Tuff Turf (1985)

The new kid in school must battle a gang of street toughs after stealing the gang leader's girl.

Director:

Fritz Kiersch

Writers:

Jette Rinck (screenplay by), Greg Collins O'Neill (story by)

Stars:

James Spader, Kim Richards, Paul Mones

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Spader	...	Morgan Hiller
Kim Richards	...	Frankie Croyden
Paul Mones	...	Nick Hauser
Matt Clark	...	Stuart Hiller
Claudette Nevins	...	Page Hiller
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Jimmy Parker (as Robert Downey)
Olivia Barash	...	Ronnie
Panchito Gómez	...	Mickey (as Panchito Gomez)
Michael Wyle	...	Eddie
Catya Sassoon	...	Feather
Francis X. McCarthy	...	Man at Bus Stop (as Frank McCarthy)
Art Evans	...	Security Guard
Herb Mitchell	...	Mr. Russell
Ceil Cabot	...	Secretary
Donald Fullilove	...	Howard

Storyline

At the start of his senior year in high school, Morgan's father has lost his company, so the family moves from Connecticut, where they've been in the yacht club, to an apartment in the San Fernando Valley. Morgan has grown up in the shadow of his high-achieving older brother, and he seems to have a knack for getting into trouble. He also has a stubborn streak, so when he finds himself attracted to Frankie, the girlfriend of the leader of a local gang of youthful thugs, he can't stop himself from pushing her for a relationship. The thug thinks of Frankie as his property and sees the cool, urbane Morgan as dead meat. Is this a struggle to the death?

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | bare chested male | male in underwear | suntan pantyhose | pantyhose | 

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Taglines:

Meet Morgan Hiller. He's a rebel about to become a hero.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second movie with Robert Downey Jr. where The Beatles song Twist and shout(1963) is being song. The other movie being Back to School (1986).

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Goofs

After Frankie spills wine on her dress, she says "it's ruined", however when she walks past the dinner table as she leaves the house, there's no visible stain on her dress.

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Quotes

Ronnie: Don't let them fool you, it's the 80s, size does matter... I mean not in bed, we're all the same size in bed.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, we see Morgan, Frankie, Jimmy and Ronnie dancing and playing instruments with Jack Mack and the Heart Attack at Club 60's.

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Alternate Versions

In the new DVD version (released March 2001), the song "Breakin' the Rules" is sung by Lene Lovich, as it was in the original theatrical version. However, on this same version, the credits mistakingly list the singer as Jonathan Elias, whose version was used in the first home video release of this film.

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Connections

Referenced in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

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Soundtracks

People Who Died
Written and Performed by Jim Carroll and the Jim Carroll Band
Courtesy of Earl McGrath Music

User Reviews

Great L.A. gang flick.

This was one of my favorite movies growing up. The movie deals with a troublesome youth named Morgan Hiller (James Spader) who moves with his family to Los Angeles from Connecticut. One night, while bicycling through the city, he interrupts a robbery-in-progress by a gang. The gang leader's hot girlfriend, Frankie (Kim Richards) seems to be impressed with this new kid in town. They see him the following day at school and all hell breaks loose. There is a strong attraction between Morgan and Frankie, which makes for even more trouble with the gang leader, Nick (Paul Mones) and his posse. The soundtrack is good with a little bit of everything from punk rock to new wave. It also features music by Marianne Faithful, Southside Johnny, The Jim Carroll Band, and others. Lots of music, '80s campy fashion, and great fight sequences.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 January 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tuff Turf

Filming Locations:

Sandy's Char Burger - 6223 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,509,380, 13 January 1985

Gross USA:

$9,369,329

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,369,329

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures, Planet Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1