in America that empathized with all the participants. He didn't draw lines or take sides but simply looked with sadness at one racial flashpoint that stood for many others." The point Korey made about the stereotypes is one I hadn't thought of. I figured since Spike Lee had other stereotypical depictions in his film that this was no different. However, here it's warranted as it empathizes how everyone may see each other, and it's interesting that people are more stereotypically portrayed when they are in groups but when it's two people talking it's a bit toned down. Another interesting point you guys made was about Radio Raheem's death and how the character is not portrayed as some sweet and innocent soul or something (as other movies tackling this would have probably done). Therefore, it makes you say "he wasn't the best person but he didn't deserve to get murder". Also, Chris brought up my immediate point that police are supposed to de-esculate a situation and instead they made it worse particularly the cop with the ugly mustache. Lastly in regards to Sal, I get the vibe that he does care on some level. He may have bought the pizzeria in that nieghborhood as a business move so that he doesn't have to compete, but he takes pride in knowing that he's been successful there for a while and people have grown up with his food. Which he discusses in that scene with John Turturro and is emphasized with one of the girls from the group Bugging Out is talking too saying that she was "born and raised on Sal's food". However, it is shown that Sal has his flaws as well, with saying the n-word when he got mad or even the subtle thing of him telling Radio Raheem that in his place "there's no music, no rap, no music" which may imply that he specifically doesn't want rap/black music in his restaurant. On the other hand, Sal shows interest in Mookie's sister and understanding at the end with the conversation he has with Mookie, asking him if he's all right. I think that scene may also be part of the film's message about understanding each other's races and problems and being willing to talk about it. In short, I agree that this film is a better than sex and one of Spike Lee's best, and it's a shame that it is still as relevant as ever 30 something years later. Thanks if you've read this far lol. Have a blessed day Everyone 😎.
Well when you bug out, you usually have a reason for the action, but sometimes you're doing it just for mere satisfaction...sorry. couldn't resist edit: It's a lyric from an A Tribe Called Quest song named "Buggin Out" that I thought fit Buggin Out as a character, not my own personal commentary on race relations or anything like that. Please don't cancel me. Lol
Well black people should bug out more over the fact that other races of people can come into our neighborhoods and collect our black dollars but don't give us any respect.
Spike Lee movies were an event back then. I remember crying at the end of Bamboozled. Unexpected emotions just came out of nowhere during that ending montage of racist imagery.
The neighborhood had anger with nowhere to go until it festered and blew up in the end. I empathized with Sal trying to create a life for himself, I didn't see him at all as a problem. In fact, before Buggin' Out popped up in his face, Sal had a sweet moment with one of the neighborhood kids buying a slice of pizza. In that moment, Sal was a part of the community, not apart from it. I preferred the positive characters like Mookie's sister and Vito, Sal's other son. Funny-ass Robin Harris and Samuel Jackson were great too.
did say you like positive characters then reference both of sal sons. I’ll give you Vito but Pino is flat out racist whom had to be called out by both his father & mookie who pointed out the contradiction of being of consistently saying the N-word, being racist to Black customers in the neighborhood a while liking nothing but Black celebrities.
I think the issue is the system spike is trying to say the system is corrupt and they were justified in being angry but were angry at the benefiters not the system behind the issue. We get angry at white people who are benefiting from the system not fighting the laws creating the situation. Sal was racist he thought he was decent because he tolerated them but he only tolereated the community for profit not because they were loyal customers. I personally didnt like this movie because i didnt like the close face shots, and dramatic loud scenarios spike does, but his messages in this movie are great talking points.
6:41 turn radio because Robert De Niro said so 12:58 Listen you Jackwagon 15:38 nobody said that name 16:32 No thanks 18:36 Sounds good 21:01 makeup your mind Dude 24:35 Martin Lawrence hood move 29:04 we know you saying Homie 30:52 Sesame Street sup 36:46 C'mon Dude! 40:11 Chris Likeing Perez dance 40:51 Fight the Power 47:37 I am Yeling! 51:50 What talking about lewis!
