Tuff Turf

**_A troubled new kid on the block has to dance and fight for a girl, not to mention respect_** A prep from Connecticut (James Spader) starts his senior year at a public school in Los Angeles after his father loses his company and scales down in SoCal. He sets his eyes on the beautiful girlfriend (Kim Richards) of a gang leader (Paul Mones) and all hell breaks loose. "Tuff Turf" (1985) is similar plot-wise to “The Karate Kid” from the year prior, but isn’t as effective because it tries to be too many things. It’s a musical, a coming-of-age drama, a teen comedy, a romance, an art film and a bloody gang flick all rolled into one. The first half is an amusing musical with pizazz while the second half turns dramatic and violent. In short, it’s a mishmash of “Grease” (1978), “The Warriors” (1979), “Valley Girl” (1983), “Rumble Fish” (1983) and “The Karate Kid.” I like it, but the finale in the warehouse devolves into larger-than-life surrealness. Still, the music’s great, Spader carries the movie, Robert Downey Jr. is entertaining in an early role and Kim Richards (child actress from the 70s) is jaw-dropping with her stunning hair. The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area. GRADE: B-