The Karate Kid (PG, 1984)

After moving from New Jersey to a small apartment complex in Southern California with his single mom, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) finds himself an outsider at his new suburban high school, where the cool guys drive expensive convertibles and take karate so seriously that they're more than happy to beat him silly again and again. Daniel's one pretty friend Ali (Elisabeth Shue) is unfortunately also the ex-girlfriend of Daniel's chief bully, blackbelt-champion Johnny (William Zabka). Unable to adequately defend himself, Daniel turns to his apartment's Okinawan super, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), for help. Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel karate -- but in his own, unique way. After some unorthodox training (waxing cars, sanding floors, painting fences, catching flies), Miyagi convinces Johnny's aggressive karate instructor (Martin Kove) to make his pupils back off ... until the next karate championship.

If you say "wax on!" to anyone born in the late '60s or '70s, they'll immediately answer "wax off!" -- that's how big a cultural phenomenon THE KARATE KID was in the '80s. Like Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Dirty Dancing, this is just one of those special, mid-'80s classics from which fans can quote countless scenes. And despite some dated details (the big hair, the track suits, the funny-looking cars and wardrobe), the story holds up remarkably well, because Daniel is a high-school Everyman. He's not Gossip Girl rich or Zac Efron handsome or extraordinarily gifted in any way; he's just a new kid in town who's willing to train hard, actually get to know an older Japanese man most teenage guys would have made fun of, and better himself in the process. Oh, and he does a killer job at winning the girl, the championship, and the hearts of moviegoers everywhere.

The Karate Kid isn't a slick, angsty coming-of-age drama, but there's so much to just enjoy about it. Shue's Ali is sweet -- especially because she doesn't mind Daniel's working-class background -- but the teens' romance is filler for the central relationship in the movie: that of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. Not many movies can make multi-generational friendships seem authentic, but Macchio and the late Morita managed to achieve a closeness that was believably touching. When Daniel tells Mr. Miyagi "You're my best friend," it's not awkward -- it's true. Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are a more relatable Luke and Obi Wan or Harry and Dumbledore, and it's that archetypal teacher-hero dynamic that ultimately makes The Karate Kid a winner.