in 1984, Pat Morita reached cinema immortality with his unforgettable performance in the classic “The Karate Kid”, as the enigmatic karate master, Miyagi. Performance that not only gave him an oscar nomination as best supporting actor, but also turned him into an icon of American pop culture. A blessing that was a curse on disguise, because the role that made him famous, also pigeonholed him in a type of role from which he could never escape…
This moving documentary, traces the lights and shadows of his life, in an autobiographical journey through revealing recordings that Morita left before his passing, that take us through a journey that starts in a Japanese internment camp, where Morita relates his first years of life being a disable kid in a poor family, to his youth wrapped in poverty, until reaching the adulthood, where he felt the call of showbusiness, first becoming a stand-up comedian, to later start a succesful career on TV, until reaching international stardom due the magic of cinema… However, the feature not only points outs his virtues, but also goes deep in exposing his inner demons, his struggles with Hollywood discrimination and how he embraced that discrimation to turn it into his favor, and the dark times he went through, due his addictions and alcoholism until the end of his life, where those issues affected his personal and professional life.
Thoughout the film, friends, old colleagues and specially his last wife, relate how was having him around and the giant impact that this little man had in their lives…
Overall, this documentary directed by Kevin Derek, is a honest and straight portrayal of the man behind the pop culture icon, from his humble origins, to his rise to the top until his downfall to hell…
Available on Itunes Amazon Prime video United States
MORE THAN MIYAGI: THE PAT MORITA STORY Review: The Lights and Shadows of the Man Behind the Pop Culture Icon
November 20, 2021
in 1984, Pat Morita reached cinema immortality with his unforgettable performance in the classic “The Karate Kid”, as the enigmatic karate master, Miyagi. Performance that not only gave him an oscar nomination as best supporting actor, but also turned him into an icon of American pop culture. A blessing that was a curse on disguise, because the role that made him famous, also pigeonholed him in a type of role from which he could never escape…
This moving documentary, traces the lights and shadows of his life, in an autobiographical journey through revealing recordings that Morita left before his passing, that take us through a journey that starts in a Japanese internment camp, where Morita relates his first years of life being a disable kid in a poor family, to his youth wrapped in poverty, until reaching the adulthood, where he felt the call of showbusiness, first becoming a stand-up comedian, to later start a succesful career on TV, until reaching international stardom due the magic of cinema… However, the feature not only points outs his virtues, but also goes deep in exposing his inner demons, his struggles with Hollywood discrimination and how he embraced that discrimation to turn it into his favor, and the dark times he went through, due his addictions and alcoholism until the end of his life, where those issues affected his personal and professional life.
Thoughout the film, friends, old colleagues and specially his last wife, relate how was having him around and the giant impact that this little man had in their lives…
Overall, this documentary directed by Kevin Derek, is a honest and straight portrayal of the man behind the pop culture icon, from his humble origins, to his rise to the top until his downfall to hell…
Available on Itunes Amazon Prime video United States
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