The year is 1984 and podcast on, podcast off, but don't turn this podcast off because we're talking about the karate kid.

Hello everyone and welcome to unspooled.

I am Paul Sheer as always joined by my co-host Amy Nicholson

who writes beautiful reviews. Amy, I have been enjoying your reviews so much.

You had me cackling out loud when you were talking about my big fat Greek wedding, the review that you wrote there.

People just go and find it. You are not somebody that I view as someone who does takedowns because you actually respect all films.

I really do believe that, but when you dig into an idea, like you dig in there, it really brought me so much joy.

I just love the way that you broke that film down as a piece of pastry.

Truly fantastic.

That means a lot. I was a little proud of myself that I managed to get through that review without working in the fact that I grew up in a Greek adjacent family,

being Greek Orthodox and had to spend my entire life working in Greek restaurants and doing Greek folk dancing.

It's like none of that matters and it's ridiculous that I take this film as personally as I do if nobody would expect it.

You have to get that out there. Today we are talking about a movie that has a little connection to last week's film, Bullet.

We'll get into that in a little bit.

But the Karate Kid film is really interesting. It starts in 1984 and the legacy of this film continues to this very day.

And I think often when you look at this film, you might write it off as, oh, it's an 80s film. It's a kid's film.

But I really want to look at this film as an opponent to Rocky. Put these two in a ring.

Rocky won the Karate Kid and let's see who comes out at the end.

I mean, that is a fight that I would have laughed at you for suggesting a week ago, but rewatching Karate Kid with adult eyes.

Rewatching specifically the performances of like Ralph Machu and Pat Marita, I'm open to this conversation. I humbly bow at you. I am ready to talk.

And I think that this movie is interesting because through the lenses of the 2000s, we look at it and we examine the role that Pat Marita plays.

And I think that there are a lot of arguments where people can say, oh, is that a stereotypical character?

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