Johnny Tough is a unique movie for both 1974 and the Black-exploitation genre. At first, I assumed the movie would deal more on race than youth. I was wrong on both. Although the movie is centered around Johnny, the movie deals more with the parents and how they are not parenting. The typical media stereotype on the "black family" will showcase a single parent home with an absent Father with a lifestyle that is poor and a bad neighborhood. Here, we do not see any of this. Johnny lives in a good neighborhood, in a good house with plenty of food. Money is not an issue. Both parents live together as they are well dressed and well feed. Still, Johnny has troubles. The concept of parents not being parents is displayed. Just like Johnny's teacher, he is calling it in and doesn't want to be a teacher. He too has lost respect and isn't teaching anything other then telling his students to be quiet and not to move. Johnny's parents are either busy with their side hobbies or are too tired by the end of the day to be parents. It is this unique story line that is expressing the idea that it takes more than being present to be effective.
Review of Tough
