This week, I’m sick and tired. Not in the figurative sense, e.g., “I’m sick and tired of the way you keep talking about the election outcome as if Obama’s victory is the end of the world.” I am literally sick and tired, with a terrible chest infection, cough, and head cold, and since my fever and cold medicine are having a clouding effect on my mental capabilities, it is imperative that I steer clear of anything that makes me think too hard.
Which is the perfect condition for browsing through Hulu.com‘s cache of free movies, where I found one of my favorite 80’s flicks, The Karate Kid. Along with ET, the Star Wars trilogy, and the Rocky movies, The Karate Kid is a benchmark film in my book, representing everything that goes into making a classic movie: it has the “there’s no way this could ever happen in real life” factor, the “underdog gets the trophy and the girl factor,” the unlikely leading man, the emotion-manipulating soundtrack and, as an added bonus, the 80’s factor, which captures the clothes, the hair, and the requisite line that seemed to be written into every screenplay of that decade, “Hey, it’s the ’80’s,” as if, with the hair and clothes, we needed that clarification.
If you are under the age of thirty, The Karate Kid probably wasn’t part of your formative years. But if you were like me, and you taped it when it was shown on television (this was long before TiVO) and watched it (edited for television) over and over, you’ll appreciate this little trip down memory lane.
It has been years since I’ve seen this movie, but as I sat in my pajamas at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, high on NyQuil and hot from fever, I felt oddly comforted by the familiar soundtrack as the opening credits rolled. As a single woman who lives eight hours from her parents, being sick stinks – no one rubs Vick’s on my chest or comes in to make sure the covers are tucked in and devoid of air holes. So watching this familiar favorite took me back to a time when my mom was right in the next room and it was still very possible that I would marry Ralph Macchio (I still have the “autographed” postcard I received when I wrote him a fan letter).
I remembered every line like it was yesterday, and the valiant and honorable Mr. Miyagi (played by Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, one of the hardest working actors in show business) made me wish – again – for my own wise sage and mentor, who would see my potential and take me under his wing, teaching me how to overcome the hardships of junior high. You see, I had my own experiences with bullies and mean popular kids, which is why, to this day, I am very moved by their relationship. I get chills whenever I watch the scene where Mr. Miyagi comes to Daniel’s defense on Halloween night, when the skeleton-clad meanies are about to destroy him. I, too, had my share of unfortunate school dance experiences, but sadly, in the absence of my own Mr. Miyagi, I had to endure the taunts of the baddies in my class on my own.
There are many other great scenes in The Karate Kid, but the best one of all comes, of course, toward the end, when Daniel has just been injured by the young miscreant instructed by his evil karate sensei to “put him out of commission.” He is lying on the table in the locker room with his teacher, Mr. Miyagi, standing next to him. The medic on call at the competition has declared him unfit to fight because of his injured leg, and his mother (played by Randee Heller) and girlfriend, Ali (played by a young Elisabeth Shue), have left to tell the judges he’s out. Daniel looks up at Mr. Miyagi and asks him to use the ancient method he used during Daniel’s training to heal his injury so he can have a chance to win the competition. Mr. Miyagi argues gently that Daniel has already succeeded, simply by being in the competition and getting this far, but Daniel protests. “Every time those guys see me, they’ll know they got the best of me. I’ll never have balance this way,” he says, utterly dejected. “Not with them. Not with Ali. (Dramatic pause). Not with me.”
What comes next is, for me, the epitome of a classic “movie moment.” I don’t know, from a filmmaking perspective, if The Karate Kid is considered a “good” movie. But, for my money, this scene is golden. Remember it with me (and tremble with delight):
Mr. Miyagi instructs Daniel, “Close-a eye.” Your heart starts pounding. Yes, Mr. Miyagi, you think to yourself, Do that thing you do and fix his leg! Miyagi claps his hands together, while simultaneously the orchestra bursts into your ears, sforzando strings trembling as the scene flashes back into the competition arena, full of hysterical amateur karate fans. Ali runs out just as the judge is about to pronounce Evil Johnny the winner, interrupting him. “Daniel Larusso is gonna fight!” he announces, and the crowd goes wild.
Weak, injured, lithe Daniel hobbles out to the ring. He bows to the referee and bows to his stocky beefcake of an opponent, and the defining karate match of all matches begins. He gets in a punch or two, but anyone with any sense at all can see he’s about to get creamed. Then, by some miracle, they are tied! The winner of the next point will become the new National Champion! The Evil Sensei instructs his brainwashed pupil to “sweep the leg,” and we see a glimmer of horror on Johnny’s face as the fullness of his instructor’s rancorous rage dawns on him. But his conviction doesn’t last long. Johnny sweeps the leg, and Daniel is just about finished. “Get him a body bag,” one of Evil Sensei’s minions shouts.
And then, it comes. The trumpets blare triumphantly as Daniel assumes the position of . . .
. . . the Crane.
If excellence is marked by cultural longstanding, The Crane move from The Karate Kid is enough to place this film up there with such twentieth century icons as Mr. Spock’s Vulcan salute and Rocky pumping his fists in the air after climbing all those steps. As the anticipation grows to feverish proportions (and not just because I actually have a fever), Daniel raises his arms, standing on one leg. He’s nervous. He’s afraid.
And he’s determined. With one switch kick, he makes contact, taking out his opponent and winning the championship. The crowd goes wild, and Evil Johnny, who three minutes before had said, “You’re dead,” experiences a sudden and dramatic change of heart. Taking the trophy from the judge, he is the one to present the award to Daniel, shouting through tears, “You’re all right, Larusso. Good match!” The good guy wins, the bad guy is converted and everyone is happy in the end.
Well, folks, movies come and movies go. But some movies, like The Karate Kid, stay with us forever. And as I mentioned, for some strange reason, this is what I crave when I am sick: familiar childhood favorites. Wiping a tear from my eye, I click through to my next trip down memory lane: Ghostbusters! With some Campbell’s Tomato soup on the stove and a new box of tissues at my side, it’s just as if I’ve clicked my ruby slippers and am back in my bedroom, right across the hall from my parents’.
Except for the fact that I’m watching these things on a laptop, which didn’t exist when I was a child, thanks to high speed Internet, which I just got last year.
Don’t you just love the aughts?
