The Karate Kid (2010)
Top cast
Director
TMDB profile →Play the episode
Overview
12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying but the cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make him an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is a kung fu master. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.
Show notes
jump ↓“Wax on, wax off.” Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and the triumphant return of Megs (Kev’s still away… last seen jogging up a hill in a grey tracksuit muttering “No mercy”) – as we crane kick our way into our 287th episode, tackling the inspirational, emotional, and occasionally question…
Read full show notes
“Wax on, wax off.” Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and the triumphant return of Megs (Kev’s still away… last seen jogging up a hill in a grey tracksuit muttering “No mercy”) – as we crane kick our way into our 287th episode, tackling the inspirational, emotional, and occasionally questionable The Karate Kid (1984). We’re trading crystal fortresses for dojo face-offs and dusty training montages as we discuss:
- Does Daniel LaRusso bring most of his problems onto himself? We break down whether he’s the underdog—or the instigator.
- What is the difference between a cute girl and a hot girl? And where does Elizabeth Shue’s Alli fall on the spectrum of '80s love interests?
- Does Ralph Macchio wear one of the all-time worst Halloween costumes in movie history? (Spoiler: Yes. Yes, he does.)
- Can you really learn black belt-level karate in just a few weeks? Or did Daniel unlock cheat codes under Mr. Miyagi’s tutelage?
- Ian goes to war with the score—and one particular song that just doesn’t belong.
- The film suggests America was batty about soccer in the '80s. Was that true… or just wishful screenwriting?
- Why the studio was reluctant to cast Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi—and how he proved them all spectacularly wrong.
- Ian finds a way to shave 10 minutes off the runtime—Miyagi would approve of the efficiency.
- Why does Daniel’s mother uproot their entire life for a job that seems… deeply underwhelming?
- Does Daniel deserve Alli in the end—or was she just too good for this drama-prone karate kid?
- We wax (lyrically) on and off about themes, nostalgia, and tournament ethics.
- And finally, whether The Karate Kid is the Best Film Ever.
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.
We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
- Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
- Hermes Auslander
- James DeGuzman
- Synthia
- Shai Bergerfroind
- Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
- Andy Dickson
- Chris Pedersen
- Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
- Randal Silva
- Nate The Great
- Rev Bruce
- Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
- Richard
- Ryan Kuketz
- Dirk Diggler
- Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
- NorfolkDomus
- John Humphrey's Right Foot
- Timmy Tim Tim
- Aashrey
Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.