Last night I watched The Karate Kid for – believe it or not – the very first time. I knew the story, of course: underdog teenager gets his ass kicked, starts taking karate lessons from enigmatic old Japanese dude, mistakes his training for menial labor, finds understanding, goes to tournament, kicks ass. What I didn’t realize was (1) Pat Morita has some truly hilarious lines, (2) Ralph Macchio was totally charming and I would so have had a crush on him back in the day, and (3) OMG 80s.
Seriously, the clothing is hysterical. What was it about shirts tucked into high-waisted jeans with no belt? More than that, who decided that this fashion nightmare, PLUS a purple checked shirt, PLUS camouflage pants would look attractive on Daniel-san? Aside from that, he’s really not an awkward teenager at all; the way he talks to Alli-with-an-I is clear evidence of that. He just dresses like one.
So yeah, I liked this movie, and I understand why it is one of my husband’s childhood favorites. Too bad about Ralph Macchio’s career, though.