The Karate Kid poster

The Karate Kid (1984)

Film · 2h 7m · Rated PG

Action, Drama, Family

A bullied teen finds an unlikely mentor, learning karate and life lessons that uplift his spirit.

Uplifting, with wholesome humor. A family watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it carries some weight.

Streaming on Netflix.

The Karate Kid parents guide

What we could confirm fits a PG: mild language and nothing scary.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
None noted
Gore
No gore
Violence
Some violence
Some fighting or peril.
Sex and nudity
None flagged
It is a PG from before PG-13 existed, when a PG could carry more, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.
Language
Mild
Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

What is The Karate Kid about?

New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Yes. It lands on a happy note.

Cast and crew

Directed byJohn G. Avildsen
StarringRalph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka, Martin Kove, Randee Heller

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.