Tuff Turf (1985)

Here is a movie that creeps into my mind every now & again. It is a film called Tuff Turf, which was released around at this time back in 1985. I even saw this in a theatre! I was only six years old. My family – they were a little lax to say the least. At the time I found the movie to be very entertaining. It is basically a Romeo and Juliet type of story. Boy and girl fall in love, despite her menacing boyfriend. It was romantic, suspenseful, and even slightly humorous. There are two distinct scenes that have always come to mind whenever I think about this movie: one scene is when Kim Richards and a friend were sitting at a table located outside of a fast-food joint and they were running late for something. Her friend was slowly eating her lunch (kinda like me; I'm a slow eater too) so an anxious Kim Richards grabbed her burger and just shoved it in her face. I thought that scene was quite funny. Another memorable moment was the violent climactic end, which was very drawn out. The showdown took place inside some abandoned warehouse. I remember being particularly frightened by that scene because the bad guy just would not die. No matter how hard James Spader fought, the guy would not go down. There is also some cheesy eighties song at the end of the movie, which is kinda catchy. It goes: "T-U-F-F. You're so tough..." Something like that. I have actually seen this film only that one time, but it is something I still kind of vividly remember. I give it a B- I think it's pretty good. Probably somewhat dated now. Also, Robert Downey Jr. is in this. It's one of his earlier roles. Decades before playing Tony Stark.

This mid-80's James Spader vehicle starts off well enough, but its too long for its own good and becomes meandering after awhile. Not to say that this high-school rebellion/revenge movie isn't watchable, as it is, thanks, in no small part, to good acting, a great soundtrack and a perfectly suitable sense of style. It just sadly falls apart far before the end credits, complete with a song based on the title of the film, roll. Still perfectly good for a lazy rainy day afternoon. Also if you're simply looking to get a gander at the awesome Kim Richards topless, I have a little bit of bad news as its a body double.My Grade: C+

I suppose that if both your parents are teachers, being in a film with a misspelt title is a pretty good way to rebel. IMDb says that both of James Spader's parents were teachers, and he left school in the 11th grade, so ... well, make up your own mind. To make up for the possible lack of difficulty in playing a rebellious New Englander, this role is all singing, all dancing, all cycling ...... well, I think he sings the line at the start of the film, but the song he sings seems to be dubbed (despite the credits failing to clarify this point either way). And there is absolutely no attempt made to make it seem he is really playing the piano.Spader has never been in anything musical since this, but I will say that his dancing is very good.This is a cross between a rather sweet romantic comedy and one of those films that is unbelievably, mindblowingly idiotic. I particularly liked the line, "This is the 80s!" No kidding! So that would account for the outfits and the hairstyles.amazon.co.uk deleted part of my review (without my knowledge or consent) because I noted that Kim Richards's hair was unusually long. But it was: especially by the standards of the 1980s. Nor did Amazon like my comment that Spader looks as if he is wearing eyeliner during the fight scene at the end. But he does. With his flicked fringe and apparent eyeliner, he resembles the late Princess Diana, IMHO.Most of the songs are ones that aren't played much now, but "People That Died" was used in a retrospective on the drama series "Six Feet Under". It was played during a montage. Amazon didn't want that in the review either.I recommend this to all of Spader's fans. You'll laugh, you'll lust, you'll cringe with embarrassment.It was the 80s.Very much so.

Anyone interested in seeing what kind of films James Spader started his career with should begin with Tuff Turf. The New Kids would show a darker side of Spader, but that film also covers the same territory. The story deals with a spoiled brat troublemaker (Spader) whose family is forced to move to a seedy area of L.A. from Connecticut after they somehow lose all their money. Back where he comes from, you can tell Spader was the toughest and coolest kid in school, but the tougher kids from his new school quickly have him on the run. After breaking up an attempted mugging by the school's toughest gang, Spader gets his butt kicked and his property destroyed numerous times. To make things worse of course, Spader falls in love with the gang leader's girlfriend (Richards), and she has feelings for him, too. Needless to say, you don't mess around with a gang leader's woman! Even if you are James Spader.The film, though full of clichés as ancient as Romeo and Juliet, starts off with definite promise. The opening scene where Spader stops the mugging is exceptional. It's well-paced,well- filmed, and the action blocked perfectly. Every step the gang members take across the street as they pull out their weapons is well-choreographed. The film shifts gears somewhat as we see Spader adjust to his new school the following day. We are introduced to Robert Downey Jr.'s character, and he always livens things up in any film. His character is a bit of an enigma, to be certain. He quickly befriends Spader, yet he seems to know the gang well enough to borrow the gang leader's Camaro and things like that. He also plays drums for a pretty cool punk band we are introduced to a while later.The tone of the film is wildly inconsistent. The second half hour is bewilderingly bad. Spader, Downey, Richards, and another chick take the gang leader's car for a joyride to some posh locations where presumably Spader feels more at home. The group invades a country club in an excruciatingly bad scene which culminates with Spader playing the piano for his new love interest while she sits atop the instrument and looks embarrassed. Spader's singing performance sounds a lot like the first out-take of a James Blunt recording session before he's warmed up. In other words, it sucks. Things get worse as the group moves to a trendy dance club and Richards does some kind of dirty dance while the entire venue stops to check her out. Simply put, the scene is horrible.The acting is good enough. Spader and Downey just pretty much be themselves. Richards is certainly worth risking your life over. She's pretty, and she's cool enough to have Motley Crue pictures all over her bedroom walls! Paul Mones, who plays the gang leader is charismatic, but ultimately kind of wimpy. He really isn't too intimidating without his homies, and none of them look that tough, (excuse me...TUFF) either. Some of the music is a great example of the early 80s punk scene in L.A.. That Jack Mack and the Heart Attack band from the club is pretty lame, to say the least! No wonder some guy bombed the 1996 Olympics while they were playing a show! The Verdict: 5 of 10 stars. Basically for James Spader fans, only.The Hound.