Tuff Turf
Tags: cult, violence

Plot synopsis:
James Spader is the cool guy named Morgan (A "tough guy" named Morgan?). He's your basic rebel whose father loses his company in Connecticut and somehow logically ends up in an apartment in California.Wait, what? I forget why his dad was bringing his business acumen from Conn. to Cali, but it's not really important to the story and gives the parents several opportunities to tell Morgan to "give dad a break, he's in a really bad spot in his life".Morgan's the underachiever (because he's lazy and uninspired, not because he's a dullard) and he's mad at the world. He befriends another loser, who later went on to become "Iron Man". That's right, Robert Downey Jr in all his DowneyJuniorness is in this movie, playing much the same role as he did in "Back to School".Early on Morgan breaks up a mugging by the latino group while never getting off his bicycle and singing "Bee Bop O Lula" and then he spots Frankie, who's the girlfriend of the gang leader. She's naturally attracted to his bad boy whitebreadedness, as are most chicks who inexplicably date gang leaders. It's kinda like "Westside Story" except Morgan is the only Jet in sight while there are plenty of Sharks around. Frankie is played by the eternally gorgeous Kim Richards, which was the only reason I had to see this movie back then. The situation actually gets pretty dicey for Morgan and at times there doesn't seem to be any way out. He gets the obligatory beatdown and is warned to stay away from Frankie. It doesn't happen though, and hilarity ensues.To see James Spader all blown up like Bill Shatner today just makes me realize the true victim in all of this is me.Anyway, the rumble that we all know is coming happens and the Jet wins! J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets!As a waste of a chilly night in Michigan, I'd say this was as good a way to do it as any.

Review: Interesting film staring James Spader as the young punk rich kid, Matt Clark as his shell shocked father, Robert Downey Jr. as his high school buddy and Kim Richards (Escape To Witch Mountain) as his soon to be girlfriend.
The music was non-stop and the story's tone and shape zips-around, as early on we seemed to move from one joint to another featuring blaring tunes and raving dance moves.Morgan Miller and his family have just moved from Connecticut to Los Angeles, where he encounters and interferes with the local gang led by the psychotic Nick Hauser.
James Spader also gives a sincere performance, which couldn't have been easy with some of these scenes (he is forced to serenade Kim Richards on the piano).
The best scenes, IMO, are the country club montage (Olivia Barash blithely asking the rich girls "You do swallow, right?"), and when Richards and Spader finally hit it off at a club.
This was my all time favorite movie of the 1980's, and having the beautiful Kim Richards in it, and the ever cute James Spader made it worth watching time after time,,When Morgan moved to yet another new school and fell for the leader of the Tuff's girlfriend it was the start of a non stop battle of wills and reputations, it prooves that the good guy does always get the girl and that some things are worth fighting for.
Some people believe this is the movie that ended Kim's career, to me it just never got the recognition it deserved,I just wish Kim would consider making a comeback to prove to everyone she has what it takes to be one of the great actresses of all time, your fans miss you Kim!.
The movie deals with a troublesome youth named Morgan Hiller (James Spader) who moves with his family to Los Angeles from Connecticut.
The gang leader's hot girlfriend, Frankie (Kim Richards) seems to be impressed with this new kid in town.
tuff turf was one of those movies i used to rent over and over again as a kid.Kim Richards always made it especially easy to keep watching.i think it was that amazing hair and raspy voice that hooked me each time.i hadn't seen it for approximately 15 years but recently purchased it on DVD.i was unsure if i would still like it but after watching it again,and remembering vividly every scene,i loved it just as much as i always did.it is still one of my favorite movies of all time.it has all the ingredients a classic 80's movie should have and deserved a lot more recognition and acclaim.would love to see what Kim looks like now.i will have to keep checking in on this site to see if she has any movies on the rise..
James Spader is great in the lead, Kim Richards has  a killer body and Robert Downy Jr .
