The Legend of Billie Jean

Plot synopsis:
Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater), a Corpus Christi, Texas high school girl, rides with her younger brother, Binx (Christian Slater) on his Honda Elite to a local lake to go swimming. At a drive-in, Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb), a rowdy local teen, hits on Billie Jean, but Binx humiliates him. At the lake, Hubie takes his revenge, stealing Binx's scooter.
Billie Jean goes to the police with her friends Putter (Yeardley Smith) and Ophelia (Martha Gehman). Detective Ringwald (Peter Coyote) is sympathetic, but urges them to wait the problem out. Binx attempts to retrieve his scooter and returns beaten, with his scooter severely damaged. Billie Jean, Binx, and Ophelia go to Mr. Pyatt's shop to get the money ($608.00) to repair the scooter. While initially appearing helpful and understanding, Mr. Pyatt then propositions Billie Jean with a 'Pay as you go, earn as you learn' plan by which he will have sex with her. He then attempts to rape her.
Meanwhile, Binx has discovered a gun in the empty store and attempts to taunt Mr. Pyatt with it. Mr. Pyatt tells him the gun is unloaded, but Binx accidentally fires it, wounding Mr Pyatt in the shoulder. The group races away from the shop and become fugitives.
By the time Detective Ringwald realizes that he made a mistake in not listening to Billie Jean, the situation is spinning out of control. Throughout it all, Billie Jean wants only the $608 to fix her brother's scooter and an apology from Mr. Pyatt. With help from Lloyd Muldaur (Keith Gordon), the disgruntled teenage son of the district attorney, who voluntarily becomes her "hostage", Billie Jean makes a video of her demands, featuring herself with her long, blond hair chopped into a crew cut as a sign of her rebellion. As media coverage increases, Billie Jean becomes a teen icon – a symbol of youth empowerment and the evidence of the injustices adults are capable of, and young fans follow her every movement. Facing uncertain dangers, both physical and legal, Billie Jean is forced to turn her friends Putter and Ophelia in to the police for their safety. When Ringwald and the police arrive and he demands to know where Billie Jean is, Ophelia proudly and defiantly replies, "Everywhere!"
Mr. Pyatt issues a bounty for her apprehension, and Billie Jean realizes the best plan is to put an end to the extraordinary circumstances and to turn herself in. To avoid attracting too much attention, she and her brother Binx both arrive in disguise. But the disguise is blown, and the consequences descend into a violent riot, which results in Binx getting shot. As Binx is taken away in an ambulance, Billie Jean confronts Mr. Pyatt and gets him to admit his actions that led to him being shot in his store. The onlookers (including Hubie), seeing how Billie Jean was exploited and their indirect involvement in it, destroy all the Billie Jean merchandise and leave in disgust. At the end of the film Billie Jean and Binx find themselves far up in Vermont seeking some recuperation and a fresh start. Binx, after complaining about the cold, admires a red snowmobile.

Tags: cult

Review:
Full of 80's music (especially the kick-ass Pat Benatar theme song), The Legend of Billie Jean is truly a remarkable film that was overlooked by too many people for its brilliance..
And it's a good exploration into the concept of vigilante justice as a natural response to not only a cumbersome justice system, but also a discriminatory one.Helen Slater is teenager Billie Jean, a nice girl from "the trailers" of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Plus, as far as important 80s movie characteristic go, it's got good actors (Helen Slater, Christian Slater, Peter Cyote, and Kieth Gordon), and a good soundtrack (featuring Pat Benetar's "Invincible" and the Divinyls)..
Billy Jean is the name of the main character(Helen Slater, looking good) and she tries to fight for what she believes is right "Fair is fair!" He brother is played by the infamous Christian Slater (sans Jack Nicholson accent).
Its a getaway for forty something women, with an awesome but not egotistical heroine, a solid loyal sibling and a sweet sincere romantic guy that we all dream of meeting someday.The song "Invincible" from the soundtrack by Pat Bentar stirs up even more memories of a time when MTV was young and the short hair cut was a sign of rebellion and the contrary move for strong young women.
He isn't Joan of Arc, fighting to restore a legitimate King, he's much closer to Robin Hood, resisting the oppression of a King who's forfeited the loyalty of the people by not acting as a good King should.Billie Jean is a social bandit.
The Modern Joan of Arc. In Texas, the hot teenager Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater) lives with her brother Binx (Christian Slater) and her mother in a trailer.
