In Praise of The Karate Kid

It’s easy to misremember The Karate Kid. In the 40 years since its release the movie has been memed into caricature, distilled into a series of catchphrases: wax on, wax off. You beginner luck. Sweep the leg! And the plot almost fits into one of the most hackneyed blockbuster templates, so it can get filed away in the mind as a cut-and-dried product of its time: bullied nerd with heart fights mean jocks and wins.