Some interesting trivia about the film: 1. Some white critics at the time thought that this film was going cause black people to roit in the streets. Roger Ebert admitted to sitting behind a woman who thought that at a press screening. Spike Lee says that still bugs him to this day. 2. Lee also notes that the only white people have asked him about Mookie throwing the trash can through Sal's window. As he feels they are failing to see the difference between the property damage and the death of a black man. 3. Ebert was almost going to boycott Cannes film festival for not giving this film any awards. 4. This is Rosie Pérez's first film and she was very uncomfortable doing the nude scene where Mookie puts ice cubs on her. In fact when we see him rub ice on her breast we don't see her face because she was crying in that moment. 5. Roger Guenveur Smith, who plays Smiley the stuttering character in the movie got the role after pestering Lee for one. 6. The film was inspired by racial motivated attacks that occurred at the time, and an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, in which a characters discuss their theory that hot weather increases violent tendencies. 7. Barack and Michelle Obama's first date was seeing this film and going to an art museum. 8. In Lee's later film Crooklyn we see Sal's place opened back up with black people on the wall (though I could be wrong about this one lol).
I will say to the number 2 point that I've seen that debunked in real life. Spike Lee came to my college about a decade ago. The audience was made up of mostly black students. He was asked the trash can question by two different people. He dismissed both of them and said they need to rewatch the movie. I love the film, but at this event Lee was an asshole.
@Please Rewind Did he answer every question that way 🤔? He probably answered that way cause he's fed up with people asking him about it and feels that they may be missing the point.
In college my Korean roommate watched this movie in some class she was taking and it really rattled her, Korea being a pretty racially homogenous country for the most part, and she wasn't familiar with any of the communities- latin, black, Italian American- represented in the film, though she was offended by the portrayal of the Korean store owners. The whole film confused and perturbed her a lot, and her overall summary was that no one, no one at all, did the right thing.
Recently I've been watching older films and it shocks me how many themes people pretend are new or just being addressed now were addressed a while ago.
People are just complaining now or they just ignore it back.then I recently saw a group of people complaining about proud family episode and they said they never talked about race in the old show or in the gosby shows and more names I don't know what version of that shows these people watched because it's clearly not what I saw
@@EmperorDxD I think people just want to feel special and if they "found" a movement to point out an injustice it makes them special despite people already knowing about the problem. These issues are mainly getting new attention because certain people with influence just found out about it so now it's everyone's problem.
@@kronos1794 yipp I ALSO think alot of people on the conservative side just want to ignore history like recently I saw that guy from Florida like removing black history that wierd they are basically removing American history.. I just don't understand how can show many people be so fragile
It’s amazing how much I’m able to take from this film with each viewing over time. I remember watching it for the first time at 12 years old, and I’m 34 now. It still elicits the same response from me at the end: anger and frustration; we still have a lot of work to do with interracial-intercultural differences in this country.
Arguably my favorite movie of all time. I watch it about once a year. One of the few movies I remember exactly how I felt walking out of the theater on opening night and being flabbergasted. A masterpiece and still relevant
Danny unfortunately didn’t win the best supporting actor for this movie, but yes, this was one of his great performances But also, I agree with what Chris said: groups are stereotyped, but if you talk to an individual person one by one, they’re more complex than the stereotypes they have. I think George Carlin said pretty much the same thing: I love individuals and meeting them, but I hate group of people.
Watching this movie has always been a rite of passage for me, almost equivalent to watching The Godfather movies. It's only of those movies that cannot be parodied or remade. And it showcased the uprising growth of Giancarlo Esposito to the terrific actor he currently is.
33:16 interesting how Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee were feuding after Jungle Fever. They didn’t work together until Oldboy (2013). He really adds a layer of comic relief in Do The Right Thing.
Why didn't the white "liberal" brother say anything at the end? Spike built him up throughout the film as different from his older brother, and ultimately his father, but at the end he falls silent and doesn't say a word. Always found that interesting 🤔
Do The Right Thing is a remarkable movie that has taken me decades to appreciate. I first saw this film, fresh out of high school and my first semester in film school. I remember thinking Mookie didn’t ‘do the right thing.’ Every few years, I have been revisiting this movie and as my life experience grows and my perspective broadens I am truly amazed at how ignorant I was and how complicated this film is. Listening to your discussion I’m amazed that I’m still gleaning new ideas. I remember FilmCritHulk wrote an essay about how it wasn’t Mookie but the Cops who needed to “do the right thing.” I think Corey really made me consider the question: “is this the real Sal? Or is he just pushed to his limits and is trying to say the most hurtful thing?” And then Martin comes in with the wisdom: “Don’t judge a person by how they act on their worst day.” What a great movie that stimulates such deep discussion. Man, it’s brilliant it was for Spike Lee to hold the mirror up, pose the question, and then offer no answers. I wish there was some more discussion on Ozzie Davis and what a sweet yet sad character he played. Such a great film. Time for another watch.
This movie is INSANELY rewatchable. They hang out on one street the whole time, but it doesn't feel limiting. There's so much going on, it's just packed with great moments. There are some difficult scenes, but a lot of entertaining ones, too.