Billie Jean goes with her brother Binx and her friend Ophelia (Martha Gehman) to the store of Huble's father Pyatt (Richard Bradford) with the repair bill and the old man lures Billie Jean and brings her to his office.
When Billie Jean watches Otto Preminger 's "Saint Joan" at Lloyd's television, she cuts her hair short and makes a video with her explanation and demands, becoming and icon worshiped by the teenagers.
Meanwhile Detective Ringwald finds the mess, he realizes that he should have listened to Billie Jean and tries to fix the situation."The Legend of Billie Jean" is a super-cult movie from the 80's and maybe Helen Slater's best film in her career.
This is my favorite movie of all time.I love the story of independence and standing up for whats right,not taking no for an answer.I love the outlaw feeling that you get from this movie.It made me want to cut my hair.Helen Slater does an outstanding job portraying this role, and could Christian be any cuter?
I realize I was born the year this movie came out but I love it regardless.I watch it every chance I get.Besides I'm stuck in the 80's anyway.I envy Billie Jean.She's so cool!
He doesn't know who he is messing with.The movie deals with the way Billie Jean goes about in getting her revenge against all odds.
In doing so, she becomes an instant celebrity to the young population in the area, who easily identify with the wronged girl and make her a folk hero.Helen Slater makes a sunny appearance as Billie Jean.
Peter Coyote is also seen as the chief of police who Billie Jean goes to present her complaint, but doesn't have enough sense to pay attention to her.Never underestimate a determined woman who is wronged.
The Music was great especially Pat banter song for the movie, and the fashion was so 80's I love the way they had all the girls in the movie following Billie Jean's style.
THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN is a cute film that stars Helen Slater as a Texas teenager who winds up hiding from police when her brother (played well by an unrelated Christian Slater) accidentally shoots a local businessman, and before long, she becomes the talk of the town.
The movie has a great theme song by Pat Benatar and good casting, including Yeardley Smith in a pre-Simpsons role and Keith Gordon as an independent filmmaker.
I saw this movie on t.v. I was watching it with my sister and we loved it it came on like three time so we watched it again.
"The Legend of Billie Jean" is a ho-hum film about a young girl (Helen Slater) who becomes wanted by the law after her younger brother (Christian Slater, no relation in real-life) accidentally shoots a small business owner.
I mean, if I can find a movie like Ice Pirates on DVD, shouldn't "Billie Jean" on the list also?
My best memories of this movie, every time me and my best friend had a slumber party we would beg my mom to rent it for us, we picked our men out of this movie she liked Christian Slater and I picked Keith Gordon.
"The Legend of Billie Jean" feels like it blazed the trail for other movies like "Natural Born Killers and "Thelma and Louise", with Helen Slater on the run, Peter Coyote in pursuit and the news media fanning the flames.
I think Peter Coyote and Keith Gordon carry the bulk of this, but as a teen movie with a catchy pop soundtrack, it's not bad.
Billie Jean (Helen Slater) lives in a Texas trailer park with her brother best friend Binx (Christian Slater).
Billy Jean, Binx, friends Putter (Yeardley Smith) and Ophelia (Martha Gehman) go on the run and become legends as she fights for "fair is fair".
The Legend of Billie Jean is a milestone in american cinema.Each of the characters symbolize specific inner battles we all deal with on a daily basis.It's beyond me why Peter Coyote didn't receive an Oscar nomination for his role as the sympathetic, down-to-earth police officer.This movie teaches us a very important lesson , if someone destroys your motor scooter,shoot their father and run away from  home.Bravo Billie Jean,Bravo..
I'm only 19 years old but I consider The Legend of Billie Jean one of my all time favorite movies.
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.
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.
Partly because I thought it was a fun flashback to the 80s when I thought this movie was so cutting-edge cool when I was still a teenager, partly because it had a soundtrack commentary by stars Helen Slater and Yeardley Smith.
It was hilarious listening to these two friends banter back and forth about who did what when and where, the horrible 80s styles and hair now that they're mothers themselves, how their daughters won't even watch it out of sheer horror their mothers were rebellious teenagers (Helen - "We're five minutes into the movie and my daughter has already left." - funny stuff), etc...
I haven't seen this movie in probably 15 years but the memories are fond and I must say that as a young boy I had a blast with it.This is the typical movie that will make you feel powerful when it comes about friendship, adventures, and most of all, revelry.Billie Jean's gang was likable and that helps a lot because you actually care for the party and feel worried for them.
