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
Review
This teen flick-cum-parable is probably best remembered for spawning Pat Benatar's hit theme song, kicking off Christian Slater's celluloid career, and introducing the world to the voice of Lisa Simpson. However, The Legend of Billie Jean is actually an overlooked '80s gem whose working-class, trailer-dwelling, proto-feminist protagonist is a lot more heroic than actress Helen Slater's previous star turn in Supergirl. The best thing about this film is the sympathetic but rarely condescending eye it casts on the poor, picked-on but proud folks who live on the wrong side of the tracks in Corpus Christi, TX. Though unrelated, Helen Slater and Christian Slater slide with equal ease into the roles of siblings Binx and Billie Jean Davy, he the impetuous little scrapper, and she the goodhearted older sis. The supporting cast is even better, from Keith Gordon as rich proto-alternateen Lloyd to underrated comic actress Martha Gehman as Ophelia, the "Billie Jean Gang's" no-nonsense getaway driver. The most distinctive role, however, belongs to future Simpsons performer Yeardley Smith, whose foul-mouthed adolescent character, Putter, gets the best laughs. The likelihood of a white-trash Texas girl becoming America's voice of the people may be slim, but the filmmakers do a great job of describing how it would actually play out, from the Madonna-style wannabes who emulate Billie Jean's androgynous 'do to the "just plain folks" who share their opinions in simulated eyewitness interviews. Perhaps the film's excellent storytelling is the result of its pedigree; director Matthew Robbins and producers Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal are all screenwriters; Robbins, for instance, penned The Sugarland Express, another excellent tale of Texas outlaws. These filmmakers conspired to give their popcorn flick a thoughtful side, a sense of humor, and a dose of low-income girl power -- qualities that have held up years after the teen zeitgeist has moved on. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
Martha Gehman - Ophelia; Yeardley Smith - Putter; Dean Stockwell - Muldaur; Mona Lee Fultz - Donna Davey; John M. Jackson - Kenny's Father; Bobby Jones - Kenny; Sage Parker - TV Reporter; Rodney Rincon - Police Sergeant; Barry Tubb - Hubie; Kim Valentine - Mini-Mart Girl; Caroline Williams - Woman in Pickup; Rudy Young - Man in Pickup; Rod Pilloud - Robbery Victim; Kenneth Beall - Kid in Crowd No. 2; Peter Bonanno - Reporter No. 1; Joshua Butts - Tape Delivery Boy; Robert Scott Cate - Boy #1; Kathryn Childers - Anchor Woman; Angela Churchill - Cadillac Driver; Barbara Durham - Teen Customer; John Edson - Marksman; Bobby Fite - Mini-Mart Boy; Cass Gabriel - Young Boy; Al Geatano - Worker No. 2; Ray Hanna - Jimmy J. Judge; Sharon Holmin - Reporter No. 2; Thomas M. Jarrett - Policeman No. 1; J.C. Minter - Bert; David Lee Morgan - Kid #2; Celia Newman - Interview Girl; Forrest Patton - Policeman No. 2; Antony Peraino - Kid in Crowd No. 1; Charles Redd - News Announcer; Sonya Robbins - Young Girl; Kenneth Searle - Worker No. 1; Stephanie Shook - Cadillac Passenger; Tony Slowik - Interview Teen; Janet Smalley - Putter's Mother; Sharon-Marie Stolar - Teen Girl; Cathleen Sutherland - Girl in Camaro; Joy Swan - Young Customer; B.J. Thompson - Interview Boy; Steve Uzzell - Poster Customer; Robert Wassell - Parking Attendant; John Wolfshohl - Kid No. 1; James Miller - Boy #2
Credit
Donna Linson - Costume Designer, Matthew Robbins - Director, Cynthia Scheider - Editor, Peter Guber - Executive Producer, Jon Peters - Executive Producer, Craig Safan - Composer (Music Score), Simon Climie - Songwriter, Holly Knight - Songwriter, Mark Mueller - Songwriter, Craig Safan - Songwriter, Alan Friedman - Makeup, Edward S. Haworth - Production Designer, Jeffrey Kimball - Cinematographer, Rob Cohen - Producer, Lawrence Konner - Producer, Mark Rosenthal - Producer, R. Chris Westlund - Set Designer, Michael Abbogast - Special Effects, Bobby Bass - Stunts, Walter Bernstein - Screenwriter, Lawrence Konner - Screenwriter, Mark Rosenthal - Screenwriter
Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater), a Corpus Christi, Texas high school girl, rides with her younger brother, Binx (Christian Slater), on a Honda Elite to a local lake to enjoy a day of swimming and relaxation. A group of teenage boys, led by Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb), a school rival of Binx, start trouble with them, but Billie Jean humiliates Hubie and they get away. Later at the lake, Billie Jean tells Binx about Vermont, and Binx expresses a desire to go there. During their conversation about travelling there, Hubie and his friends arrive, apparently looking to settle a score with Binx. They find Binx's scooter and steal it.
