Paint the Fence, Sand the Floor

Small board, right hand. Large board, left hand. The Karate Kid is one of those childhood films I’ll defend to anyone—the story of a kid who learns to fight, to fall in love, and to apply paint to surfaces in increasingly specific ways, under the guidance of the most cryptically wise handyman in cinema history. Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. You know exactly where it’s going and you don’t care, you go there every time anyway.

What still catches me off guard is how little the film has dated. The fashion and music should read as frightening eighties artifacts by now, but somehow they just feel like themselves. And yes, I liked the fourth one too, The Next Karate Kid—the one with the girl that everyone pretends doesn’t exist. Hilary Swank learning crane kicks from Miyagi is a perfectly respectable way to spend an afternoon.

Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes named her single Daniel after this film, which is about the highest endorsement it’s ever going to get. Mr. Miyagi forever.