Spike Lee's 'Do The Right Thing' Available for Free Rental This Week

Universal Pictures

The American Film Institute and Universal Pictures are teaming to offer free rentals of Spike Lee’s classic “Do The Right Thing” on digital platforms this week, and AFI will also host a special online conversation with the director this Thursday.

The Spike Lee Joint is AFI Movie Club’s selection for the day, and audiences looking to watch it can rent “Do The Right Thing” between June 22 and June 29 for free on Amazon, Apple, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Dish, DirecTV, FandangoNOW, Google, Microsoft, Redbox, Sony, Verizon and Vudu, among other services.

AFI will also host Lee in conversation about the film and about what it says about society today in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in a live discussion on June 25 at 8 p.m. EDT that can be viewed on the AFI YouTube channel.

Also Read: Spike Lee Calls George Floyd and 'Do The Right Thing' Character Radio Raheem 'Brothers' in Short Film (Video)

Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” star John David Washington introduced the film in a video on the AFI Movie Club website and called it “arguably THE Spike Lee Joint.”

“The social relevancy is just as important as it is now,” Washington said of the 1989 film.

“AFI Movie Club’s global reach has inspired the need for more thoughtful discussions about films that have shaped our culture,” Bob Gazzale, president and CEO of AFI said in a statement. “‘Do The Right Thing’ is a timeless and timely classic, and Spike Lee has forever proven himself the voice for change that we need now more than ever. We would like to thank our partners at Universal for their essential support in educating and inspiring audiences around the world.”

Also Read: 'Da 5 Bloods' Film Review: Spike Lee's Vietnam Epic Finds an Apocalypse Then and Now

Lee recently edited together clips from “Do The Right Thing” with moments from the viral videos of George Floyd and Eric Garner’s murders, showing the striking similarities between the climax to his film and to the real world horrors. In his short film, he labeled his character Radio Raheem as “brothers” with Floyd and Garner.

AFI Movie Club launched on March 31 to provide daily viewing options for people stuck at home during the coronavirus, and each day a new celebrity has introduced a film for that day’s recommended viewing, along with links as to where people can rent the films.

Lee’s “Do The Right Thing” landed was nominated for two Oscars and was nominated for the Palme d’Or in 1989, and the AFI named it among its Top 100 American Films of all time.

Every Black Director Nominated for an Oscar, From John Singleton to Spike Lee (Photos)

In 2019, Spike Lee became only the sixth Black director to receive an Oscar nomination in the Academy's history for his work on "BlackKklansman." But so far, no Black filmmaker has won in that category.
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John Singleton, "Boyz N the Hood" (1991) • Two years after Spike Lee was passed over for a nomination for "Do the Right Thing," John Singleton became the first African American to earn a Best Director nomination for his star-studded drama set in South Central L.A. That year, Jonathan Demme won the award for "The Silence of the Lambs."
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Lee Daniels, "Precious" (2009) • Eighteen years passed before a second African American filmmaker was recognized: Lee Daniels, for his gritty portrait of a young woman seeking to overcome a childhood of poverty and abuse. In another Oscar first, Kathryn Bigelow became the first female director to win the Oscar, for "The Hurt Locker."
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Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave" (2013) • British director Steve McQueen gritty drama about American slavery picked up nine nominations, including one for his directing. While the film won Best Picture (and McQueen earned a statuette as a producer), he lost the directing prize to "Gravity" filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón.
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Barry Jenkins, "Moonlight" (2016) • Jenkins' underdog indie pulled off a major upset, beating front-runner "La La Land" for Best Picture. But Damien Chazelle claimed the directing prize for the modern-day musical. (Jenkins did take home the statuette for Best Adapted Screenplay.)
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Jordan Peele, "Get Out" (2017) • Peele became the latest actor-turned-filmmaker to earn a Best Director nod, for his feature filmmaking debut. Peele won an Oscar for his original screenplay but Guillermo del Toro won Best Director for "The Shape of Water."
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Spike Lee, "BlackKklansman" (2018) • Despite wide acclaim for such films as 1989's "Do the Right Thing" and 1992's "Malcolm X," the pioneering filmmaker earned his first nomination decades into his career for this fact-based tale of a Black undercover cop who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. Lee shared the Adapted Screenplay Oscar for the film, but Alfonso Cuarón took home Best Director for "Roma."
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Will Regina King join the club this year for her work on “One Night in Miami”?

In 2019, Spike Lee became only the sixth Black director to receive an Oscar nomination in the Academy's history for his work on "BlackKklansman." But so far, no Black filmmaker has won in that category.

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