Anybody notice how Radio Raheem’s body was positioned when he fell dead? His right fist decorated with the “love” ring was placed above his head. I felt like Spike Lee was tying back to Raheem’s deep monologue about Love vs Hate earlier in the movie while also showing the duality between love and hate by showing the word love in the midst of such an intense occurrence in the community. It’s a painful shot but it stuck out to me when I was a kid and I still love it to this day… R.I.P. Bill Nunn, thank you for your beautiful work 🙏🏾
When Chris says fried chicken sounds delicious when you know good and damn well Chris has gone on record to say he doesn't see the hype of it all lol. None the less, nothin but love, stay juicy my friends
except when he ate popeyes in the studio. he understood it after that. his 1st impression of fried chicken was kfc. needless to say the experience was ruined for him.
Ashamed I haven't seen this yet. 15 minutes in to the discussion and admiring the artistic decisions this film went with. "Everyone looking through the eyes of everyone," the literal in-your-face stereotypes, intentional over the top performances, hyper stylization on cultures, etc.
I’m really interested in Corey’s opinion on the one & only, the first & last time a black actress won best performance at the Oscar. Halle Berry. Monsters Ball
2 missed fun facts: 1. Bill Lee/Spike Lee's father did a lot of the early scores to Spikes films. 2. Oscar award winning Ruth E. Carter did a lot of the early clothing design for Spike lee films including this one.
I remember first time watching this, thought it was a really powerful movie. Then the moment at the climax when Mookie grabbed the trash can, I thought he was going to place it on the ground, stand on top of it, and give a Hollywood speech that would bring everyone together for a happy and simple ending, and in a lesser movie that's the path they would have gone down. But there's no simple answer to the questions this movie explores, and it doesn't just try to tie everything together in a neat little bow.
i think Do the Right Thing not getting nominated for Best Picture will be one of the Oscar's biggest shames. They weren't even wise enough to have given it the Best Original Screenplay award... instead, they went to honor the very dated Sex, Lies and Videotape for it. Back to the Best Picture category...which 5 did they nominate instead? My Left Foot Field of Dreams Dead Poets Society Born on the Fourth of July and....get this.... DRIVING MISS DAISY!!!! They also skipped Glory.... it's obvious the academy members just couldn't see or feel comfortable of accepting black people in more aggressive, confrontative ways in dealing with racism in america...and would only prefer them to be in servitude and friendlier roles to the white people. I remain certain that this movie will always be Spike Lee's best and one of the 10 best movies of the 1980s.
A black kid, from Brooklyn, who doesn’t listen to hip hop, I got hit with the “I was born in Brooklyn” bit about 100 million times the year this came out. Love this movie and feel it is one of the best and most important films of the past 50 years. At the same time, I kind of hate it a bit for the hell it played a part in putting me through.
i wonder if this film could be made today it was far from pc sadly, the issues the movie brings up are exactly the same issues we deal with today i hope you do school daze
Luv this review . When I saw the movie it made me hate whites and Italians and made me so angry. But this review made me laugh so hard, I feel a lil better. 💯💯
Lil suprised there was no mention of Ozzie Davis or Ruby Dee being in the film. And this is gonna sound off after I just mentioned those two legends in film no reference to the ice cube scene huh? lol Good vid. Thanks for uploading it.
As a kid, I remember watching this for the first time with my grandma. It was on network television as a kid. I think I was about 12 years old. "Mickey fickey"? 🤣
Saw that on the USA Network back in the 90s. My whole family was laughing throughout the movie every time some person say the word "mickey fickey" ruins the movie. Sometimes the censors are lame these days. lol
Everything Spike does in this movie is so intentional and considered. Even the quotes by Malcolm and Martin are to show he doesn't have the answers but still ends with them smiling and shaking hands as a glimmer of hope or a tragic example of what never was. One of the best films ever made.
Reading those quotes brought me to tears
I've always interpreted it as 2 men with opposing ideals can compromise and show respect to each other. But maybe that's just my interpretation 🤷♂️
RIP, Bill Nunn, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee.
And Robin Harris
Ugh too many. 😢
@@blackguyofthesouth2161 Also, Paul Benjamin (ML) and Rick Aiello (Officer Long).
And Robin Harris
No joke, this is the only film that ever made me feel sick to my stomach. Not because it's bad, it's just painful. I remember watching this and Radio Raheem's death made me literally nauseous because of how painful it was.
how painful-ly accurate. i felt like i was looking outside of my front window watching this.
