Tuff Turf
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.
cult, violence