“Waaaaaaake up!”

The Rio Theatre is waking up – by returning to its darkened state – with a film that speaks to our current social and political zeitgeist as no other: Spike Lee‘s DO THE RIGHT THING.

Is it possible that Lee‘s triumphant 1989 masterpiece – a prescient yet timeless study of interracial tensions, conflict, and social justice in Brooklyn on the hottest day of the year – is even more timely in 2020, over thirty years since it stunned critics and audiences around the world…? Very possibly. As such, we’re eager to welcome audiences back to revisit this classic, with the 30th Anniversary Remaster.

Featuring a standout performance from Lee (who also wrote the screenplay), a knockout cast including John Turturro, Ossie Davis, Rosie Perez, the late Danny Aiello, and a memorable soundtrack from Public Enemy. The film is set in and around Italian pizzeria owner Salvatore “Sal” Fragione’s (Aiello) shop in the predominantly Black Brooklyn neighborhood of Bed-Stuy (do or die!), where young protagonist Mookie (Lee) works as a delivery man. On one very hot summer day, a regular customer named Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria’s Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin’ Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. From there, the wall quickly becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin’ Out, Mookie, and other people in the neighborhood as tensions rise – before exploding.

“It speaks to the moment, pulses with turbulent emotional and political currents, overflows with vibrant characters and bluntly confronts society’s painful unfinished business.” (Deadline)

“DO THE RIGHT THING is complex, bravura movie making. It is also hugely entertaining, since fortunately for us, Lee’s seditious method is to use humor to carry his biting message.” (LA Times)

Thursday, July 9
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change.
Advance tickets $15 HERE | $15 at the door

Saturday, July 11 – Final Screening
Doors 4:00 pm | Movie 4:30 pm *Start time subject to change.
Advance tickets $15 HERE | $15 at the door

*Minors permitted in the balcony! (Please note this film is rated 18A.) Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
**Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK! Please redeem at the door.

PLEASE NOTE: All of the Rio Theatre’s screenings are operating at a sharply reduced capacity. We can’t guarantee availability of tickets at the door, so advance tickets for all screening events are strongly recommended. Our online box office can be found at www.riotheatretickets.ca. Online sales for every screening automatically end 1 hour before any given showtime.

DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee, 1989 / 120 mins / 18A) On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone’s hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.