Do the Right Thing (1989)

51JEsFETeeL._SX500_On Tuesday, the members of the English 137H classes went to the State Theatre to watch the 1989 award-winning film Do the Right Thing. The movie is a dramatic account of the racial dynamics within a minority neighborhood in Brooklyn.

The film begins with the local neighborhood DJ waking up his listeners in the morning and informing them that it is going to be a very hot and uncomfortable day. The viewers are then progressively introduced to the other characters of the movie: Mookie, the black pizza delivery worker, Sal, the owner of the Italian pizzeria, his two sons Vito and Pino, the Korean foodstand owners, old Mother Sister, and the old drunk called “Da Mayor.” The characters in the film represent a wide array of racial diversity and personality traits. It is the richness of character development combined with excellent cinematography that is one of the crowning features of Do the Right Thing. Unfortunately for the characters in the movie however, it is the inability to deal with this diversity that contributes to the downfall of their community.

After a series of conflicts and building cultural tensions, racial strains among the residents of the neighborhood exploded into chaotic violence when Sal broke one of the characters’ stereo. In the end, the owner of the stereo ended up being strangled by the police and Sal’s pizzeria was burnt. The main characters lost everything they had and their community was destroyed. The film ended in the morning with the local DJ gently acknowledging the events of the last night and giving the previous day’s forecast: it’s going to be another unbearably hot day.

Beyond the obvious problems of racial tensions and stereotyping portrayed in the movie, Do the Right Thing is social commentary on society’s approach to conflict resolution. As a society, American citizens do not always know how to handle their differences safely and responsibly. Throughout the film, there were only a few occasions in which conflicts and differences were addressed through rhetoric. One such example of this was when Mookie told Sal that he did not want Sal to talk to his sister in an inappropriate manner. Though Sal was unhappy with what Mookie told him, Mookie took a vocal approach to solving his concern. It was this kind of problem-solving that was lacking within the relationships of the community.

The importance of this movie though, does not lie exclusively in the examination of the individuals, but rather in the interaction among the individuals that make up the community. What this movie showed was that using fists instead of words will ultimately destroy a society. At the same time, however, this sophisticated film did not offer any firm answers to problems of misunderstanding and mistrust with respect to cultural differences. Rather, the subtleties of the film brought to light the complexities of diversity and gave viewers the sense that there was more to the conflict than just “talking it out.” The slight ambiguity towards the end of the movie about the relationship between Mookie and Sal when Mookie came to ask Sal for his last payment after the fire suggested that problems among race were difficult and beyond any one, or even two individuals. The ambiguity of the title “Do the Right Thing” further illustrates the tension of the societal conflict. What exactly is “the right thing” is an unanswerable question.

Despite the rather unsettling ending of Do the Right Thing, the significance of the film is unparalleled. The fictional film serves as a serious warning of what could become of our society if we do not begin breaking down our walls to work together, live together, and talk about our differences. Do the Right Thing is the ultimate film for beginning to understand cultural issues. Part of what makes the movie such an excellent movie is that it provides so much material to discuss. Indeed, it is in this kind of discussion that Do the Right Thing compels its viewers to engage.

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