When I got the invite to watch an early copy of the documentary More Than Miyagi, I was intrigued. I had mentioned it to my husband and he was excited. He had heard about it on social media and really wanted to watch it.
To be honest, I didn’t really know Pat Morita as anything besides his role as Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid and I was eager to learn more about this actor.
Title: More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita story
Director: Kevin Derek
Format: VOD, DVD, Blu-ray
Time: 89 minutes
Release Date: February 5, 2021
Distributor: Love Project FilmsSynopsis: 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 drug abuse couldn’t mask.
Cast: Pat Morita, Ralph Maccio, James Hong, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Tommy Chong, William Zabka, Martin Kove, Ron Thomas, Sean Kanan, Julia Nickson, Esai Morales, Efren Ramirez
before we get to my top 5 reasons to watch, let’s check out the trailer:
Top 5 Reasons to Watch More Than Miyagi:
“The best things in life begin from the worst things in life, but not without effort, and not without hopes and dreams.”
- the heartbreak — from an being in an internment camp as a child to dealing with racism in life and work to fighting alcoholism
- the career — he started as a stand up comedian before appearing in several shows (Happy Days, Mash, and Sanford & Sons to name a few)
- the comedy — his timing and self-deprecating humor was spot on and jokes would become a bit of a way to cope with his past
- the triumph — he was nominated for an Oscar for playing Mr. Miyagi, a role that took 5 auditions for him to get offered because a few of the higher ups didn’t believe he could do it
- the love — the various people who worked with Pat have such a respect and love for him and it comes through in their interviews and stories
Huge thanks to Love Project Films for the invite to watch an early copy. More Than Miyagi releases February 5, 2021.
Do you watch documentaries? Have you watched Pat Morita in anything?
I’ll have to check this out! Of course I remember him as Miyagi, and a little bit from Happy Days, but I’ll need to learn more about his life. He sounds fascinating! Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
It was such an interesting story and I loved the way it unfolded. I hope you enjoy it!