The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)
- Starring:
- Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, (more)
- Director(s):
- Matthew Robbins
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG13
Member Rating
My RatingRent DVD by Mail
Theatrical Release Information | See Details About All Versions
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
Complete Cast:
- Helen Slater - Billie Jean
- Christian Slater - Binx
- Peter Coyote - Ringwald
- Yeardley Smith - Putter
- Mona Lee Fultz - Donna Davey
- Kim Valentine - Mini-Mart Girl
- Kenneth Beall - Kid in Crowd No. 2
- Ray Hanna - Jimmy J. Judge
- Cass Gabriel - Young Boy
- John Edson - Marksman
- Angela Churchill - Cadillac Driver
- Robert Scott Cate - Boy #1
- Joy Swan - Young Customer
- Sharon-Marie Stolar - Teen Girl
- Tony Slowik - Interview Teen
- Kenneth Searle - Worker No. 1
- James Miller - Boy #2
- Robert Wassell - Parking Attendant
- Charles Redd - News Announcer
- Forrest Patton - Policeman No. 2
- David Lee Morgan - Kid #2
- Thomas M. Jarrett - Policeman No. 1
- Peter Bonanno - Reporter No. 1
- Caroline Williams - Woman in Pickup
- Bobby Jones - Kenny
- Rodney Rincon - Police Sergeant
- Keith Gordon - Lloyd
- Richard Bradford - Pyatt
- Martha Gehman - Ophelia
- Dean Stockwell - Muldaur
- John M. Jackson - Kenny's Father
- Rudy Young - Man in Pickup
- Joshua Butts - Tape Delivery Boy
- Al Geatano - Worker No. 2
- Bobby Fite - Mini-Mart Boy
- Barbara Durham - Teen Customer
- Kathryn Childers - Anchor Woman
- B.J. Thompson - Interview Boy
- Cathleen Sutherland - Girl in Camaro
- Janet Smalley - Putter's Mother
- Stephanie Shook - Cadillac Passenger
- Sonya Robbins - Young Girl
- John Wolfshohl - Kid No. 1
- Steve Uzzell - Poster Customer
- Antony Peraino - Kid in Crowd No. 1
- Celia Newman - Interview Girl
- J.C. Minter - Bert
- Sharon Holmin - Reporter No. 2
- Rod Pilloud - Robbery Victim
- Barry Tubb - Hubie
- Sage Parker - TV Reporter
- Director(s):
- Matthew Robbins
- Writer(s):
- Lawrence Konner, Walter Bernstein, Mark Rosenthal
- Producer(s):
- Rob Cohen, Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG13(Violence, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Not For Children)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
