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John Avildsen (USA, 1935) debuted with promising films like
Guess What We Learned in School Today (1970),
and
Joe (1970).
Cry Uncle (1971), based on
Michael Brett's novel "Lie a Little, Die a Little",
Save the Tiger (1973)
He then directed the blockbuster Rocky (1976).
The rest of him filmography is ridiculous, including some of the worst movies ever made in Hollywood.
The notable exceptions are
Karate Kid (1984), a melodrama about growing up,
A mother and her teenage son Daniel leave their lower-class neighborhood on the East Coast to cross the country by car to California, where she has found a better job.
Daniel is introduced to beach life and to California girls. One day he talks to
a cute girl and minutes later witnesses her old boyfriend harassing her.
Daniel, who is a younger kid, tries to defend her and gets beaten up by this
Johnny. Later he gets into another fight with the same Johnny while playing football (called "soccer" in the USA). Meanwhile, he gets to know the eccentric Japanese landlord.
Daniel dreams of learning karate but, when he tries to enroll in classes, is discouraged that Johnny the bully and his friends are taking those classes. The coach is a sort of nazi who teaches them to have no mercy of the enemy.
Johnny and his friends, who are always riding motorcycles, attack Daniel while he is biking home and destroy his bicycle. Daniel's mother keeps seeing Daniel
with bruises. Daniel is surprised that the Japanese landlord fixes his bicycle.
Daniel volunteers to help the old man with his hobby: Japanese gardening.
Daniel attends a costume party where the girl shows that she's attracted to him.
Daniel can't resist when he has a chance to play a nasty prank on Johnny but
then Johnny and his gang chase him outside and start beating him up.
The old Japanese man intervenes and alone defeats all five bullies.
The old man takes Daniel under his protection. He lets him drive one of his
cars and confronts Johnny's coach asking for two months of truce in return
for having Daniel fight in a karate tournament. Now Daniel is assured of not being beaten for two months. The old man assigns him boring chores: first wax the cars, then polish the wood of the garden,
and then paint the house. The girl introduces Daniel to her parents, who are wealthy people and don't approve of her seeing a poor kid.
The old man seems to be exploiting Daniel for free labor but then one day reveals that all the moves learned doing those chores are the moves required to become a karate champion.
Daniel is disappointed when he sees his girl and Johnny dancing together at a fancy ball and doesn't realize that it was arranged by her parents and doesn't see when the girl actually slaps Johnny in the face for trying to kiss her.
One night Daniel finds the old Japanese drunk, and learns of his tragic pass: his wife and child died during the war, when the Japanese Americans were interned in concentration camps.
The old man gifts Daniel one of his cars. Daniel makes peace with the girl and drives her around. The day of the tournament Daniel is ready to fight.
The evil coach orders one of Johnny's friends to hurt Daniel with an illegal move, and Daniel seems to be out of the tournament. But the old Japanese uses his magic to heal his leg. A limping Daniel manages to defeat Johnny despite more unfair moves and becomes the new champion, cheered by his wife and his girl.
and
Lean on me (1989), a social melodrama.
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