The Karate Kid (1984)Growing up means standing up--for yourself and those who matter the most to you. The Karate Kid (1984) is the story of a teenager named Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), uprooted from Newark, New Jersey, and transplanted into Reseda, California after his mom, Lucille (Randee Heller), gets a well-paying new job. Although Daniel tries to fit in, even catching the eye of a pretty cheerleader at his high school named Ali (Elizabeth Shue), he also runs afoul of her ex-boyfriend, Johnny (William Zabka), who along with his fellow Cobra Kai karate buddies, beat up Daniel repeatedly. It isn't until Daniel is saved by his apartment complex's handyman, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), that his fortunes start to reverse.
|
|
From the start of The Karate Kid, we are made to sympathize with the "fish out of water" feeling Daniel is dealing with after moving away from everything he knows and across the country. Daniel and his mom are visibly poorer than the well-off, yacht club crew that Ali and Johnny are born into. They need to jump the family station wagon with a dent in it to get it going more than once, and Daniel can't help but feel like an outsider even with his potential girlfriend, who lives in a fancy mansion in Encino Hills. Daniel's troubles come, ironically, from his courage and, in part, his previous bravado. He brags that he knows karate, only to be proven otherwise--quite publicly--by Johnny, who gives him a humiliating thrashing while Daniel tries to defend Ali from Johnny's aggressive attention. Ali is consistently a kind, generous girl, who clearly likes Daniel's attention, even at the displeasure of her snobby parents. The only times she seems to be genuinely offended by Daniel is when he allows his self-doubt to cloud his own kindness, as he has a reactionary tendency to turn to cynicism or feigned indifference when he feels threatened or made small by others--neither quality is appealing to Ali. These elements of Daniel really come from a place of immaturity, something he begins to grow out of as The Karate Kid progresses. He begins to understand the "balance" in his life that comes from self-mastery, and that his attitude will really determine the success of his relationship with Ali, not just where it concerns trading blows with her ex. Daniel is trained by Mr. Miyagi, who looks after the boy in lieu of Daniel's own absentee father. A scene late into Daniel's training retreat reveal important details about Miyagi's past, principally what happened to his wife and unborn son. It is a touching scene, and intimates that although Miyagi was a war hero for the United States, his family was still rounded up with other Japanese-Americans into internment camps; it is heavily implied that the poor conditions resulted in the complications which essentially destroyed his family. Considering this, it is sorrowful that someone like Mr. Miyagi--who was awarded a medal for valor--should have been left to tend to busted water faucets in a low-rent apartment complex; but were he not, neither he nor Daniel would have found each other.
It's been said that one of the most important elements of The Karate Kid is how it is really the story of a meaningful friendship between two people who seem very different on the surface, but also happen to both be outsiders in a way. Daniel and Miyagi are amiable enough to one another, and both understand as their relationship flourishes that they each fulfill a need in one another--there is a real "father/son" relationship here. Miyagi teaches Daniel karate through unorthodox means, such as painting his fence or waxing his cars. It's puzzling--even frustrating--to Daniel, until Miyagi shows him how real-world muscle memory can be applied for defense. Miyagi takes Daniel with him when he goes fishing, and the two talk about important topics like the reasons that Daniel is learning karate, and how balance will be important in his life on the whole. These are lessons which a father might teach his son, and Miyagi teaches Daniel in largely the same way, even if the method is unique. It's evident that Miyagi sees a lot of himself in Daniel, even though we know surprisingly little of Miyagi's past, except that he was from Okinawa, Japan, and that his father was a fisherman who also taught him karate. When Miyagi suggests that Daniel confront the sensei of the Cobra Kai karate dojo--a vindictive, militaristic tyrant named John Kreese (Martin Kove)--Miyagi finds himself involved in Daniel's troubles; he doesn't fight "for" Daniel anymore, but teaches him what it means to stand up to a bully like Kreese. Miyagi sees the effects in Daniel's life of not having a father figure around, and provides him with the guidance his mother--well-intentioned and sympathetic as she is--cannot fully provide. What Miyagi really teaches Daniel is the ability to get his life into focus, to know how to handle himself even more than handle a fight; moreover, Miyagi teaches Daniel to reach this place on his own. (Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.) After Daniel starts to understand this, he proactively begins to push himself to prepare for the tournament, taking it more seriously, a real "stress test" for himself and his own burgeoning maturity. This streak of independence, this motivation to do better without having to be coddled by Miyagi or anyone else, is the real turning point for Daniel in The Karate Kid, and is the lesson which underscores the whole film.
Recommended for: Fans of a coming of age story and tale of friendship between two seemingly different people who discover that they have a lot in common. The Karate Kid is a classic slice of Eighties nostalgia, but also a very human movie about growing up and understanding oneself and balance through martial arts.
It's been said that one of the most important elements of The Karate Kid is how it is really the story of a meaningful friendship between two people who seem very different on the surface, but also happen to both be outsiders in a way. Daniel and Miyagi are amiable enough to one another, and both understand as their relationship flourishes that they each fulfill a need in one another--there is a real "father/son" relationship here. Miyagi teaches Daniel karate through unorthodox means, such as painting his fence or waxing his cars. It's puzzling--even frustrating--to Daniel, until Miyagi shows him how real-world muscle memory can be applied for defense. Miyagi takes Daniel with him when he goes fishing, and the two talk about important topics like the reasons that Daniel is learning karate, and how balance will be important in his life on the whole. These are lessons which a father might teach his son, and Miyagi teaches Daniel in largely the same way, even if the method is unique. It's evident that Miyagi sees a lot of himself in Daniel, even though we know surprisingly little of Miyagi's past, except that he was from Okinawa, Japan, and that his father was a fisherman who also taught him karate. When Miyagi suggests that Daniel confront the sensei of the Cobra Kai karate dojo--a vindictive, militaristic tyrant named John Kreese (Martin Kove)--Miyagi finds himself involved in Daniel's troubles; he doesn't fight "for" Daniel anymore, but teaches him what it means to stand up to a bully like Kreese. Miyagi sees the effects in Daniel's life of not having a father figure around, and provides him with the guidance his mother--well-intentioned and sympathetic as she is--cannot fully provide. What Miyagi really teaches Daniel is the ability to get his life into focus, to know how to handle himself even more than handle a fight; moreover, Miyagi teaches Daniel to reach this place on his own. (Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.) After Daniel starts to understand this, he proactively begins to push himself to prepare for the tournament, taking it more seriously, a real "stress test" for himself and his own burgeoning maturity. This streak of independence, this motivation to do better without having to be coddled by Miyagi or anyone else, is the real turning point for Daniel in The Karate Kid, and is the lesson which underscores the whole film.
Recommended for: Fans of a coming of age story and tale of friendship between two seemingly different people who discover that they have a lot in common. The Karate Kid is a classic slice of Eighties nostalgia, but also a very human movie about growing up and understanding oneself and balance through martial arts.