Yeardley Smith, Christian Slater and his sister carry the movie completely on their back.The situations are very emotional, fun, entertaining, and most of all, interesting.Keep in mind that the movie is based on a very popular character on American culture.I caught it on HBO and I hope to watch it soon..
The Legend of Billie Jean follows the exploits of a teenage trailer park resident who goes on the run after an unfortunate sequence of events revolving around her brothers Honda scooter.
Helen Slater is fantastic as Billie Jean, and the off-beat locations and overall look of the film help to set it apart from the average eighties teen flick.The Legend of Billie Jean may yet become a cult classic, and anyone who gets a sentimental buzz from eighties teen films should definitely  check it out..
Texas blondes Helen Slater (as Billie Jean) and Christian Slater (as Binx) go out for a ride on his motor scooter; they meet some local toughs, who show unwelcome interest in Ms. Slater.
I really love the songs in the movie too, great song by Pat Benatar, "Invincible".The movie starts out in Texas as Billie Jean Davy,played by the beautiful Helen Slater(Supergirl, The Secret Of My Success, and Parallel Lives), and her brother, Binx, played great by Christian Slater(Pump Up The Volume, Young Guns II, and True Romance)are riding a scooter and are being bothered by a fellow teen named Hubie Pyatt, played by Barry Tubb(Mask, Top Gun, and Truce), he tries to touch Billie Jean where he shouldn't, Binx dumps his milkshake on him and the take off.
Billie Jean, Binx, and their friends, Putter, played by Yeardly Smith(Maximum Overdrive and The Simpsons), and Ophelia, played by Martha Behman(The Flamingo Kid, F/X, and Practical Magic), go to the police to report the scooter being stolen, Det. Ringwald, played by Peter Coyote(Jagged Edge, Heart Of Midnight, and The 4400), is a nice cop who wants to help them.Late that night,Binx goes to get his scooter and gets beat up by Hubie and his scooter is trashed by Hubie.
The teenage girls get their hair cut short just like Billie Jean.
Billie Jean has become a celebrity.This movie really shows how being a teenager is still rough but,it shows how a person has dignity, courage and humanity, the ending of the film really did show how a greedy person pays the price.I give this movie 2 thumbs up and 10/10 stars, I hope this movie will be out on DVD very soon.The songs in the film are super, "Invincible" by Pat Benatar is the greatest song they could bring to the theme of the movie.
In fact, solid acting right down the line helps to sell this material."Supergirl" star Helen Slater is sexy Texan Billie Jean Davy, living with her younger brother Binx (an engaging Christian Slater, making his film debut) and mom in Corpus Christi.
They become rebel heroes to kids everywhere, and Billie Jean is inspired to cut her hair short, Joan of Arc style.Helen Slater is quite good as the reluctant pop culture icon.
Jackson ('JAG') and Caroline Williams ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2") in small roles.Also helping to make this palatable is the catchy rock & pop soundtrack, featuring that irresistible kick ass theme song belted out by Pat Benatar.The movie does have something to say about the way that people can and will cynically capitalize on fads, and how justice isn't something that should just be reserved for adults.
Teenage siblings in Texas are wanted by the police after one of the kids shoots and wounds an auto mechanic--this following a sexual proposition on Billie Jean (who is nearly raped) and the beating of her brother by a group of peers, which the cops have shrugged off.
Despite constantly flashing her bright, nice-girl smile playing Billie Jean, Helen Slater is a fairly convincing rabble-rouser until the script gives her too much to handle.
Billie Jean Davy and her brother Binx (?) are white-trash teens living in Corpus Christi, Texas.
After Binx's motor scooter is trashed by a group of rich kids, Billie Jean attempts to get the money from the father of one of the boys, only to find herself sexually assaulted for her troubles.
Clearly a film with kids in mind, the film offers up a Pat Benatar single, a ridiculously trendy wardrobe (s wet-suit top) with a rebellious short hairstyle (there is a special credit given to the film's hair stylist), and a simplistic "fair is fair" message that panders to teens in scenes where Billie Jean rescues an abused child, her presence drawing children everywhere.Still, it's a guilty pleasure.
A lot of fun performers like Peter Coyote and Keith Gordon are around, Helen Slater makes an effective underdog, and you get Christian Slater at his goofiest..
This movie was awesome,Billy jean didn't start out asking for trouble but it happened and she didn't stand back and do nothing even though she may have been wrong in what she did, I see her point of doing it.
