Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me
Book by Ralph Macchio
DETAILS
Publisher : Dutton (October 18, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 256 pages ISBN-10 : 0593185838 ISBN-13 : 978-0593185834 Item Weight : 14.6 ounces Dimensions : 5.6 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches Best Sellers Rank: #1,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2 in TV Shows #8 in Television Performer Biographies #35 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies , An instant New York Times bestseller! Since The Karate Kid first crane-kicked its way into the pop culture stratosphere in June 1984, there hasn’t been a week Ralph Macchio hasn’t heard friendly shouts of “Wax on, wax off” or “Sweep the leg!” Now, with Macchio reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso in the #1 ranked Netflix show Cobra Kai , he is finally ready to look back at this classic movie and give the fans something they’ve long craved. The book will be Ralph Macchio’s celebratory reflection on the legacy of The Karate Kid in film, pop culture, and his own life. It will be a comprehensive look at a film that shaped him as much as it influenced the world. Macchio will share an insider's perspective of the untold story behind his starring role—the innocence of the early days, the audition process, and the filmmaking experience--as well as take readers through the birth of some of the film’s most iconic moments. Ultimately, the book centers on the film itself, focusing on the reason that the characters and themes have endured in such a powerful way and how these personal experiences have impacted Macchio's life. It will bring readers back to the day they met Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi for the first time, but will also provide a fascinating lens into how our pasts shape all of us and how the past can come back to enrich one's life in surprising and wonderful ways. Read more
REVIEW
Full disclosure: I perhaps saw The Karate Kid too old and didn’t form that intense bond with the characters. In fact it left little impression on me at all. So I didn’t see the subsequent movies. This book is an accolade for the first movie’s influence on pop culture. It comes close to beings spun sugar; it is relentlessly positive about everyone and everything. Even the frustration of being told he “all but has” the part then waiting for months for confirmation as studio politics plays out, and the bitterly resented career damage caused by typecasting, are handled light-heartedly. Fans of the first movie will find much about the casting process and anecdotes from the shooting. Mr. Macchio himself was a cocky underdog, which fed right into the role. Reading between the lines, we see his own process of maturation to take more regard of others, and to accept the frustrating and disappointing middle portion of his career. The best portion of the book is where Mr. Macchio tells of being approached by strangers who tell him how The Karate Kid changed their lives, gave them motivation and hope. I wish there were many more of these. They are really what the book is all about. The two sequels and Cobra Kai are given short shrift here. In passing, he regrets II’s cavalier dismissal of Elizabeth Shue in II, and doesn’t think III helped his career. The most potent thing we learned about Cobra Kai is how dealing with his own daughter’s bullying informed the boat scene with Sam. I enjoyed and recommend the book, but the relentlessly positive tone got to me after a while. We learn virtually nothing about others other than how praiseworthy they all are. Nor is there much reflection about the characters, their arcs, and what it all might mean. The book was clearly written with teens in mind. Adults with find it too short by half, and will leave entertained but wanting much, much more.
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