More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story
Where to watch
Available at home
From a bed-bound boy to Hollywood discrimination, Pat Morita's demons couldn't be masked.
Trailer
Why watch this film?
Our suggestions
The Oscar nominated actor best known for his role of Mr. Miyagi, left behind a painfully revealing autobiographical record of his much-too-brief time here on earth. Tracing his journey from being bed bound as a boy to the bright lights and discrimination in Hollywood. Deep inside that sweet, generous, multi-talented performer seethed an army of demons, that even alcohol and drugs couldn't mask.
"It is somewhat ironic that, despite being titled 'More than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story' (which translates to 'More than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story'), much of the narrative weight of this documentary falls precisely on the impact and legacy of the character that made the actor famous worldwide. However, the great value of this movie is that Pat Morita himself wrote the skeleton for what would be the final script, and with which he sheds light, honestly, on the most painful aspects of his life, such as his hard childhood in Japanese concentration camps in the United States, in addition to his alcoholism. For those who want to know the actor beyond the role of the legendary master of Daniel LaRusso, it is an indispensable documentary, with testimonies from family, friends, Asian American activists and acting colleagues not only from his time in the 'Karate Kid' saga (such as Ralph Macchio and William Zabka), but also from his years as a comedian in the comedy series 'Happy Days'."