By simple twisted fate of chance, Billie Jean became the herald for a younger generation, despite her background and the actions that set her into motion.A must see for anyone, like myself, who wants to find meaning in a movie.
I just finished watching the Legend of Billy Jean.It has been years.This movie reminds me of my child hood.Because I saw it first when I was young.The classic music from it.Eighties,it truly catches the flare they were going for.Free spirits,and open hearted youth.
This movie is always going to be a classic,even though seeing it now,and asking the questions that everyone asks now,after seeing a movie.Like there out to kill the magic.The Legend of Billy Jean,can not be stripped of it's cinematic magic no matter how hard any one tries.Because it caught the youth in it's time,and has tumbled its way down into the the status it's title would suggest..
This was a fun to watch movie in part because the story was pretty good and also because I live here in Corpus Christi, Texas where I got to see some of it being made.
I don't know what it is about Legend of Billie Jean, but every time I see it on TV, I am compelled to watch it.
Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her brother Binx (Christian Slater) are unjustly accused of shooting a man.
They go on the run with two friends...but their "crime" gains notice and Billie Jean finds herself a modern day Joan of Arc. Teenagers everywhere help her out to find justice.This movie is maddening.
The Legend of Billie Jean is a very good movie!.
The legend of Billie Jean was really a great film and I have to say that the lead role of a female actress at that time as the hero was refreshing.
At the same time it's pretty cool to point out to Billie Jean 'newbies' what has changed in Corpus Christi and what hasn't.
Art imitates life, and I've always thought about the Legend of Billie Jean and its central theme in relation to this since the movie debuted -- I haven't stopped thinking about it since I was--I guess--about ten years old.
In the process, every teenage girl in the area cuts her hair to look like Billie Jean.
The Legend of Billie Jean(1985) has some good scenes but overall is an average film.
God, from Helen Slater's rebel Joan of Arc haircut to Pat Benatar's brilliant theme song "Invincible," this movie is so-o-o self-righteous in its "Don't doubt the children" message that you'll almost forget that it's about kids fighting a man over a broken dirt bike.Basically, the movie now works as a trivia footnote.
This was Yeardley Smith's biggest actual performance, before she became the "voice of Lisa Simpson" and did that cameo in "As Good As It Gets." Here she plays a mousy young girl who finds her own independence and her own short, rebellious haircut through her admiration of tortured teen-turned-media goddess Billie Jean (Slater).
Also, Christian Slater, whom I don't think is actually related to Helen Slater, plays Billie Jean's troublesome-with-all-sorts-of-misguided-anger brother, whose dirt bike problems cause the whole movie to begin with.
Feisty lower-class teenager Billie Jean (a strong and charismatic performance by Helen Slater) and her brother Binx Davy (a solid and likable Christian Slater in his film debut) become celebrity fugitives after a dispute between affluent jerk Hubie (a perfectly obnoxious turn by Barry Tubb) and his no-count father Mr. Pyatt (a splendidly slimy portrayal by Richard Bradford) about Hubie trashing Binx's scooter gets out of hand.Director Matthew Robbins keeps the engrossing story moving along at a quick pace, vividly captures the humid atmosphere of rural Texas, and manages to prevent the potentially campy story from degenerating into totally laughable kitsch.
Slater (Supergirl) plays Texas teen, Billie Jean Davy who tries to help her brother, Binx (C.
The recurring themes throughout the movie were "Always stand up for yourself no matter what" and "Don't let people walk all over you, no matter how old you are." I believe those principles are just as important today as they were some thirty years ago."The Legend of Billie Jean" is an accurate depiction of PG-13 films made for teens in the early and mid-eighties.
"Corvette Summer" director Matthew Robbins wrote and helmed Helen Slater's second big-screen movie, the above-average road epic "The Legend of Billie Jean," about a blonde Texas teenager from a trailer park who becomes a highly-sought after fugitive after several guys stole her motor scooter from her little brother and vandalized it.
Fifteen-year old Christian Slater plays Binx, the brother of Billie Jean (Helen Slater of "Supergirl") in this 1980s era who embarks on a journey of hardship as they dodge the law.
The film makes Pyatt completely evil and greedy milking Billie Jean's "Joan of Arc" image for all it's worth.
The film works well as a road movie and the young cast is so good, we love watching them together on-screen.
Billie Jean's brother (and the real life brother of Supergirl actress, Helen Slater, a very, VERY young Christian Slater) gets beat up just as badly as his scooter.
I watched this movie when it came out and I felt such a connection to Billy Jean.