History YMMV / SpikeLee

* MinorityShowGhetto: Lee has made a name for himself, and intentionally so, as a filmmaker hellbent on telling stories about black America and specifically the systematic, unjust oppression of African-Americans. Not surprisingly, this tends to make his movies somewhat divisive among general (read: predominantly white) audiences. Compare ''Malcolm X'' and ''Film/DoTheRightThing'', which were modestly successful but opinions of which remain polarizing to this day, to his most financially successful movie ''Film/InsideMan'', a standard HeistFilm which, while it has [[Creator/DenzelWashington a black leading actor]], features a more racially diverse cast and only briefly touches on racial commentary. The only outlier to this seems to be ''Film/BlacKkKlansman'', as the obvious evil of the Klan is something that even the most InnocentlyInsensative white person will agree with.

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this. His highest grossest film, ''Film/InsideMan'', does star black actor Creator/DenzelWashington, but features a more diverse cast than his highly praised, but less successful films like ''Malcolm X'' and ''Film/DoTheRightThing''. It's also mostly a standard HeistFilm, with only a few elements of racial commentary.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Viewers are rarely left with a lot of questions about what the intended message of a Spike Lee Joint is. For example, ''Film/MalcolmX'' ends with UsefulNotes/NelsonMandela looking into the camera and telling the audience what to think about Malcolm X.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Viewers are rarely left with a lot of questions about what the intended message of a Spike Lee Joint is. For example, ''Film/MalcolmX'' ends with Nelson Mandela looking into the camera and telling the audience what to think about Malcolm X.

** After giving out [[http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/12/5094762/spike-lee-sued-for-posting-wrong-zimmerman-address-on-twitter the wrong address of George Zimmerman]] on Twitter, "Spike Lee Angrily Tweets", wherein he posts something about an unrelated but similar-sounding person or subject to the article in question became a running joke on many sites including the Onion AV Club. For example, "Charles Manson about to get married in jail, Spike Lee angrily tweets Marilyn Manson's address".

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this. His highest grossest film, ''Film/InsideMan'', does star black actor Creator/DenzelWashington, but features a more diverse cast than his highly praised, but less successful films like ''Malcolm X'' and ''Do the Right Thing''. It's also mostly a standard HeistFilm, with only a few elements of racial commentary.

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this. His highest grossest film, ''Film/InsideMan'', does star black actor Creator/DenzelWashington, but features a more diverse cast than his highly praised, but less successful films like ''Malcolm X'' and ''Do the Right Thing''. It's also mostly a standard HeistFilm, with only a few elements of social commentary.

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this. His highest grossest film, ''Film/InsideMan'', does star black actor Creator/DenzelWashington, but features a more diverse cast than his highly praised, but less successful films like ''Malcolm X'' and ''Do the Right Thing''.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Viewers are rarely left with a lot of questions about what the intended message of a Spike Lee Joint is. For example, ''Film/MalcolmX ends with Nelson Mandela looking into the camera and telling the audience what to think about Malcolm X.

* [[LoveItOrHateIt Love Him Or Hate Him]]: The man, his morals and his talents are all frequent topics of debate. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement To say nothing else of him]], Lee is a unique individual.

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this. His highest grossest film, ''Film/InsideMan'', does star black actor DenzelWashington, but features a more diverse cast than his highly praised, but less successful films like ''Malcolm X'' and ''Do the Right Thing''.

* LoveItOrHateIt: [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Let's leave it at that]].

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this. His highest grossest film, ''Film/InsideMan'', does star black actor DenzelWashington, but features a more diverse cast than his highly praised, but less successful films like ''Malcolm X'' and ''Do the Right Thing''.

* BaseBreaker: His take on [[Film/OldBoy2013 remaking Oldboy]] can be considered this, feeling it's weak in comparison to the [[{{Film/Oldboy}} original]].
** Giving his own interpretation of the ending to DoTheRightThing, mainly due to others feeling that Lee is doing a nasty TakeThat to his audience (basically the interpretation is him saying "White people won't get the ending") while some feel it ruins the mystic of the ending interpretation, hitting DeathOfTheAuthor levels.

** Giving his own interpretation of the ending to DoTheRightThing, mainly due to others feeling that Lee is doing a nasty TakeThat to his audience while some feel it ruins the mystic of the ending interpretation, hitting DeathOfTheAuthor levels.

* EverythingIsRacist: Spike Lee is often accused of this, such as when he criticized Creator/ClintEastwood for not featuring any black soldiers in ''Film/LettersFromIwoJima'', even though historically their units weren't present in the locations the story took place in.

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this. His highest grossest film, ''Film/InsideMan'', does star black actor DenzelWashington, but features a more diverse cast than his highly praised, but less successful films like Malcom X and Do the Right Thing.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Some believe Lee ''has this''. This is due to his constant usage of EverythingIsRacist on ''everything'' and often trying to justify his characters ('''especially''' in {{Do The Right Thing}}) as moral and mocking some audience's theories and thoughts as 'You wouldn't understand because you're not an African American'. It hasn't helped his career though..

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this. His highest grossest film, ''Film/InsideMan'', does star black actor DenzelWashington, but features a more diverse cast than his highly praised, but less successful films like Malcom X and Do the Right Thing.

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this.

* EverythingIsRacist: Spike Lee is often accused of this.

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this.
** When he chooses not to, he produces critically and financially acclaimed hits like the 25th hour, his most successful film of all time.

** When he chooses not to, [[UnfortunateImplications he produces critically and financially acclaimed hits like the 25th hour, his most successful film of all time.]]

* MinorityShowGhetto: His focus on black people might cause his work to fall into this.

* {{DarthWiki/FallenCreator}}: He had a StarDerailingRole moment with ''Miracle At St. Anna'' and has yet to recover, despite acclaimed work in television and producing the award-winning but little seen ''{{Pariah}}''.

* FallenCreator: He had a StarDerailingRole moment with ''Miracle At St. Anna'' and has yet to recover, despite acclaimed work in television and producing the award-winning but little seen ''{{Pariah}}''.

* FallenCreator: He had a StarDerailingRole moment with ''Miracle At St. Anna'' and has yet to recover, despite acclaimed work in television and producing the award-winning but little seen {{Pariah}}.