Themes: Miscarriage of Justice, Fighting the System, Flight of the Innocent
Main Cast: Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Christian Slater, Richard Bradford, Peter Coyote
Release Year: 1985
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
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, All Movie Guide
Review
This teen flick-cum-parable is probably best remembered for spawning Pat Benetar'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, All Movie Guide
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
The movie begins with Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater), a Corpus Christi, Texas high school girl, riding with her younger brother, Binx (Christian Slater), on a Honda Elite. They stop at an ice cream stand and are having fun until a group of boys, led by Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb), start trouble with them. Hubie tries to grab Billie Jean, but Binx dumps his milkshake on Hubie, and they ride off. Later, they stop to take a swim in a lake. After their swim, 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 begin to ride it violently across the lake's shore. Billie Jean and Binx swim across the lake to try and stop them. As they get out of the water, one of Hubie's friends takes a picture of Billie Jean pulling herself out of the water as Binx tries to get his scooter back. Hubie knocks Binx down, and steals his scooter.
Billie Jean, Binx, and their 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. Later, Binx goes to get his scooter back on his own. He comes home severely beaten, and his scooter is trashed.
Billie Jean, Binx, and their friend Ophelia go to Mr. Pyatt's place of business to give him the bill for the motor scooter repairs. Binx is told to wait in the car. Hubie is inside the store, and he tells his father not to believe Billie Jean, because "they're from the trailers". Mr. Pyatt takes Billie up to a room to give her money, but he tries to rape her. Tired of waiting in the car, and not realizing what is happening upstairs, Binx goes into the store himself, leans over the counter, and opens the cash register. There is a pistol in the till. Just as he picks up the gun, his sister comes running down the stairs, with Mr. Pyatt right behind her. When Mr. Pyatt sees that Binx has the gun, he turns on him. Confused and scared, Binx accidentally shoots Mr Pyatt in the shoulder. The kids race away, stopping at home to pack a few things (where they also pick up Putter) and they 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. It is only made worse when the teens meet Lloyd (Keith Gordon), a lonely rich kid, who fakes his own abduction so he can join them on the road. Now they are wanted not only for robbery and attempted murder, but for kidnapping as well. And Lloyd's father is a powerful politician, who is willing to use whatever means are necessary to retrieve his son and show the voters that he's tough on crime.
Throughout it all, she only wants the $608 to fix her brother's scooter, and an apology from Mr. Pyatt. Lloyd helps Billie Jean make a video of her demands, and before she makes the tape she cuts her long, blond hair into a crew cut as a sign of her rebellion.
As the media coverage increases and Billie Jean's scrapes with the law get closer and closer, she becomes a teen icon - a symbol of youth empowerment, and the evidence of the injustices adults are capable of. Girls all over Texas, including Putter, cut their hair short, and doing everything they can to help Billie Jean escape from the police and get what she wants. This is shown by many different girls pretending to be Billie Jean when they are pulled over by the police and by different girls picking up Billie Jean and handing her off to another girl in her travels.
Billie Jean also helps an abused boy during this time. The father that is abusing the son becomes scared of her and she uses it to her advantage, managing to get the boy sent off to his grandmother's, 'for a while'.
Finally, she devises a plan to get the money without being caught: Binx dresses up in her clothes and walks out to take the cash. But Hubie realizes that it's not really Billie Jean, and he breaks through the police barricades and runs towards Binx. As Binx turns toward Hubie, a police sharpshooter sees that Binx has a pistol (it's a toy gun, which got them in trouble earlier), and shoots him.
As Binx is rushed away in an ambulance, Billie Jean comes out of hiding to confront Mr. Pyatt once and for all. He is now running a souvenir stand on the beach, where he is selling Billie Jean t-shirts and wanted posters. Her struggle has been very profitable for him. He tries to pay her off, but money is not enough. Billie Jean reminds Mr. Pyatt of what he had said to her in the beginning, 'Pay as you go, earn as you learn. Isn't that what you said Mr. Pyatt'. With a crowd of Billie Jean fans watching, Mr. Pyatt flies into a rage, admits what he did, but tells the onlookers that it was all her fault. She knees Mr. Pyatt in the groin and sets fire to his shop. Realizing that they had been contributing to the profits of the real criminal, the crowd of fans, including Hubie, begins to throw their souvenirs into the fire as well. As the shop goes up in a giant blaze, Billie Jean walks through the crowd, past Detective Ringwald, and into the night.
The film ends in the snowy ski mountains of Vermont with Billie Jean meeting up with a recovering Binx. Binx comes out of the ski lodge and finds himself captivated by the sight of a snowmobile. Binx exclaims, "Far out!" and credits roll.
Response
The film was expected to be a big hit, especially with the MTV crowd, as evidenced by the immediate heavy rotation of its theme song, "Invincible" by Pat Benatar, which peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100; however, its reviews were poor, and it only grossed approximately US$3.5 million. It's considered, a cult classic.
The film's only home video release to date was on pan & scan VHS in 1985; it has yet to be released on DVD.
Production notes
A large portion of the movie was filmed in Corpus Christi, Texas and the Sunrise Mall.
The long anticipated DVD release for the movie has yet to happen as of 2009. Yeardly Smith commented on this in a recent interview. She said that she had recorded the DVD commentary in 2008 and the DVD was supposed to have been released in the summer of 2008 but wasn't for unknown reasons.