You get to see the formation of some of their respective trademark mannerisms.Overall: strange plot, seems to sit between genres, starts off as a sort of High School rom-com but quickly descends into a rough teen thriller, with two major and totally random music numbers in the first part, both of which are arse-numbingly boring and ludicrous.Having said that - James Spader's singing is nice - he's got a good voice but nothing wow, which is why it's interesting that the filmmakers have included it, but it lends a touch of authenticity to a highly stylized 80s flick.
Her back story is convincing (and so is Spader's).The "baddy" of the piece is suitably threatening - you do feel intimidated by the violence and his gang throughout, and I did hold my breath on a few occasions - in terms of the suspense and fight scenes - two thumbs up.
Morgan Hiller (James Spader) is a new kid in high school.
He makes enemies with the local gang...but the gang leader's girlfriend (Kim Richards) falls for him.The plot is very predictable but this still is lots of fun to watch.
Most of the acting is very good especially by Richards and a then unknown Robert Downey Jr. Spader was a little bit too mannered for the role but he was OK.This is no unsung masterpiece but I think it's a good strong 80s flick.
Anyone interested in seeing what kind of films James Spader started his career with should begin with Tuff Turf.
To make things worse of course, Spader falls in love with the gang leader's girlfriend (Richards), and she has feelings for him, too.
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.
I only saw this film Recently...although Ive know about it existence since It came out...I was first under the impression before i saw it...that Spaders Character was a tough guy....But I was wrong....His character was one that simply cant stay out of trouble.And Yeah,he takes quite a beating in this film.If there is one real tragedy about this film,its that the Talented and beautiful Kim Richards who gives a wonderful performance here, never went on to better things after this.She is better known as a Child actress which probably explains why her career floundered once she grew upI was quite surprised by the Musicals numbers in this film,since i was simply expecting the standard punk film....But the 80s hairstyles,dress styles,and makeup made me wanna throw up.What were people thinking back then anyway.All in all,a pretty good film...and KIM,Start acting again..we miss ya.
Also, excellent acting by Robert Downey.More importantly, probably the best teen actress ever to hit the big screen - Kim Richards!!!Aside from the great acting, the plot was new for the 80s - not the typical bubble-gum teen movie - but a darker side of teen movies..
this film was different from the looks of kim richards and robert downey to the music it was very fresh for its time.it was serious high camp.
kim richards the star of many disney films gives what seems to be one of her last roles a nice performance as the tough girl unsure of why spaders character is attracted to her.spaders performance was a bit wooden and came across as dull.the second leads added life to the dull moments especially robert downeys energy added to this film made it worth watching.
James Spader got himself a breakout role in Tuff Turf as a preppy kid from Connecticut resettled in a California public high school.
Even though the family has had some financial reverses and aren't living the life Spader has become accustomed to, he still thinks of himself as to the manor born.So when he spots Kim Richards who is the girlfriend of gang leader Paul Montes he decides to move in.
Spader loses a bit of that preppy arrogance and Richards gradually realizes that Montes is a loser in the long run and she likes being treated with a little dignity and respect.Robert Downey, Jr. is in Tuff Turf as well in the sidekick role for Spader.
Many a man who was a boy in the late-70's and/or early-80's would love to see Kim Richards returning to the silver screen, but after playing the female lead in this stinkeroo and some of her subsequent roles, it's hard to blame her for bowing out.The movie stars James Spader(the 1980's answer to David Hemmings) as Morgan Hiller, a kid from Connecticut who's moved to Los Angeles by his parents and immediately has to deal with the school thugs lead by Nick Hauser(Paul Mones)who wreck his bike for kicks.
A REAL Los Angeles gang would've wiped these kids out with a single shot, to say nothing of the Jets & Sharks from "West Side Story." Those who saw a certain episode of "House of Buggin'" know what I'm talking about.Anyway, Morgan falls for the gang-leader's gun moll, Frankie Croyden, played by none other than Kim. Obviously, she thinks he's a wimp and a pushover and wants nothing to do with him, but this is the movies, and in movies men easily get the women they want.
