Wax on, wax off, wax nostalgic: It’s the season finale of Not Playing, and we have both a special guest and a special movie.

Neither Lex or Dan had ever seen the seminal 1984 martial arts classic The Karate Kid. And neither had The Incomparable host Jason Snell, who joins us to watch one of Ralph Macchio’s finest performances.

Hot topics include Elisabeth Shue’s sweater collection, the power of the montage, and whether Mr. Miyagi is kind of a jerk—if a preternaturally good karate teacher. Sweep the leg!

You can support Not Playing by streaming The Karate Kid from Amazon, or by ordering the DVD. iTunes fans can support the show by snagging the film via this link. And while you’re in iTunes, think about leaving us a review or a rating. Seriously. We know karate.

"The Karate Kid"

Lex Friedman and Dan Moren with Jason Snell

As with every episode of Not Playing, there are two versions of the podcast. In the regular episode, we discuss what we know about the film before we watch, and then share our reactions immediately after the credits roll.

There’s also the Commentary Track, where we still discuss what we know about the film before we start watching it. Then, we provide a real-time commentary track on the film as it unfolds—and you can tag along. We’ll tell you when to press Play.

Thanks for joining us this season on Not Playing. We’ll be back! (We’ve each seen at least two movies where Arnold Schwarzenegger utters his version of that line.)

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