@@samanthanickson6478i think that's the point. Imagine how many people did that with George Floyd.
Thanks for discussing this film. As a Brooklyn native, I remember when it came out and how much we in Bed Stuy and Flatbush loved and supported it and Spike's work. Appreciate your service in the Nation Guard Corey. From one Marine vet to another serviceman, Semper Fi!
Yay,fellow guardsman here,but,my service is a-LITTLE different. LOL.I did 4 deployments to go-FIGHT-in Iraq ( I volunteered for all 4 tours )with the Texas Guard ( also did 2 tours back-to-back )my first tour was with an infantry unit at Camp TQ ( it was a marine FOB then )we did joint ops with the marines,there was also a PRC Marine unit there,they also got tha action. GO-PRC/Marines !!! They were our brothers-in-arms,unfortunately we lost friends from both branches of the service. It was an honor to serve with the guard,marines & tha PRC unit. Go-GUARD !!!! LOL.
Such a classic movie. You know a movie is good when the supporting cast is just as good as the leads. I don't think there was a character in this movie I didn't care about.
Back when I was 14, i watched in theaters. Came out and said , "I want to become a filmmaker like Spike Lee." Brought the script and learned how to write a screenplay from it. The film really changed me. 5yrs later I had the best "film school" experience....I worked for him on Get On The Bus. Learned so much.
Thanks Spike
And yes Im a filmmaker...just aint made shit in years. Hahahha. But ill be back
🙏🏼
I'm so glad Criterion Collection did Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. I'm still waiting on Get On The Bus and Clockers.
Hell yeah, 1 year later, I hope you’re getting back to it dude.
Good stuff
Get up of your ass and create dammit!!!!!
This film is a masterpiece and a certified classic.
It really is.I’ve been a fan of it ever since I was 16
I was about to mention that pivotal ice cube scene and then I just learned that Rosie Perez cried throughout because she felt violated by Spike Lee. That's why you never saw her face in that scene. And apparently her brother came up to the set armed with a machete so no other more risque scenes could be filmed without her consent.
Holy sh*t. Brother of the year award. Shouldn't have been necessary though, I feel bad for her.
I’m surprised she worked with him again after that.
@@kmc1994 I'm even shocked she would reference the movie in interviews
Actually Robin Harris died when he was just 36. He came across much older but he definitely passed away way too soon
they should do a retro review on Bebe's kids
@@RGF91
Seconded.
I am about to be the same age that Spike Lee was when he was in this movie.
"Do The Right Thing" is truly one of my favorite movies that was relevant back then, and is still relevant today.
This movie cracked me up but also hit me with the realities that some people deal with on a daily basis. A classic.
This movie was filmed where my mom is from & where I grew up in Bedstuy. Very important & special to us
Spike Lee launched the career of so many up and coming actors with his early movies. He rarely gets his props for that.
Facts!There's alot of faces I pointed out to my son watching this.Check out Robbie Robertson from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man yelling about DDD batteries for his radio!Moff Gideon is stirring up trouble at Sal's!Falcone was always an ass hole before he took over the Gotham City crime scene!Looks like Nick Fury was the voice of reason in the end
Top 5 Spike Lee movies:
5. School Daze
4. Inside Man
3. Crooklyn
2. Do the Right Thing
1. Malcolm X (this one truly hit different when I rewatched after reading the Malcolm’s autobiography)
Damn now I have to read Malcolm's autobiography.
Mo Better Blues
Still watching the review, but I gotta say, Ossie Davis (RIP) was the standout for me when I watched this. "You making a man change his beer ain't right!" haha
you get some miller high life in this funky joint!
Da Mayor
He was one of my favorite characters telling Mookie "Always do the right thing"
Man! You brothers are the truth! Do the right thing kicked off the 'hood' movie genre. Even John Singleton said he was inspired to do Boyz in Da Hood because Spike Lee did his thing in New York, so he had to represent in LA. A very boss Retro Movie Review!!!!!
This film gets richer and more complex when really looking at it, and it was one of the first R rated films I saw at a young age. A quote from Roger Ebert's review I think sums up this film, he said "Spike Lee had done an almost impossible thing. He'd made a movie about race in America that empathized with all the participants. He didn't draw lines or take sides but simply looked with sadness at one racial flashpoint that stood for many others."
The point Korey made about the stereotypes is one I hadn't thought of. I figured since Spike Lee had other stereotypical depictions in his film that this was no different. However, here it's warranted as it empathizes how everyone may see each other, and it's interesting that people are more stereotypically portrayed when they are in groups but when it's two people talking it's a bit toned down.
