The Legend of Billie Jean [Fair Is Fair Edition]

Director: Matthew Robbins Matthew Robbins

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2020
UPC:	0683904535504
Original Release:	1985
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Sony Pictures Home
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00

Special Features

Commentary track with stars Helen Slater & Yeardley Smith

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Helen Slater	Billie Jean,Binx
Keith Gordon	Lloyd
Richard Bradford	Pyatt
Martha Gehman	Ophelia
Yeardley Smith	Putter
Barry Tubb	Hubie
Dean Stockwell	Muldaur
Peter Coyote	Ringwald
Mona Fultz	Donna Davey,Donna Davey
John M. Jackson	Kenny's Father
Rodney Rincon	Police Sergeant
Caroline Williams	Woman in Pickup
Rudy Young	Man in Pickup
Bobby Fite	Mini-Mart Boy
Kim Valentine	Mini-Mart Girl
Robby Jones	Kenny
Janet Smalley	Putter's Mother
Charles Redd	News Announcer
Joshua Butts	Tape Delivery Boy
Ray Hanna	Jimmy J. Judge
B.J. Thompson	Interview Boy
Celia Newman	Interview Girl
Tony Slowik	Interview Teen
Steve Uzzell	Poster Customer
Robert Scott Cate	Boy No. 1
Jim Miller	Boy No. 2,Boy #2
Rod Pilloud	Robbery Victim
John Wolfshohl	Kid No. 1
David Lee Morgan	Kid No. 2
Barbara Durham	Teen Customer
Cass Gabriel	Young Boy
Thomas M. Jarrett	Policeman No. 1
Forrest Patton	Policeman No. 2
Antony Peraino	Kid in Crowd No. 1
Kenneth Beall	Kid in Crowd No. 2
Robert Wassell	Parking Attendant
Sage Parker	TV Reporter
John Edson	Marksman
Cathleen Sutherland	Girl in Camaro
Angela Churchill	Cadillac Driver
Stephanie Shook	Cadillac Passenger
Sharon-Marie Stolar	Teen Girl
Peter Bonanno	Reporter No. 1
Sharon Holmin	Reporter No. 2
Joy Swan	Young Customer
Kathryn Childers	Anchor Woman
J.C. Minter	Bert
Kenneth Searle	Worker No. 1
Al Geatano	Worker No. 2
Sonya Robbins	Young Girl
Bobby Jones	Kenny
Craig Safan	Composer

Technical Credits

Lawrence Konner

Mark Rosenthal

Walter Bernstein

Michael Abbogast	Special Effects
Bobby Bass	Stunts
Rob Cohen	Producer
Peter Guber	Executive Producer
Lawrence Konner	Producer,Screenwriter
Jon Peters	Executive Producer
Matthew Robbins	Director
Mark Rosenthal	Producer,Screenwriter
Walter Bernstein	Screenwriter

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The Legend of Billie Jean
1. Chapter 1 [21:59]
2. Chapter 2 [32:18]
3. Chapter 3 [22:16]
4. Chapter 4 [18:34]

Menu

Disc #1 -- The Legend of Billie Jean
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Editorial Reviews

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.

All Movie Guide - Brian J. Dillard