Tuff Turf (2000) from Tuna

Tuff Turf (1985) stars James Spader as that rarest of High School rebels, a true individual. 
His family has just moved from a rich life-style in Connecticut because his father lost his business. He lives in the shadow of his perfect older brother. His transcript is consistent -- great grades, and always in trouble. He almost immediately falls for Kim Richards, and doesn't let the fact that she is "owned" by the toughest hood in the school, Paul Mones, bother him. He manages to make a friend of Robert Downey Jr.  

NUDITY REPORT

Kim Richards has some pokies, and a body double (Fiona Morris), who briefly shows her nipples during a sex scene with Spader.
You might be able to predict an inevitable showdown between Mones and Spader, with Spader beating the bad guys and winning the girl, but why jump to the end when there is so much fun betting there?

DVD info from Amazon.

  • Widescreen anamorphic, 1.85:1

  • no meaningful features

This film is good escapist teensploitation fare (except for the dearth of nudity) directed by Fritz Kiersch. 

Richards dances (well) and Spader sings. 

The Critics Vote

  • Maltin 1.5/4.

The People Vote ...

  • With their votes ... IMDB summary: IMDb voters score it 5.0. 
IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, this film is a C+.

Return to the Movie House home page