I consider 1984's "The Karate Kid" to be one of my favorite films of all time. Pat Morita's iconic Mr. Miyagi character is a large part of that. Outside of Miyagi, however, I had very little knowledge of Morita. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine his life would be so inspiring/tragic/interesting, and "More Than Miyagi" captures it all perfectly.
As the title would indicate, the goal of this documentary is to portray the real life of Morita outside of the Miyagi character. While Karate Kid is touched on a bit (it's too big a part of his story not to be), director Kevin Derek stays true to that overall mission. Viewers are treated to such information as:
-Morita's spinal tuberculosis, which confined him to a hospital for most of his childhood.
-His time spent in an internment camp during World War II, and how shameful of an experience that was for all involved.
-The building of an acting career, with bit parts in Green Acres, Columbo, MASH, and Sanford & Son.
-His big break portraying "Arnold" on Happy Days.
-The post-Karate Kid era, in which Morita succumbed to alcoholism in a downward spiral that likely facilitated his kidney-failure death in 2005.
Morita's story is equal parts inspirational and tragic. As a Japanese-American, he had to overcome a tremendous set of circumstances to attain the level of success he ultimately achieved. But in an equal and opposite way, seeing/hearing accounts of his later years was incredibly sad.
Overall, "More Than Miyagi" is one of the best celeb docs I've watched in some time. A perfect balance of material on a life that deserves the telling.
