Review Detail

No, I did not want to see a movie about Karate.  I just wasn't interested.  After a little prodding, I agreed to join my sons and thought that I would just sleep through the movie as soon as the lights dimmed.  Well, what a surprise!  Immediately, I was drawn into the story about a teenage kid from New Jersey, Daniel, played by Ralph Macchio, who moves to California with his mother and has a rough time adjusting to his new life.  He strangely become friends with the maintenance guy, an older Japanese man, Miyagi, played  by Pat Morita.  Daniel meets and begins dating a girl, Ali, played by Elisabeth Shue, who is wealthy, while Daniel is not, and her snooty parents object to where he lives.  Ali's ex-boyfriend, a karate blackbelt, continues to beat Daniel up.  An unusual, but sweet and heartfelt friendship, begins between Daniel and Miyagi and, in his strange and unorthodox ways, Miyagi trains Daniel by having him wax his cars and paint his fences and, in the end, Daniel wins the karate championship, under the watchful eye and training of Miyagi and he also wins the heart of his girl..  A big, pleasant surprise and, since the first time I saw this movie, have watched it several times to get a warm, cuddly feeling.  Pat Morita made the movie!