Part of a series of preposterous cautionary tales about
juvenile delinquency that popped up in the early and mid-80s. They were all weird throwbacks to the conservatism
of the 50s, filled with sweater-wearing preppie blond actors; James Spader, of
course, being the most whitebread of them all.
Here he seems to be doing his James Dean routine; somehow being a
misunderstood genius, a subversive rebel and just an all-around good guy at the
same time. He reads John Updike and also
rides a mean bicycle. While getting
teased by the bad crowd at school, he also dates a girl from the wrong side of
the tracks, teaches his snobby parents a thing or two about tolerance, and
takes on a local gang that’s been mugging people on the streets at night. And in his spare time James and his friends manage
to make comical excursions into country clubs to terrorize the uptight
squares. Tuff Turf has a minor
reputation as a cult classic and can be enjoyed ironically for the sheer
absurdity of its bizarre agenda and execution, but it’s not really a good film.
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