“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/.