And in movies like this, the bad girl falls for the good boy, which she shouldn't, which p***es off her lover and leads to a huge gang war between the hero, and his new friends.
I was expecting some enjoyable cheese, a la Savage Streets or The New Kids, or vivid SoCal mid 80's atmosphere, like in Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, but instead got an absolutely godawful hodgepodge of Rebel Without A Cause, Romeo and Juliet, and the worst music since Disney's The Country Bears.
Decent performances by Kim Richards and Matt Clark (as Spader's dad) didn't help the meandering story, headache-inducing examination of "violence" and poor/rich class warfare, and confusing main character.
This film was so influential to me back in 1986 that I took my dad'sportable video camera (The kind where you strap the deck overyour shoulder like a bag and has a cord running to the camera),grabbed the neighborhood kids in our street and re-enactedscenes from Tuff turf after we had just finished viewing it for thethird time in a rental day row.Hell, I even stole the soundtrack and dubbed the dialogue into ourversion of the film.The tuff guys, the not-so tuff guy who is misunderstood by hisparents and tuff guys who beat him up every chance they have, asexy lead actress (why Kim Richards did not get an award forlongest, straightest hair is a travesty!) But best of all is the soundtrack!
Time capsule-like showcase of the (laughable) looks, sounds, & attitudes of the 80s features implausible characters & story (especially the last half hour) with zero resolution, painfully slow pacing, & a score that doesn't fit at all..
James Spader and Kim Richards made the film enjoyable each time I watched it!Classic tale of a boy (James Spader) moves to new town and falls for girl (Kim Richards) who happens to be the girlfriend of the local gang leader.
Sure the movie doesn't have the the most imaginative of plots but it's all excitement in a movie which tells us all that some things are worth fighting for.James Spader would go on to have a nice career in film.
It's not as well known as some of the other movies that Robert Downey Jr and James Spader are in, but it's a solid movie that's worth watching.
Robert Downey Jr steals the movie in every scene he is in and provides much needed comic relief.The action is enjoyable and James Spader does an excellent job as the former rich kid, trying to make it in a new school.
A young James Spader plays Morgan, a bad-boy rich kid who moves to L.A. and instantly gets in bad with the locally gang who owns the turf.
But things get worse when Morgan falls in love with the gang leader's girlfriend (the talented and WAY HOT!
The film's got surprisingly good acting and a young Robert Downey Jr. co-stars as Morgan's best friend.
Morgan (Spader) makes enemies with a gang the night before his first day in his new school.
And quite soon there is some magnetism between the gang leader's girl and Morgan...Can't say I was bored watching this movie but I thought it was a little bit too long.
James Spader is the rebel who gets on the wrong side of the Tuffs, the most feared gang in high school, led by Mick, a fantastic ferocious performance by Paul Mones who outdoes Spader in the acting league.
Even though it runs over two hours in running time, time just breezes past in this movie, that saw Robert Downey Junior in one of his first roles, as an out there student/wannabe rocker, who befriends Spader.
The movie opens up with a great soundtrack, as our rebel crusader, Spader, prevents a mugging from the Tuffs, which is how he ends up on the wrong side of them as they happen to attend the same school, that he's just started at.
To make things worse Spader falls for the gang leader's woman, Frankie (Kim Richards in an impressive, dynamic, and very real performance, proving later on that's she's not as tough as she acts out.
Some unexpected surprises arrive in this film too, with Spader and friends (and that includes, Mick's girl) crash a good club posing as members, skimming the huge buffet, smorgasboard, but funny too, is the way they blend in with the other folk, Downey always the comedian.
It is amazing that James Spader's career wasn't ruined by this film, it is nothing short of a miracle, and don't even get me started on his performance it's like he was drunk through the entire thing and just didn't even care but can you really blame him.
