With Jimmy Kimmel broadcasting his show from Brooklyn this week, he took the time to parody one of the more famous films set in the area, 1989’s Do The Right Thing.
The film is a classic, but the late-80s Brooklyn depicted in Spike Lee’s film is far different than the Brooklyn of the today. That’s why Kimmel stepped in to bring us Do The White Thing, a sequel that reflects the effects that gentrification has had on the community.
The little touches are brilliant here, as Radio Raheem is now Vinyl Raheem, and when people don’t like his choice of music, they simply reflect how they can be friends despite their disagreements. Furthermore, Sal’s Pizzeria is still being scrutinized, but for far different reasons. Rather than being chastised for not having any black celebrities on his wall, now the problem is that none of them are wearing clothing from thrift shops. He also gets the business for not having any gluten free agreements. The best touch of all, is that rather than throwing a trash can through the window of Sal’s, Mookie — who is now white and played by Billy Crudup — is simply upset that the trash hasn’t been sorted properly.
Every little touch is absolutely spot-on, especially the indie-folk cover of Public’s Enemy’s “Fight The Power” that plays at the end.
It’s a great sketch, but if you need a chaser after all that whiteness, the real Public Enemy showed up at the end of the show, and played a killer medley of hits, including “Fight The Power.”
