March 25, 2020
'The Karate Kid'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo wax the car, paint the fence, and sand the floor to capture the true essence of the iconic film 'The Karate Kid,' starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, and Elisabeth Shue.
Cast
Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi
Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills
William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
Martin Kove as John Kreese
Chad McQueen as Dutch
Randee Heller as Lucille LaRusso
Directed by: John G. Avildsen
Written by: Robert Mark Kamen
Music by: Bill Conti
Notes
- Budget was $8 million; grossed $91 million.
- 'You're the Best' by Joe Esposito was originally intended for 'Rocky III' (Stallone chose Eye of the Tiger instead) and was also considered for Flashdance.
- The original ending had Kreese attacking Johnny after losing – this was cut and became the opening scene of Karate Kid 2.
- Rob Garrison looped the famous 'get him a body bag' line 2 months after filming; director Avildsen said 'that's going to be a classic'.
- Only 3 real black belts were in the entire movie; Martin Kove was not one of them.
- Andrew Shue (Elisabeth Shue's brother) was one of the Cobra Kai extras.
- The fly-catching scene used a fishing wire with a fake fly dangled by a crewmember.
- Macchio thought the title was corny and fought to change it; he still has the yellow 1948 Ford Super Deluxe.
- Shot at Cal State Northridge with 500-1,000 real people in stands.
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“An exciting, sweet-tempered, heartwarming story with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time.”
Most re-watchable scene
- The 'You're the Best' tournament montage.
- The 'show me' scene – wax on/wax off, sand the floor, paint the fence reveal.
- Halloween fight scene where Miyagi saves Daniel.
- The entire final stretch: sweep the leg, crane kick, trophy presentation.
What aged the best?
- The 80s soundtrack – Cruel Summer, You're the Best, Bill Conti's score.
- 'Get him a body bag' line.
- Mrs. LaRusso – Mount Rushmore of 80s pop culture moms.
- Golf N' Stuff arcade/date location.
What aged the worst?
- Ali liking Daniel makes zero sense – he's broke, unpopular, can't defend himself, no car.
- The tournament scoring rules are confusing – punch to face doesn't count but crane kick to face does?
Casting what-ifs
- Robert Downey Jr. and Charlie Sheen both considered for Daniel LaRusso.
- Toshiro Mifune was the studio's choice for Mr. Miyagi but he didn't speak English.
- Helen Hunt and Demi Moore considered for Ali; Shue got it partly because of a Burger King commercial.
- Ralph Macchio originally auditioned for Johnny, not Daniel; character was originally named Daniel Weber.
Over-acting award
Miyagi's drunk scene on his wedding anniversary – some feel this got him the Oscar nomination.
Best "that guy"
- Randee Heller as Mrs. LaRusso.
- Larry B. Scott (Lamar from Revenge of the Nerds) as a Cobra Kai member.
Best "heat check" performance
- John Kreese (Martin Kove) – barely in the movie (~4 scenes), huge stats every time.
- The karate tournament announcer (Bruce Malmuth) – incredible energy, amazing outfit, seems kind of drunk.
- Dutch (Chad McQueen) – scariest Cobra Kai member, not in a lot but makes huge impression.
Half-assed (internet) research
- Writer Robert Mark Kamen was approached by Columbia to basically rip off 'Rocky'.
- Cruel Summer by Bananarama came out in 1983, had a resurgence and hit Billboard Hot 100 #9 in 1984.
- Zabka had never done martial arts but was an accomplished wrestler; trained 5 days/week for a month.
- Product placement: Columbia owned by Coca-Cola, forced Minute Maid and Sprite placements.
- Daniel's #89 jersey was a replica Chargers Wes Chandler jersey.
Apex Mountain
- Ralph Macchio – yes.
- Pat Morita – yes.
- The town of Reseda – yes.
- Cruel Summer / Bananarama – yes.
- John Avildsen – no ('Rocky' is his Apex Mountain).
- Elisabeth Shue – no (winning the Oscar is).
Picking nits
- Why was Daniel permanently banished from the soccer team for one punch?
- Geography problems: Reseda to any beach is 25+ minutes; the Cobra Kai kids show up on mopeds 40+ minutes away.
- Daniel's first kiss with Ali – starts eating her face like a zombie.
Sequel, prequel, prestige TV or untouchable?
All-time example – Cobra Kai on YouTube actually did it and it worked, taking all the characters 35 years older.
(Probably) unanswerable questions
- What college did Daniel, Johnny, and Ali go to?
- What was Dutch's first name? The tournament board shows last names for everyone but just 'Dutch'.
- How dumb is the crane kick as an actual move? Darryl Vidal says it's bogus.
Who won the movie?
William Zabka – his staying power and legacy from this role is beyond anything anyone expected; embraced it and it led to Cobra Kai.