Another interesting point you guys made was about Radio Raheem's death and how the character is not portrayed as some sweet and innocent soul or something (as other movies tackling this would have probably done). Therefore, it makes you say "he wasn't the best person but he didn't deserve to get murder". Also, Chris brought up my immediate point that police are supposed to de-esculate a situation and instead they made it worse particularly the cop with the ugly mustache.
Lastly in regards to Sal, I get the vibe that he does care on some level. He may have bought the pizzeria in that nieghborhood as a business move so that he doesn't have to compete, but he takes pride in knowing that he's been successful there for a while and people have grown up with his food. Which he discusses in that scene with John Turturro and is emphasized with one of the girls from the group Bugging Out is talking too saying that she was "born and raised on Sal's food". However, it is shown that Sal has his flaws as well, with saying the n-word when he got mad or even the subtle thing of him telling Radio Raheem that in his place "there's no music, no rap, no music" which may imply that he specifically doesn't want rap/black music in his restaurant. On the other hand, Sal shows interest in Mookie's sister and understanding at the end with the conversation he has with Mookie, asking him if he's all right. I think that scene may also be part of the film's message about understanding each other's races and problems and being willing to talk about it.
In short, I agree that this film is a better than sex and one of Spike Lee's best, and it's a shame that it is still as relevant as ever 30 something years later. Thanks if you've read this far lol. Have a blessed day Everyone 😎.
I always wondered if the cop was Jewish.
I'm so glad they reviewed this movie. Brilliant fill making by Spike Lee. This movie and Jungle Fever made me a Spike Lee Fan
@Christopher P. Braxton what wrong with that q
Buggin out is a prime example of people who cause problems over something that isn't a problem.
Yup."
Well when you bug out, you usually have a reason for the action, but sometimes you're doing it just for mere satisfaction...sorry. couldn't resist
edit: It's a lyric from an A Tribe Called Quest song named "Buggin Out" that I thought fit Buggin Out as a character, not my own personal commentary on race relations or anything like that. Please don't cancel me. Lol
Well black people should bug out more over the fact that other races of people can come into our neighborhoods and collect our black dollars but don't give us any respect.
I understand buggin out's point, but I also understand Sal's. Both took things too far.
Bugging Out would be upset if he had a restaurant w/ pics on the wall and a customer told him what pics to put up instead. Hypocrisy and ignorance.
What an incredible film. One of my favourite Spike Lee film next to Malcolm X, Jungle Fever, School Daze and the Inside Man.
Agreed. Damn forgot about inside man. Done so well. Def one of my favs.
Crooklyn is underrated as hell
@@RGF91 Crooklyn was so close to my childhood I feel like Spike owed me royalties 😭
@@RGF91 awww I totally forgot about Crooklyn great one as well
Spike Lee movies were an event back then. I remember crying at the end of Bamboozled. Unexpected emotions just came out of nowhere during that ending montage of racist imagery.
The late Lynne Thigpen was the DJ in The Warriors, seen only from the nose down, though her lips and voice were unmistakable.
This one's great. I like how the heat in the movie plays a role as it goes on.
Hope you guys review Fresh (1994). Feels like an underrated movie.
Same here. Would love if there was a continuation and it was set in the winter season; bitter/cold kind of thing.
PLEASE. They definitely need to review Fresh. More attention needs to be brought to that movie.
The neighborhood had anger with nowhere to go until it festered and blew up in the end. I empathized with Sal trying to create a life for himself, I didn't see him at all as a problem. In fact, before Buggin' Out popped up in his face, Sal had a sweet moment with one of the neighborhood kids buying a slice of pizza. In that moment, Sal was a part of the community, not apart from it. I preferred the positive characters like Mookie's sister and Vito, Sal's other son. Funny-ass Robin Harris and Samuel Jackson were great too.
did say you like positive characters then reference both of sal sons.
I’ll give you Vito but Pino is flat out racist whom had to be called out by both his father & mookie who pointed out the contradiction of being of consistently saying the N-word, being racist to Black customers in the neighborhood a while liking nothing but Black celebrities.
@@a_real_one2000 I only meant Vito, not Pino. Vito, Sal's OTHER son.
@@hendrsb33 ok my mistake. The comma after you already named Vito made think you forgot Pino name.
I think the issue is the system spike is trying to say the system is corrupt and they were justified in being angry but were angry at the benefiters not the system behind the issue. We get angry at white people who are benefiting from the system not fighting the laws creating the situation.
Sal was racist he thought he was decent because he tolerated them but he only tolereated the community for profit not because they were loyal customers.