Filled with great direction,a wonderful cast and a fantastic soundtrack,Tuff Turf is an entertaining 80's Teen film and a fine guilty pleasure.Set in Los Angeles,Tuff Turf tells the story of Morgan Hiller(James Spader),a rebellious teen who's family has moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start.
To make matters worse Morgan starts falls for Nick's girlfriend Frankie(Kim Richards) which angers Nick and leads to violent confrontations and chaos between Morgan and Nick who want to survive in the Tuff Turf.The 1980s were arguably the golden age of Teen films and there were Teen films that broke down into two categories Teen films that were recognized during the 1980s and became classics years later and Teen films that are obscure and little known but find audiences years later.
At the same time Morgan is a character with great depth and is multi-dimensional because while Morgan is a rebel he's not a criminal or thug but just a very troubled and confused teenager that has to deal with the pressures of growing up,his parents,falling for Frankie as well as trying to battle Nick and his gang.
The Action and fight scenes are well done and memorable with toughness and great pace and truly adds to the film.
TT is a Teen film then it's a gang film as well as an Action film and all of those elements can make the movie confusing at times.
I guess TT was trying to make a Teen film that was different from other Teen films at the time by making a genre mash-up film and throwing in everything but the kitchen sink in this movie and sometimes it succeeds and other times it fails The final 15-20 minutes of Tuff Turf are Action-packed and thrilling and a great ending and fun cap-off to the film.The whole cast is wonderful.
Kim Richards is wonderful and beautiful as Frankie,Morgan's love interest and Nick's girlfriend.
The film also has a great soundtrack with songs from Jack Mack And The Heart Attack(So Tuff,Green Onions,She's Looking Good),Jim Carroll(People Who Died,Voices,It's Too Late),Marianne Faithful(Love Hates),Southside Johnny(Tuff Turf),Lene Lovich(Breakin' The Rules(What Do You Do When Opposites Attract),Dale Gonyea With J.R.
Great soundtrack.In final word,if you love Teen Films,Gang Films or Action films,I suggest you see Tuff Turf,a film that's flawed and far from perfect but is entertaining,fun and is well worth your time.
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.
I rented this film because I'm a fan of Kim Richards, who starred in "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "Return to Witch Mountain."This movie reminded me so much of "West Side Story" because of the gang violence, all the dance numbers, and the events that parallel the story in "West Side Story." You can tell that whoever wrote the screenplay for "Tuff Turf" closely patterned it off of the sequence of events in "West Side Story" and "Romeo and Juliet." A guy meets a girl at a dance, she's part of a gang that doesn't like this guy, and despite being on opposite sides of the tracks, the guy and the girl fall for each other, and obstacles and bad things happen as a result.
I really enjoyed this movie, it had a good love story, and there was a lot of suspense because you really didn't know whether this movie would have a happy ending or a tragic ending.I'm surprised Kim Richards never made anymore movies after this.
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.
Nor did Amazon like my comment that Spader looks as if he is wearing eyeliner during the fight scene at the end.
The fact that Spader has an eye for the stunning girlfriend of Mones, Kim Richards, doesn't help his situation, either, but it's a great set-up for a violent, fast-paced teen flick.After this little gem, Spader starred as one of the screen's greatest miscreants, Eddie Dutra, in Sean Cunningham's incredible "The New Kids" (see my review).
the movie starts off really well..with James Spader(morgan hiller) looking at his best and kim richards looking even better.
(while anybody who is watching the movie would want him to pick up a real gun from a nearby store and shot the bad guy down after what he had done to his father, him , his g/f and his to be father-in-law) kim has a great role, looks FABULOUS and yes she should have gotten more films.
Preppy bad boy Morgan Hiller (an excellent and charismatic performance by James Spader in an early lead role) transfers from an East Coast prep school to a new school in a rough Los Angeles neighborhood.
An incorrigible troublemaker, Morgan runs afoul of vicious gang leader Nick Hauser (a nicely menacing portrayal by Paul Mones) and falls for Nick's foxy girlfriend Frankie (Kim Richards at her most insanely hot and appealing).