The Legend of Billie Jean

Watch: The Legend of Billie Jean

PG-13

7/19/19851h 36m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ When you're seventeen, people think they can do anything to you. Billie Jean is about to prove them wrong. ~

Overview:

Average Texas teen, Billie Jean Davy, is caught up in an odd fight for justice. She is usually followed and harrased around by local boys, who, one day, decide to trash her brother's scooter for fun. The boys' father refuses to pay them back the price of the scooter. The fight for "fair is fair" takes the teens around the state and produces an unlikely hero.

Director:

Matthew Robbins

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$3,099,497.00

Key words:

sexual abuse
chase
runaway
texas
fugitive
girl heroine
female protagonist
false accusations
attempted rape
social justice
brother sister relationship
accidental shooting

Cast

Helen Slater

~ as ~

Billie Jean Davy

Christian Slater

~ as ~

Binx Davy

Keith Gordon

~ as ~

Lloyd Muldaur

Yeardley Smith

~ as ~

Putter

Martha Gehman

~ as ~

Ophelia

Peter Coyote

~ as ~

Lt. Larry Ringwald

Dean Stockwell

~ as ~

Muldaur

Barry Tubb

~ as ~

Hubie Pyatt

Richard Bradford

~ as ~

Pyatt

Mona Lee Fultz

~ as ~

Donna Davy

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

Wuchak
Written 6 year(s) ago
5
Just kill Binx and problem solved

A blonde teen from Gulf Coast Texas named Billie Jean and her little brother, Binx (Helen Slater and Christian Slater), become outlaw fugitives after a mishap. Two other girls go on the lam with them wherein Billie Jean cuts her hair and, unexpectedly, becomes a cultural sensation. Keith Gordon, Peter Coyote and Dean Stockwell have peripheral roles.

Being released in 1985, the movie screams mid-80’s on every front. The soundtrack, for instance, includes cuts like “Invincible” by Pat Benatar and “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol. The first act is interesting enough but the movie somehow peters out. Helen is winsome as the protagonist, but not curvy enough to hold my interest whereas Christian, who was 15 years-old during shooting, plays his role well, but his character, Binx, is just an annoying loser who seems to always do the wrong thing. If someone just mercifully shot him at the beginning there would be no problem and no film.

While this one should be filed under subpar 80’s teen flicks, it has a few points of interest to make it worthwhile to certain viewers.

The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes and was shot in Corpus Christi, Texas, and nearby areas (e.g. Padre Island National Seashore); the closing Vermont sequence was shot in Colorado and obviously so.

GRADE: C