I personally didnt like this movie because i didnt like the close face shots, and dramatic loud scenarios spike does, but his messages in this movie are great talking points.
The riot scene is some of the best film work I have ever seen in my entire 51 year old life
6:41 turn radio because Robert De Niro said so
12:58 Listen you Jackwagon
15:38 nobody said that name
16:32 No thanks
18:36 Sounds good
21:01 makeup your mind Dude
24:35 Martin Lawrence hood move
29:04 we know you saying Homie
30:52 Sesame Street sup
36:46 C'mon Dude!
40:11 Chris Likeing Perez dance
40:51 Fight the Power
47:37 I am Yeling!
51:50 What talking about lewis!
Some interesting trivia about the film:
1. Some white critics at the time thought that this film was going cause black people to roit in the streets. Roger Ebert admitted to sitting behind a woman who thought that at a press screening. Spike Lee says that still bugs him to this day.
2. Lee also notes that the only white people have asked him about Mookie throwing the trash can through Sal's window. As he feels they are failing to see the difference between the property damage and the death of a black man.
3. Ebert was almost going to boycott Cannes film festival for not giving this film any awards.
4. This is Rosie Pérez's first film and she was very uncomfortable doing the nude scene where Mookie puts ice cubs on her. In fact when we see him rub ice on her breast we don't see her face because she was crying in that moment.
5. Roger Guenveur Smith, who plays Smiley the stuttering character in the movie got the role after pestering Lee for one.
6. The film was inspired by racial motivated attacks that occurred at the time, and an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, in which a characters discuss their theory that hot weather increases violent tendencies.
7. Barack and Michelle Obama's first date was seeing this film and going to an art museum.
8. In Lee's later film Crooklyn we see Sal's place opened back up with black people on the wall (though I could be wrong about this one lol).
I will say to the number 2 point that I've seen that debunked in real life. Spike Lee came to my college about a decade ago. The audience was made up of mostly black students. He was asked the trash can question by two different people. He dismissed both of them and said they need to rewatch the movie. I love the film, but at this event Lee was an asshole.
@Please Rewind Did he answer every question that way 🤔? He probably answered that way cause he's fed up with people asking him about it and feels that they may be missing the point.
In college my Korean roommate watched this movie in some class she was taking and it really rattled her, Korea being a pretty racially homogenous country for the most part, and she wasn't familiar with any of the communities- latin, black, Italian American- represented in the film, though she was offended by the portrayal of the Korean store owners. The whole film confused and perturbed her a lot, and her overall summary was that no one, no one at all, did the right thing.
Lmfao
The ending of Do The Right Thing get's me everytime, The whole Radio Rahim scene makes me cry sometimes.
Robin Harris lost his mild being the comic relief. Pure magic
Buggin Out was a jerk but Radio Raheem was kinda crazy too tbh. He looked like he was waiting for a reason to snap.
A certified classic
Recently I've been watching older films and it shocks me how many themes people pretend are new or just being addressed now were addressed a while ago.
People are just complaining now or they just ignore it back.then I recently saw a group of people complaining about proud family episode and they said they never talked about race in the old show or in the gosby shows and more names I don't know what version of that shows these people watched because it's clearly not what I saw
@@EmperorDxD I think people just want to feel special and if they "found" a movement to point out an injustice it makes them special despite people already knowing about the problem. These issues are mainly getting new attention because certain people with influence just found out about it so now it's everyone's problem.
@@kronos1794 yipp I ALSO think alot of people on the conservative side just want to ignore history like recently I saw that guy from Florida like removing black history that wierd they are basically removing American history..
I just don't understand how can show many people be so fragile
Try to review Malcolm X (1992) & Tales from the Hood (1995) next. Elite yet polar opposite classics.
Robin Harris was only 36 when he passed away.
I believe he was only 32 in this movie. So he wasn't old by any stretch of the imagination.
Watching the 3 old black dudes talking shit is exactly like watching Double Toasted!!! 🤣🤣🤣
I literally watched this on MLK Day. This is perfect timing
It’s amazing how much I’m able to take from this film with each viewing over time. I remember watching it for the first time at 12 years old, and I’m 34 now. It still elicits the same response from me at the end: anger and frustration; we still have a lot of work to do with interracial-intercultural differences in this country.
A classic just like Training Day, House Party, and Friday especially since all 4 of these films take place in the span of just one day!
