The Legend Of Billie Jean (1985)
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50% of critics liked it
(8 reviews) -
71% of users liked it
(9,122 ratings)
With their father dead and their mother busy trying to land a steady beau, pretty teen Billy Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her younger brother, Binx (Christian Slater), spend their time riding Binx's moped and dreaming of life in Vermont -- several climate zones away from the humid, omnipresent… More With their father dead and their mother busy trying to land a steady beau, pretty teen Billy Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her younger brother, Binx (Christian Slater), spend their time riding Binx's moped and dreaming of life in Vermont -- several climate zones away from the humid, omnipresent heat of their Texas town. One day, on their way from their trailer park home to a swimming hole, the Davy kids run afoul of rich boy Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb) and his cronies, who steal -- and later trash -- the scooter Binx bought with his father's paltry life insurance benefits. Demanding payment from Hubie and his merchant dad (Richard Bradford) for the damage that's been inflicted on both the bike and her brother's face, Billie Jean narrowly escapes being raped by the elder Pyatt. In the ensuing scuffle, Binx accidentally shoots Mr. Pyatt, sending himself, Billie Jean, and their friends, Ophelia (Martha Gehman) and Putter (Yeardley Smith), on the lam. When the "Billie Jean Gang" becomes a media sensation, Pyatt capitalizes on their notoriety by selling T-shirts and bric-a-brac, while policeman Ringwald (Peter Coyote), who feels guilty for having refused to help Billie Jean, tries to bring the kids in without anyone getting hurt. However, when the gang mock-kidnaps rich amateur filmmaker Lloyd (Keith Gordon), unaware that he's the district attorney's son, the situation spins out of control. Soon, Lloyd's videotape of the suddenly crop-topped, Joan of Arc-emulating, eminently telegenic Billie Jean elevates a local headline into a national sensation, and even Lloyd's attraction to Billie Jean can't protect her from the media lightning rod she's become. The Legend of Billie Jean marks the screen debut of Christian Slater, who is no relation to co-star Helen Slater. Actor Gordon, who made his debut as a screenwriter with Mark Romanek's Static the year Billie Jean came out, would go on to direct a number of critically acclaimed films. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Directed By
- Matthew Robbins
- Written By
- Matthew Robbins, Walter Bernstein, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure
- In Theaters
- Jul 19, 1985 Wide
- Studio
- TriStar Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Has a straight faced camp about itself that makes it a blast from the past worth sitting through
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Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Em seu esforço risível para criar um ícone de independência, rebeldia e juventude, o filme soa apenas incrivelmente absurdo, artificial e patético, mesmo que Helen Slater seja uma protagonista obviamente sedutora.
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Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Above average teen melodrama
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Clint Morris, Moviehole
A memorable movie with some fine performances
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James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Strident, borderline campy drama, complete with a raging Pat Benatar theme song
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Cast
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Helen Slater
as Billie Jean
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Keith Gordon
as Lloyd
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Christian Slater
as Binx
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Richard Bradford
as Pyatt
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Peter Coyote
as Ringwald
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Martha Gehman
as Ophelia
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Yeardley Smith
as Putter
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Dean Stockwell
as Muldaur
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Mona Lee Fultz
as Donna Davey
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John M. Jackson
as Kenny's Father
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Bobby Jones
as Kenny
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Sage Parker
as TV Reporter
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Rodney Rincon
as Police Sergeant
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Barry Tubb
as Hubie
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Kim Valentine
as Mini-Mart Girl
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Caroline Williams
as Woman in Pickup
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Rudy Young
as Man in Pickup
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Rod Pilloud
as Robbery Victim
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Kenneth Beall
as Kid in Crowd No. 2
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Peter Bonanno
as Reporter No. 1
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Joshua Butts
as Tape Delivery Boy
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Robert Scott Cate
as Boy #1
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Kathryn Childers
as Anchor Woman
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Angela Churchill
as Cadillac Driver
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Barbara Durham
as Teen Customer
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John Edson
as Marksman
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Bobby Fite
as Mini-Mart Boy
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Cass Gabriel
as Young Boy
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Al Geatano
as Worker No. 2
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Ray Hanna
as Jimmy J. Judge
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Sharon Holmin
as Reporter No. 2
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Thomas M. Jarrett
as Policeman No. 1
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J.C. Minter
as Bert
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David Lee Morgan
as Kid #2
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Celia Newman
as Interview Girl
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Forrest Patton
as Policeman No. 2
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Antony Peraino
as Kid in Crowd No. 1
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Charles Redd
as News Announcer
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Sonya Robbins
as Young Girl
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Kenneth Searle
as Worker No. 1
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Stephanie Shook
as Cadillac Passenger
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Tony Slowik
as Interview Teen
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Janet Smalley
as Putter's Mother
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Sharon-Marie Stolar
as Teen Girl
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Cathleen Sutherland
as Girl in Camaro
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Joy Swan
as Young Customer
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B.J. Thompson
as Interview Boy
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Steve Uzzell
as Poster Customer
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Robert Wassell
as Parking Attendant
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John Wolfshohl
as Kid No. 1
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James Miller
as Boy #2