History YMMV / DoTheRightThing

** Mookie is said to be sort of lazy, tardy and selfish towards his family, even though he's [[OnlySaneMan one of the only sane [[TheReliableOne and competent]] people. While said flaws may be true in a matter of speaking, he comes across more of a flake (after supposedly being too busy to make time for Tina, he momentarily plays hooky during work for "a date"). It's as if it's less about his informed flaws that really drag him down, but rather poor self-management skills.

*** [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in the film ''Film/SouthsideWithYou'', in which a young UsefulNotes/BarackObama, questioned on his thoughts about the scene by a white higher-up at his law firm, suggests the former interpretation, but later privately expresses his belief in the latter interpretation to Michelle.

* FandomRivalry: ''Big time'' between this and ''Film/DrivingMissDaisy'' due to their [[LighterAndSofter vastly]] [[DarkerAndEdgier different]] approaches when it comes to the subject of race relations and the other movie winning big at the Oscars while [[AwardSnub this one was mostly snubbed]]. Spike Lee himself has only fueled this rivalry refusing to hide his anger over the loss. Then again, his disgust over ''Film/GreenBook'' winning in 2019 suggests his beef was more aimed towards "white savior" films.
** Defied elsewhere though. Do The Right Thing [[TheRunnerUpTakesItAll has held up better all these years later]]. More than just [[ValuesResonance important social justice critique]] with an uncanny sense of [[GreyAndGrayMorality moral evenhandedness]], it is held up as a high watermark amongst films, balancing heightened comedy, drama, and tragedy, with the intimacy of a theatre play. It has turned up on several critic-curated all-time great film lists. Driving Miss Daisy, meanwhile, has largely been forgotten aside from the random spoof.

* FandomRivalry: ''Big time'' between this and ''Film/DrivingMissDaisy'' due to their [[LighterAndSofter vastly]] [[DarkerAndEdgier different]] approaches when it comes to the subject of race relations and the other movie winning big at the Oscars while [[AwardSnub this one was mostly snubbed]]. Spike Lee himself has only fueled this rivalry refusing to hide his anger over the loss.

** [[spoiler:Radio Raheem's death through PoliceBrutality is similar to what happened in an infamous case in 1991 in Los Angeles with Rodney King, a black man brutally beaten up by the cops. While Rodney King ''did'' survive the beatings, the riot that followed (which was a much larger-scale riot than the riot from the film) was considered to be one of the worst racial riots in United States history, to the point that the National Guard was called in. In 2014, meanwhile, Eric Garner died after being put in a choke-hold by an NYPD officer, similar to how Radio Raheem died. Worse, in 2020, the death of George Floyd resulted in protests that eventually escalated in full scale riots nationwide, that once again resulted in the National Guard being called in, with many comparing them to the ones in L.A., eerily mirroring the climax of the film.]]
** [[spoiler:In the film, a general store owned by a Korean man, Sonny, was spared during the riot as he pulls a famous line with the black rioters stating the Koreans too suffered racial discrimination in America. Sadly, most of the businesses and stores destroyed during the riots were owned by Korean-Americans themselves, who were targeted as a result of longstanding racial tensions between black and Korean communities in California. The riots only galvanized these tensions, to the point where even today, if you meet up any Korean or African-American in Los Angeles (particularly the older generation that lived through the said riots), chances are many of them hold some negative grudges and stereotypical (if not outright racist) views towards each other.]]

** It can be hard to take the movie seriously after you've seen the somewhat surreal opening credits. Or it could be NarmCharm.
** Ruby Dee yelling [[BigNo "NO"]] over and over again in the exact same way doesn't sound very authentic and can take you out of the overall realistic and tearjerking climax. Granted, everything else surrounding that can make up for it. And while the delivery may not be great, the reason why she's saying it is still tearjerking.
* OneSceneWonder: John Savage as Clifton, the white bicyclist who is confronted by Buggin' Out after the former accidentally bumps into him by making marks on his sneakers.

%% ZCE * ValuesResonance: More than thirty years since the film first came out, its overall themes maintain their relevance.