Arguably my favorite movie of all time. I watch it about once a year. One of the few movies I remember exactly how I felt walking out of the theater on opening night and being flabbergasted. A masterpiece and still relevant
Idk how Martin only watched it twice..hurts my heart lol
Danny unfortunately didn’t win the best supporting actor for this movie, but yes, this was one of his great performances
But also, I agree with what Chris said: groups are stereotyped, but if you talk to an individual person one by one, they’re more complex than the stereotypes they have. I think George Carlin said pretty much the same thing: I love individuals and meeting them, but I hate group of people.
MOOKIE SAVED SAL's LIFE!
This movie rocks. I first saw it in a college film class
Watching this movie has always been a rite of passage for me, almost equivalent to watching The Godfather movies. It's only of those movies that cannot be parodied or remade. And it showcased the uprising growth of Giancarlo Esposito to the terrific actor he currently is.
I'm meeting him in February 2024 and I'm beyond excited
Gotta love Tommy Davidson’s parody of Spike and Singleton on In Living Color. 🌝
33:16 interesting how Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee were feuding after Jungle Fever. They didn’t work together until Oldboy (2013). He really adds a layer of comic relief in Do The Right Thing.
Why didn't the white "liberal" brother say anything at the end? Spike built him up throughout the film as different from his older brother, and ultimately his father, but at the end he falls silent and doesn't say a word. Always found that interesting 🤔
I swore he was going to plug good and fresh lol after the food /racism bit…
Do The Right Thing is a remarkable movie that has taken me decades to appreciate. I first saw this film, fresh out of high school and my first semester in film school. I remember thinking Mookie didn’t ‘do the right thing.’ Every few years, I have been revisiting this movie and as my life experience grows and my perspective broadens I am truly amazed at how ignorant I was and how complicated this film is. Listening to your discussion I’m amazed that I’m still gleaning new ideas. I remember FilmCritHulk wrote an essay about how it wasn’t Mookie but the Cops who needed to “do the right thing.” I think Corey really made me consider the question: “is this the real Sal? Or is he just pushed to his limits and is trying to say the most hurtful thing?” And then Martin comes in with the wisdom: “Don’t judge a person by how they act on their worst day.” What a great movie that stimulates such deep discussion. Man, it’s brilliant it was for Spike Lee to hold the mirror up, pose the question, and then offer no answers. I wish there was some more discussion on Ozzie Davis and what a sweet yet sad character he played. Such a great film. Time for another watch.
I was 12 years old when Do The Right Thing was filmed in my old neighborhood in Brooklyn & 3 words live on to this day: Do or Die.
This was a fantastic movie, I was forced to watch it for film class and I ended up loving it.
This movie is INSANELY rewatchable. They hang out on one street the whole time, but it doesn't feel limiting. There's so much going on, it's just packed with great moments. There are some difficult scenes, but a lot of entertaining ones, too.
The police in this film were the ENEMY! They unjustly slayed Radio Raheem.
Radio Raheem needed to see a judge not his maker.
Danny was nominated didn't win Denzel Washington won for glory
Anybody notice how Radio Raheem’s body was positioned when he fell dead?
His right fist decorated with the “love” ring was placed above his head. I felt like Spike Lee was tying back to Raheem’s deep monologue about Love vs Hate earlier in the movie while also showing the duality between love and hate by showing the word love in the midst of such an intense occurrence in the community. It’s a painful shot but it stuck out to me when I was a kid and I still love it to this day…
R.I.P. Bill Nunn, thank you for your beautiful work 🙏🏾
This is a classic, one of Spike Lee's best
Easily my favorite movie ever, it will always be relevant in history
Perfect timing for Black History Month
When Chris says fried chicken sounds delicious when you know good and damn well Chris has gone on record to say he doesn't see the hype of it all lol. None the less, nothin but love, stay juicy my friends
except when he ate popeyes in the studio. he understood it after that. his 1st impression of fried chicken was kfc. needless to say the experience was ruined for him.
@@samanthanickson6478 just now seeing this... I am glad to know he's come to his senses 😅
Ashamed I haven't seen this yet. 15 minutes in to the discussion and admiring the artistic decisions this film went with. "Everyone looking through the eyes of everyone," the literal in-your-face stereotypes, intentional over the top performances, hyper stylization on cultures, etc.
R.I.P. Danny Aiello, Bill Nunn, Robin Harris, Ozzie Davis, and Run Dee
I’m really interested in Corey’s opinion on the one & only, the first & last time a black actress won best performance at the Oscar.
Halle Berry. Monsters Ball
You know exactly why she won that Oscar
@@LG4K4K you know why
2 missed fun facts:
1. Bill Lee/Spike Lee's father did a lot of the early scores to Spikes films.
2. Oscar award winning Ruth E. Carter did a lot of the early clothing design for Spike lee films including this one.
PUBLIC ENEMY “created the anthem”…not Spike. Spike gave them the platform for mass exposure.
