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values and street values . Of course it is not sure whether it believes in liberal pieties or militancy . Of course some of the characters are sympathetic and others are hateful . And of course some of the likable characters do bad things . Isn ' t that the way it is in America today ? Anyone who walks into this film expecting answers is a dreamer or a fool . But anyone who leaves the movie with more intolerance than they walked in with wasn ' t paying attention .
Ebert admits that there are contradictions in Do the Right Thing . But rather than chastise Lee for making such a film , he praises him for it . He strongly asserts that this kind of film is supposed to be contradictory and messy because it reflects life , and life is incredibly contradictory and messy .
Lastly , in addition to accepting the complexity of the film and the responses it creates , Ebert understands what the real message of Do the Right Thing is — or , at least , is not :
Lee does not ask us to forgive them , or even to understand everything they do , but he wants us to identify with their fears and frustrations . " Do the Right Thing " doesn ' t ask its audiences to choose sides ; it is scrupulously fair to both sides , in a story where it is our society itself that is not fair .
In a film as complex and sophisticated as Do the Right Thing , it would be naïve to attempt to understand it through one moment , one character , or even one initial reaction to it . Ebert himself admits that his initial reviews from his exposure to this movie at the Cannes Film Festival ( where Lee called his detractors racist ) were misguided , focusing on the violence depicted even as the other critics did . He understands , as we all should , that even through