* OneSceneWonder: John Savage as Clifton, the white bicylist who is confronted by Buggin' Out after the former accidentally bumps into him by making marks on his sneakers.
** Creator/FrankVincent as the driver of the vehicle that gets drenched from the Fire Hydrant when he tries to drive through the crowd around it.

** Creator/GiancarloEsposito who plays Buggin' Out would later go on to be best remembered as [[Franchise/BreakingBad Gus Fring]], or as [[Series/TheMandalorian Moff Gideon]].

* DiagnosedByTheAudience: A number of fans speculate that Radio Raheem may be autistic, in large part thanks to the attachment he has to his boombox, which is easy to read as a special interest. The fact that [[spoiler:he gets killed by the police in the film's climax]] also factors into this interpretation, as [[spoiler:Black autistic people are at a much higher risk of facing PoliceBrutality than neurotypical Black people and white autistic people]].

* DiagnosedByTheAudience: It is unclear (and ultimately irrelevant) whether Smiley is autistic or mentally disabled. Radio Raheem may also have some mental or behavioral issues, with a mild autism-spectrum case being a commonly floated fan theory.

* Anvilicious: TheMovie. The film makes no attempt to hide its true message, and examines it from every angle and perspective while staying away from any sort of "feel good" factor. Simply put, the contrast between ''Do The Right Thing'' and ''Driving Miss Daisy'''s respective handlings of the subject of racism is why lots of people maintain that ''Do The Right Thing'' was snubbed that year at the Oscars. It helps that the movie lets almost no one off the hook.

** [[spoiler: Radio Raheem's death through PoliceBrutality is similar to what happened in an infamous case in 1991 in Los Angeles with Rodney King, a black man brutally beaten up by the cops. While Rodney King ''did'' survive the beatings, the riot that followed (which was a much larger-scale riot than the riot from the film) was considered to be one of the worst racial riots in United States history, to the point that the National Guard was called in. In 2014, meanwhile, Eric Garner died after being put in a choke-hold by an NYPD officer, similar to how Radio Raheem died. Worse, in 2020, the death of George Floyd resulted in protests that eventually escalated in full scale riots nationwide, that once again resulted in the National Guard being called in, with many comparing them to the ones in L.A., eerily mirroring the climax of the film.]]

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: TheMovie. The film makes no attempt to hide its true message, and examines it from every angle and perspective while staying away from any sort of "feel good" factor. Simply put, the contrast between ''Do The Right Thing'' and ''Driving Miss Daisy'''s respective handlings of the subject of racism is why lots of people maintain that ''Do The Right Thing'' was snubbed that year at the Oscars. It helps that the movie lets almost no one off the hook.

* {{Anvilicious}}: TheMovie. The film makes no attempt to hide its true message, and examines it from every angle and perspective while staying away from any sort of "feel good" factor. Simply put, the contrast between ''Do The Right Thing'' and ''Driving Miss Daisy'''s respective handlings of the subject of racism is why lots of people maintain that ''Do The Right Thing'' was snubbed that year at the Oscars.

* TearJerker: [[spoiler: Radio Raheem's death, and the aftermath as the tension that built up throughout the movie finally explodes.]]

** The script actually confirms one: Radio Raheem wasn't just roughing Sal up, he was genuinely trying to murder the old man, and came close to doing it.

** Harsher critics label Buggin' Out as [[AuthorAvatar a self-insert character for Lee.]] Considering Lee's outspoken contempt for mixed-race couples and his 2014 rant against gentrification, it's not too much of an impossibility.

** Creator/GiancarloEsposito who plays Buggin' Out would later go on to be best remembered as [[Series/BreakingBad Gus]] [[Series/BetterCallSaul Fring]], or as [[Series/TheMandalorian Moff Gideon]].

* ValuesResonance: More than thirty years since the film first came out, its overall themes maintain their relevance. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Per TV Tropes policy on heated sociopolitical subjects, you're better off discussing this further on some other website on the Internet.]]