All The Right Moves

High school athlete Tom Cruise would do anything to escape the dull provincialism of his hometown. Cruise's bullying coach Craig T. Nelson cajoles Cruise into seeking an athletic scholarship to a major university. Inevitably, the boy begins to question his goals in life, and soon his soul is the object of a tug of war between Nelson and Cruise's girlfriend Lea Thompson. The first directional effort for cinematographer Michael Chapman, All The Right Moves eschews the usual raunchy trappings of early 1980's "teen flicks".

Synopsis

Stefan (Tom Cruise) is determined to leave the sleepy Pennsylvania mining town of Ampipe where he is growing up. An exceptional athlete, Stef sees football as his ticket out. His pursuit of a scholarship, however, brings him at odds with his combative coach (Craig T. Nelson). While rebelling against his coach and his town, Stef takes up with Lisa Litski (Lea Thompson), an attractive schoolmate and talented saxophone player. Tom Cruise graduated to leading man status with this film, one of many early 1980s pictures with strong teen identities. His sexy, defiant presence carries the film. First time director Michael Chapman (cinematographer of TAXI DRIVER and many other films) proves himself especially adept in capturing the intense football sequences.