Do The Right Thing

About this episode

The episode discusses the film 'Do the Right Thing' and its significance in the context of the Oscars and film writing.

This month we're deep in our Best Writing series at the Oscars, and Do the Right Thing is Exhibit A that the Academy has always gotten some of this wrong. We dig into why the film's lack of a traditional protagonist might be exactly what got it snubbed, what Spike Lee has actually said about why Mookie threw the trash can (and who keeps asking the wrong questions), and how Radio Raheem's love-and-hate monologue does more thematic work than most screenplays manage in two hours. The conversation talked all three of us from four-and-a-half stars up to five. First unanimous five-star episode of the year.If you've seen Do the Right Thing, we want to know where you landed — and if you haven't, this is the episode to listen to first. Find us at somanysequels.com, subscribe on Spotify or wherever you get podcasts, and follow us on Instagram at @somanysequelspod. Let us know what you think.

Topics covered

• Best Writing
• Oscars
• Spike Lee
• Do the Right Thing
• film analysis

Keywords

• Academy Awards
• protagonist
• Mookie
• Radio Raheem
• thematic analysis

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Do The Right Thing, Radio Raheem's

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