Billie Jean, and her friends Putter (Yeardley Smith) and Ophelia (Martha Gehman) go to the police about the scooter. They speak to Detective Ringwald (Peter Coyote) about it, but he doesn't take them seriously. He assumes it's just a harmless squabble between some kids. When Binx goes to get his scooter back on his own, he comes home severely beaten, with his scooter trashed.
Billie Jean, Binx, and Ophelia go to Mr. Pyatt's shop to get the money ($608.00) to repair the scooter. Mr. Pyatt propositions Billie Jean with a 'Pay as you go, earn as you learn' plan by which he will abuse 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 kids race 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 the disgruntled teenaged son of a state congressman, 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 into the police for their safety.
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 bring herself in. To avoid attracting too much attention, she and her brother Binks both arrive in disguise. But the disguise will be blown and the consequences descend into a violent riot. At the end of the film Billie Jean and Binks find themselves far up in Vermont seeking some recuperation and a fresh start.
Kleberg County Courthouse in Kingsville, Texas. Exterior of the police headquarters.
Sunrise Mall in Corpus Christi, Texas. Location of the money handover cheat and subsequent chase.
A large portion of the movie was filmed in Corpus Christi and Flour Bluff, Texas[1] including the Sunrise Mall and several locations along South Padre Island Drive.[2]
In the movie, Billie Jean and the others watch a movie about Joan of Arc. The movie is Saint Joan (1957).[3]
The radio station shown and heard throughout the film still exists in Corpus Christi, Texas as KNCN "C101".[4]
The original title of the film was "Fair is Fair."[5] It was changed to "The Legend of Billie Jean" after test audiences didn't respond to the original.[citation needed] Shortly before release, the title was changed back to "Fair is Fair" and then back to "The Legend of Billie Jean". Movie posters exist with the "Fair is Fair" title, however they are really an applied overlay over the originally printed title "The Legend of Billie Jean", and that title is what appears in the printed credits at the bottom of the poster.
The Vermont scenes were filmed in Colorado. Billie Jean and Binx are seen at a gas station just off Interstate 70, near Copper Mountain.
Underlying track when Binx trying to exchange his "hostage" Lloyd for the repaired scooter at the beach is erroneously hit by a sharpshooter.
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Craig Safan produced the original score for the film writing a couple of synthpop-styled instrumental tracks. Furthermore, some rock songs were added to the soundtrack which had never been officially released. The movie's theme song "Invincible" by Pat Benatar peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1985, while Billy Idol's reissue of his single "Rebel Yell" climbed up to number six on the UK Singles Chart in October 1985 after its first unsuccessful release in 1984.
Invincible (Theme from 'The Legend of Billie Jean') – Pat Benatar
The film was expected to be a big hit, especially with the Generation XMTV crowd, as evidenced by the immediate heavy rotation of its theme song. However, its reviews were poor and it only grossed approximately US$3.1 million,[6] making it a box office failure although it has gained something of a cult following as time went on.[5][7]
Home media
The film was released on home video on VHS in 1985.
Pat Benatar had mentioned in an interview she regretted having anything to do with the film and that the release of the DVD in NTSC format was being held up by her.[citation needed] She remarked that it was one of the worst movies ever made.[3] Her not signing the rights to have her music in the movie is why the DVD has not been released for many years.
In 2009, Columbia Pictures released in Europe a Spanish-titled DVD "La Leyenda de Billie Jean", with 4:3 open matte image, but without any bonus material. A remastered NTSC DVD including commentary by Helen Slater and Yeardley Smith was published by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment at November 1, 2011.[8] Additionally, the movie is available in HD on the Universal Movie Channel.
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