feelsalike.comSign in
The Karate Kid poster

Movies that feel likeThe Karate Kid (1984)

New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.

If you loved The Karate Kid, the closest films we have are Rocky IV (1985), In a Better World (2010) and Remember the Titans (2000). All three share The Karate Kid's contemplative and warm feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Wendy and Lucy (2008).

πŸ… 81% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.4 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. John G. Avildsenkineticcontemplativewarm
8 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Disney Plus

Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.

Stream it:Netflix β†—
See it on the Mood Map

When is The Karate Kid streaming? β†’

If The Karate Kid hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: The Karate Kid Part II (1986) Β· The Karate Kid (2010)

Rocky IV poster
Rocky IV
1985 Β· dir. Sylvester Stallone
πŸ… 38%β˜… 6.9drama Β· actionPrime VideoParamount+

Both are built on the same subject: friendship

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Rocky Balboa holds the world heavyweight championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union. This time, Rocky's training regimen takes him to Siberia, where he prepares for a globally televised match in the heart of Moscow. But nothing can truly prepare him for what he's about to face – a fight to the finish, in which he must defend not only himself, but also the honor of his country!

In a Better World poster
In a Better World
2010 Β· dir. Susanne Bier
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.6drama

Two things both keep coming back to: bullying and bully

The difference: Easier on the momentum than The Karate Kid

The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait.

Remember the Titans poster
Remember the Titans
2000 Β· dir. Boaz Yakin
πŸ… 72%β˜… 7.8dramaDisney+

Common ground: high school

After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.

Death Proof poster
Death Proof
2007 Β· dir. Quentin Tarantino
πŸ… 66%β˜… 7action Β· thriller

Both land momentum and warmth at once

The difference: Sits closer to thriller than The Karate Kid does

Austin's hottest DJ, Jungle Julia, sets out into the night to unwind with her two friends Shanna and Arlene. Covertly tracking their moves is Stuntman Mike, a scarred rebel leering from behind the wheel of his muscle car, revving just feet away.

La Haine poster
La Haine
1995 Β· dir. Mathieu Kassovitz
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8.1drama

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

After a chaotic night of rioting in a marginal suburb of Paris, three young friends, Vinz, Hubert and SaΓ―d, wander around unoccupied waiting for news about the state of health of a mutual friend who has been seriously injured when confronting the police.

The Hidden Fortress poster
The Hidden Fortress
1958 Β· dir. Akira Kurosawa
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8drama Β· action Β· adventureMax

Action built on momentum, twice over

The difference: Leans harder into adventure than The Karate Kid does

In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.

Wendy and Lucy poster
Wendy and Lucy
2008 Β· dir. Kelly Reichardt
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.1drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: friendship

The difference: Made in the 2000s, in a different era of the craft

A near-penniless drifter's journey to Alaska in search of work is interrupted when she loses her dog while attempting to shoplift food for it.

Dead Presidents poster
Dead Presidents
1995 Β· dir. Albert Hughes
πŸ… 47%β˜… 6.9crime Β· drama Β· actionStarz

Contemplative family, and it commits to that

On the streets they call cash dead presidents. And that's just what a Vietnam veteran is after when he returns home from the war only to find himself drawn into a life of crime. With the aid of his fellow vets he plans the ultimate heist -- a daring robbery of an armored car filled with unmarked U.S. currency!

Pusher 3 poster
Pusher 3
2005 Β· dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.3action Β· thriller Β· crime

Both lean on warmth more than on action

Milo is aging, he is planning his daughter's 25th birthday, and his shipment of heroin turns out to be 10,000 pills of ecstasy. When Milo tries to sell the pills anyway, all Hell breaks loose and his only chance is to ask for help from his ex-henchman and old friend Radovan.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest poster
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1975 Β· dir. MiloΕ‘ Forman
πŸ… 92%β˜… 8.6drama

Contemplative drama in both cases

A petty criminal fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental ward rather than prison. He soon finds himself as a leader to the other patientsβ€”and an enemy to the cruel, domineering nurse who runs the ward.

Fearless poster
Fearless
2006 Β· dir. Ronny Yu
πŸ… 73%β˜… 7.5drama Β· action

The same preoccupation in both: martial arts

After going through a series of tragic events in his life, martial arts master Huo Yuanjia returns to Tianjin and must fight four international soldiers, in order to safeguard his nation's pride.

The Legend of Drunken Master poster
The Legend of Drunken Master
1994 Β· dir. Lau Kar-leung
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.5action Β· comedy

One thread runs through both: martial arts

Returning home with his father after a shopping expedition, Wong Fei-hung is unwittingly caught up in the battle between foreigners who wish to export ancient Chinese artifacts and loyalists who don't want the pieces to leave the country. Fei-hung must fight against the foreigners using his Drunken Boxing style, and overcome his father's antagonism as well.

In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The Karate Kid’s defining feeling.