Step 1: Believe. As eye-rolling and skeptical as I was when I heard they were remaking The Karate Kid, I have to admit the film does a nice job re-envisioning the ’80s cult classic, thanks in large part to the new Kid, Jaden Smith.
Step 2: Don’t change it too much. The best part of this new Karate Kid is how it switches things up yet at the same time keeps to the heart and soul of the original. Jaden plays Dre, whose single mother (Taraji P. Henson) moves him from Detroit to China for work. From there, the story elements are basically the same — Dre meets a cute girl, rubs the local bullies the wrong way, gets his ass kicked by their kung-fu moves, befriends the apartment maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who teaches him karate, so Dre can prove himself and also learn some life lessons, and so on. It’s formulaic and a little long-winded, but the pay off is still worth it.
Step 3: Recognize talent, Part I. The young Jaden honestly has talent, pure and simple. Sure, he was so damn cute as a 5-year-old in his debut Pursuit of Happyness performance, playing opposite his famous movie star dad Will Smith, but even then you could tell the kid inherited the acting genes. Jaden has such a natural ease that every step he takes seems genuine. And man, can that kid work up those tears; it rips your heart out. I’m pretty sure another star is born, one that might even surpass his dad’s fame. Can’t wait to see what kind of heartthrob he’ll be when he grows up.
Step 4: Recognize talent, Part II: Chan, too, surprises you in Karate Kid. Of course, casting him in the iconic Mr. Miyagi role seems like a no brainer, and goes one better with Chan’s expert martial arts moves. I swear, watching Chan do what he does the very best is like watching Fred Astaire dance, using everything around him to help in the fight. Unfortunately, he is in more teacher mode than kung-fu mode in Kid, but he does get in one good scene. The surprising part is how far Chan digs in for the role, playing a man who has had a tragic past. He and Jaden have a nice rapport that goes a long way in the film. Henson and the rest of the supporting cast hold up, but the film belongs to these two.
Step 5: Use montages. Speaking of marital arts, the montage training scenes are just as much fun as the original, and Jaden also shows an amazing amount of skill and agility. Filming the entire movie in Beijing also lends itself to more authenticity, with gorgeous locales, lush mountain tops and the always spectacular Forbidden City. The film does tend to drag a bit at two and half hours, but all in all, it does the original proud — and then some.
Level of difficulty in watching The Karate Kid: Not too bad. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few more Karate Kids were in the works as we speak.
Step 1: Hit all the right beats. On the one hand, Invictus is a serviceable sports flick, but on the other, it’s a heartfelt true story of one great leader’s unyielding quest to unite his country.
Then John Carlin’s book Playing the Enemy, on which the film is based, came Freeman’s way, and he finally found the perfect vehicle to give his friend proper due. Of course, Freeman is a wonder as Mandela, albeit a little taller than the real man himself. The actor completely embodies the saintly leader, down to his walk, the cadence of his speech – and most of all, the kindness in his eyes. Damon, too, is amazing and quite strapping as Pienaar, who at first is hesitant but then deeply affected by Mandela’s great desire for peace and unity. They should both get Oscar nominations, no question. The supporting cast also shines, especially Tony Kgoroge and Patrick Mofokeng as Mandela’s heads of security, who, on the request of Mandela himself, must work with the same white men who oppressed them earlier.
Step 1: Take a real-life story like The Blind Side, which on the surface sounds pretty sappy, and turn it into something honest, heartfelt and surprisingly inspirational.
Step 4: Support Bullock. The rest of cast are also quite engaging, starting with newcomer Quinton Aaron, who plays Michael with a soulful sweetness, a real gentle giant. Leigh Anne actually refers to him as Ferdinand the Bull – you know, the story about a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in the bull ring. Country-singer McGraw does a nice job as the patient and understanding husband, married to a whirlwind of a multi-tasker. But the biggest standout is Jae Head, as the Tuohy’s youngest child Sean Jr., or S.J. for short. This little kid is hilarious as he easily accepts Michael as his big brother and then actually coaches him in football. Apparently, the real S.J. and Michael are so close, the boy was a big factor in the negotiations with the college coaches [played in the movie by the real men] trying to recruit Michael. They all had to offer S.J. something, like leading the team onto the field the first game, as part of the bargain.
Step 6: Pump that emotion only a true story can elicit. Thankfully, writer/director John Lee Hancock successfully navigates through the schmaltz and delivers an atypical inspirational film about family, football – and really, the importance of helping other people. Combining the story of Leigh Anne Tuohy’s remarkable connection to her adopted son Michael Oher with Michael’s ascent to football stardom simply works as a narrative. I believe this is actually better than Rudy (No! She said that?). And for the real Michael Oher, the story keeps getting better. After playing for the Tuohy’s alma mater Ole Miss, he was drafted last April to join the Baltimore Ravens. The real-life photos [one pictured above] during the end credits bring a tear to the eye.
Step 1: Whip It good! Come on, you know I had to say that at least once … OK, now we can move on.
the understanding dad; Alia Shawkat as the snarky best friend; and of course, the rest of the Hurl Scouts: SNL funnylady Kristen Wiig as Maggie Mayhem, singer Eve as Rosa Sparks, stunt-woman-turned-actress Zoe Bell as Bloody Mary and Ms. Barrymore as Smashley Simpson (love the character names). There’s also Juliette Lewis as Iron Maven, Babe Ruthless’ nemesis. But of them all, though, I think I liked Andrew Wilson’s Hurl Scouts coach Razor the best. He’s so very determined to teach the Scouts the plays that win, it almost kills him – and me, with laughter, that is.
Not to sound all stalker-ish or anything, but I really do think I have some weird psychic connection to Drew Barrymore. Like if we weren’t doing what we do and met randomly, we’d be good friends. We are both blondes (usually) who like to twist our hair, have cute lisps, are accident-prone and definitely go for the quirky, nerdy types who make us laugh. Of course, I’m slightly older than she and didn’t have the very messed up childhood that she did, but I’m just saying … in another time and place, we’d be like THIS [fingers crossed].
like comedy but I find when comedy has heart, it’s all the more funny and poignant to me.”
“I worked really hard not to make it a Hollywood ending. Life goes on. In my 20s, I was obsessed with happy endings, which was great. A fairytale aspiration for me, and I liked telling those kinds of stories. But in my 30s, I’m like a good day is a GOOD DAY. It was great as a director for me to see a young girl’s side of it AND the parent’s side. In my mid-30s, I understand a parent who wants the best for their child. They may come from a different generation or may not be seeing eye to eye, that doesn’t mean they are a bad person. I didn’t want to villainize them. I kept trying to take the archetypal aspect or the Hollywood aspect out of it. By the end – through lying, cheating, stealing and doing everything they can to finally having everything fall apart – to be honest about it and have some moment of peace in their family. And to me that is a great triumph.
