I didn’t want to threadjack the Ferris Bueller thread, so… Daniel Larusso was a bit of a jerk when you think about it.
Karate Kid was on cable the other day and it seems to me that Daniel created most of his own problems by failing to think before acting.
The beach. He picks a fight by inserting himself into an an emotionally charged argument between a couple he doesn’t even know. He gets his “fair fight” one-on-one with Johnny and gets the sh!t kicked out him, losing what few friends he has made up to that point.
Soccer practice. He gets thrown off the team by throwing a punch at Bobby. Yeah, Bobby gave him a hard tackle but Daniel decided to escalate matters. This leads to the Cobras running him and his bicycle off the road.
The dance: The hot cheerleader asks him to go outside so they can be alone. What does our hero do instead? Decides to play a prank on Johnny in the boy’s room by soaking him with a hose. And then running away! This leads to the five-on-one beat-down by the fence where he is rescued by Mr. Miyagi.
Spying on Ali at the Country Club, leaping to conclusions. Almost blowing the relationship.
Taunting the Cobras at school after they had promised their sensai that they wouldn’t touch the “prima donna” until the tournament. Basically taking credit for Mr. Miyagi’s actions during the rescue just so he can impress the girl.
Not making excuses for the juvenile Cobras, but it seemed to me that, throughout the movie he acted like a snotty little brat.
I understand the callow youth mentor/protégé aspect but it didn’t seem to me that he learned any of the “life balance” Miyagi was supposedly teaching him. All he did was win a tournament.
Not just the original, I would also cast a few bludgeons at the kid in the remake. “Hey I’m an American kid in China who can’t be bothered to learn the language or culture to fit in. You have to teach me to but up these bullies, because… well just because.”
Bludgeon the Karate Kid? Never! Daniel-san was going through a tough time and the guys from Cobra Kai dojo were jerks and bullies. I rooted for Daniel-san all the way, except when he saw his girlfriend getting kissed on the dance floor and runs away after spilling spaghetti sauce all over himself. That was dumb.
I think the point is: Cobra Kai is comparatively evil, but Daniel’s New Jersey-stereotype attitude nevertheless needed adjustment. Through the power of karate!, which should be in tune with the world, not used in anger, ad nauseam.
thelurkinghorror - Daniel did have an attitude adjustment - at the hands of Mr. Miyagi. He wasn’t the same boy he was when the movie started. Most of his problems at the beginning where from culture shock, and from being plunked down in a relatively closed society. And the Cobra Kai guys were jerks and bullies.
As for the 2nd Karate Kid, he was dragged against his will to China (and yeah, I was moved against my will as a kid and I didn’t give that attitude). his mother can’t be bothered to even find out the school rules, so his first day is disastrous, wearing the dorky school uniform. She basically plops him down in the most foreign of countries and tells him that everything’s wonderful, when it patently isn’t.She never tries to at least see his side and tell him “I know it’s tough, but this is our life now. Let’s try to make the best of it.” This kid, too, ends up transforming. He does start learning Chinese, he learns empathy for other people, including his mother. I have a lot of issues with the mother in the second movie.