Tuff Turf Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1985

Stuffy movie critics move aside, because I'm about to review Tuff Turf, a unique 80's flick that was cheesier than last night's pizza. We're about to enter a world where deep subjects such as teenage rebellion and social class strife are examined alongside bicycle vandals and dancing street gangs. The movie's quirky direction and gaudy style would make many of today's moviegoers gnash their teeth, but if you're a true child of the 80's you'll find Tuff Turf to be a perfect snapshot of the times. A time where movies were all about fun - realism be damned.

When I popped Tuff Turf into the DVD player I couldn't help but smile upon witnessing the opening moments. It was instantly clear to me that this movie was going to shout "Pure 80's" at the top of its lungs, making it a perfect candidate for this website and 80's enthusiasts.

As Tuff Turf opens a street gang led by Nick Hauser (Paul Mones) is harassing an innocent businessman on a dark Los Angeles street, intent on robbing him at knifepoint. Before the armed robbery can take place a mysterious young man on a bike rides by and thwarts the crime without ever dismounting or interrupting his flow. The businessman scrambles to safety during the distraction, the gang curses the bike-riding stranger and the rescuer pedals off to home.

No, this isn't an episode of Smallville where a teenaged superman was commanding the bike. The rider was none other than Morgan Hiller (James Spader), a spoiled ex-rich kid whose family just moved from a posh Connecticut neighborhood to a slummy area of Los Angeles after losing its fortune.

Ah, but the story has just begun! Morgan attends his first day of school, which proves to be a busy day. He strikes up a friendship with Jimmy Parker (Robert Downey Jr.) an effeminate drummer that owns a pair of vicious Doberman pinchers. He also discovers that the street gang he made enemies with the previous evening attends the same school… and they want revenge. This violent pack of criminals do what any self-respecting street gang would: they run over his bicycle!

Morgan is a bit ticked off with this turn of events, but he doesn't let it get to him. Instead he gets even by putting the moves on Hauser's beautiful girlfriend, Frankie Croyden (Kim Richards), by forcing her to dance at an 80's new wave club. The gang leader observes his rebellious nemesis dancing with his gal, but when one of his cronies attempts to start a fight Morgan puts on some fancy dance moves that would make Patrick Swayze throw in the towel. He quite literally makes the gang member join in the dance, pounds him and heads out of the club without missing a beat.

The rest of the film depicts the budding relationship between Morgan and Frankie, as well as the violent encounters that take place between Morgan and Hauser's gang. As to be expected with any such film, Tuff Turf concludes in a final violent showdown between the rich rebel and the thuggish gang.

If the description above leaves you scratching your head saying, "What the heck is he talking about?" then I can only recommend you watch Tuff Turf for yourself. This is a pure 80's film that is not easily defined by words – you have to be familiar with the glitzy decade to fully appreciate it. For the most part Tuff Turf is a drama that places the focus on the characters rather than the action, but there's plenty of hard-hitting fight scenes involved too. When you add the sheer craziness of the aforementioned dance scene as well as a wonderfully diverse soundtrack of 80's pop, rock and instrumentals, this movie can be summed up in one word: fun!

Don't try to pick the storyline, character development or realism apart or you'll find a lot to hate since Tuff Turf is totally cheesy. But then, if you try to critique a movie like this you're missing the entire point. Clearly this wasn't a film meant to be critiqued or taken seriously; it's sole objective is to provide a shallow, light slice of 80's entertainment. On that basis alone I will score Tuff Turf a respectable 8 stars. This isn't high art, but taken for what it is it served to entertain me.

Movie rating: 8 stars

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Other Resources:

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