Neil Gray
Welcome to Trailer Of The Week. The most fun you can have in a minute and a half with all your clothes on. Every seven days we’ll be looking at the promotional tool that captured our hearts and minds the most. Then we’ll be telling you why. Simple enough, right?
First under the microscope is More Than Miyagi, documentary looking at the life and struggles of Pat Morita. I’ve always had a soft spot for Pat Morita and not just because of The Karate Kid, though it’d be a lie if I was to claim that that wasn’t my original exposure to the man. His portrayal of Mr. Miyagi is easily the high point of that film if for no other reason than the sheer hell he put Daniel through, but it was from there I had a jumping off point to look further into his career.
It turned out that he was a man who was a very popular stand-up comedian, but that wasn’t all. He starred in the first-ever Asian-American sitcom on network TV and he also had nearly 100 Film and TV appearances to his name by the time of his passing, which is quite an achievement.
What I didn’t know, however, was that Pat Morita spent the vast majority of his life battling alcoholism. This is something that the trailer for More Than Miyagi focuses on and would seem to be a big part of the documentary and I have to admit, I’m fascinated. It starts off simply enough, with his friends and those who knew him best, talking about what a great comedian and person he was and then it switches gear when his problems with the bottle start to take center stage.
From a childhood that saw him spend a lot of time in a body cast before he could walk properly, through World War II, there seems to have been a lot of overriding factors that caused Pat Morita’s depression and, according to the trailer, he chose to self medicate with drink and drugs.
This promises to be a very interesting look into the mind of a comedian who, though beloved by those that knew him, could never seem to shake the need to dull his pain through whatever means necessary and as long as it’s done with love and respect, it could easily become a contender for Documentary of the Year.
So what do you think of the trailer for More Then Miyagi? Do you agree with Neil? Let us know in the comments! And if you’re looking for horror trailers we’ve got you covered!