You guys reviewing this actually made me watch it for the first time. And it didn't disappoint 🙌
This movie is still relevant to this day
Which makes it an all time classic
Amazing Film, Wild When You Learn Spike Had to Stop Shooting and Raise Money to Finish This Film. Watching This in Film School was Amazing.
I remember first time watching this, thought it was a really powerful movie. Then the moment at the climax when Mookie grabbed the trash can, I thought he was going to place it on the ground, stand on top of it, and give a Hollywood speech that would bring everyone together for a happy and simple ending, and in a lesser movie that's the path they would have gone down. But there's no simple answer to the questions this movie explores, and it doesn't just try to tie everything together in a neat little bow.
i think Do the Right Thing not getting nominated for Best Picture will be one of the Oscar's biggest shames. They weren't even wise enough to have given it the Best Original Screenplay award... instead, they went to honor the very dated Sex, Lies and Videotape for it.
Back to the Best Picture category...which 5 did they nominate instead?
My Left Foot
Field of Dreams
Dead Poets Society
Born on the Fourth of July
and....get this....
DRIVING MISS DAISY!!!!
They also skipped Glory.... it's obvious the academy members just couldn't see or feel comfortable of accepting black people in more aggressive, confrontative ways in dealing with racism in america...and would only prefer them to be in servitude and friendlier roles to the white people.
I remain certain that this movie will always be Spike Lee's best and one of the 10 best movies of the 1980s.
“SAL! We gonna boycott ya pasta a**!” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿 Black History Month
A black kid, from Brooklyn, who doesn’t listen to hip hop, I got hit with the “I was born in Brooklyn” bit about 100 million times the year this came out. Love this movie and feel it is one of the best and most important films of the past 50 years. At the same time, I kind of hate it a bit for the hell it played a part in putting me through.
i wonder if this film could be made today
it was far from pc
sadly, the issues the movie brings up are exactly the same issues we deal with today
i hope you do school daze
Luv this review . When I saw the movie it made me hate whites and Italians and made me so angry. But this review made me laugh so hard, I feel a lil better. 💯💯
Token white guy - "Happy to be here"
"Jimi Hendrix....he may be black. But....there's a white man in there somewhere." 🤣 😂
Love this incredible film!
Jungle Fever (1991) Wesley Snipes] Clockers (1995) and Summer of Sam (1999) are my favorite
This, Malcolm X and Crooklyn are my all time favorite Spike Lee joints
Lil suprised there was no mention of Ozzie Davis or Ruby Dee being in the film. And this is gonna sound off after I just mentioned those two legends in film no reference to the ice cube scene huh? lol Good vid. Thanks for uploading it.
This💯
This is a fantastic film. I also really liked Bamboozled
Can you review “I’m gonna get you sucka” and “Harlem Nights” next?
This movie is a classic... but if you're taking any college film course, you will be sick of it.
I think Malcolm X surpasses it, but it's breathing on the neck of it like Dolemite. Classic!
I could be misremembering but I think Spike Lee made Sal have a crush on Jade because Danny Aiello made the character too likable.
One of my favorite movies of all time !
This movie is a classic
@double toasted, can we get The Warriors review?
I dig it.
1989's Do The Right Thing Was American Film Critic Jay Sherman's Best Film Of 1989 On His Best Of 1989 List.
There are just some films I can’t turn off once I start them and Do the Right Thing is one of them. It’s one of the greatest American films ever made.
Robin was looking at the person they were talking to. His eyeline matched the person they were speaking with. Shot and reverse shot cut.
Love this movie. Danny died in 2019 & no he did not win an oscar for do the right thing
Someone inform Korey that the DJ in “The Warriors” was the legendary Lynn Thigpen. How can one claim to be a film connoisseur and not know that? 🤔
Nice review and commentary guys, love your work
Man, I swore you guys did this fne flick already. Either way, I'm here for it.
Yay!! Love the retro reviews!
Robin Harris was like 36 when he died
@Korey would you consider doing a Retro Review of Skool Daze?
As a kid, I remember watching this for the first time with my grandma. It was on network television as a kid. I think I was about 12 years old.
"Mickey fickey"? 🤣
Saw that on the USA Network back in the 90s. My whole family was laughing throughout the movie every time some person say the word "mickey fickey" ruins the movie. Sometimes the censors are lame these days. lol
I'd love for them to review 'School Daze'.