Seen It

As I didn't manage to watch any movies last night (to my great chagrin), I thought I would share about one from a little while ago that I have great fondness for. It's called "Tuff Turf", and while not every cast member is very happy with having it on their resume, I was very happy watching it. It's an interesting film. James Spader plays a newcomer in a California town (which is LA, I guess), but he interestingly plays the guy from the right side of the tracks. That is to say that his family is formerly rich, and very mannered.

He meets Robert Downey Jr, who plays a more streetwise teen, and Kim Richards, a romantic foil with hair that reaches well below her waistline. It's a hell of a thing to see. In any event, Spader's entanglement with her arouses the ire of a school tough, and a a variety of hijinks ensue. There's no need to get into any more plot than that, since this movie is more heavy on youthful attitude and music. Like I said, I liked it an awful lot.

It's hard to say what anyone would have against this movie. It's a little dated, maybe. It's got some cheesy, campy aspects to it. The song and dance stuff the film does may be out of style now, but it's exuberant and well executed. The class stuff is reasonable. There's some tolerable action to it. I like the performances. I don't know if the young actors got much help, but maybe their instincts were just good. They're compelling and fun.

I don't think they really make movies like this anymore. They make movies for teenagers more than ever- in fact they're practically the exclusive audience now- and yet so many of those movies depict adults and otherworldly beings. There's not a lot of true to life movies for youths or stylized ones, which if as true as it feels is a real shame. "Brick" comes to mind, and then not a lot else. They must be there, but there aren't enough like Tuff Turf.