The Legend of Billie Jean

Name: The Legend of Billie Jean
Released: 1985-7-19
Cast: Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Peter Coyote, Dean Stockwell, Martha Gehman

PG-13
1h 35m
1985

46%

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When local rich kid Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb) steals and wrecks Binx Davy's beloved motor scooter, Binx's older sister Billie Jean (Helen Slater) demands the $608 it costs to fix it. Binx shoots Mr. Pyatt (Richard Bradford) by accident and he and Billie Jean flee town, accompanied by Billie Jean's girlfriends Ophelia (Martha Gehman) and Putter (Yeardley Smith). They become fugitives and when they pick up a very willing hostage, Lloyd (Keith Gordon), they become criminals. Billie Jean becomes a legend in her own time, a symbol of freedom to teenagers everywhere.

Director:

Matthew Robbins

Producer:

Rob Cohen

Writer:

Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal

Cast:

Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Peter Coyote, Dean Stockwell, Martha Gehman

Rotten Tomatoes® Score

TOMATOMETER®

46%

Reviews

Rob's Movie Vault

Rob Gonsalves

A muddled empowerment fantasy.

...an agreeable drama that ultimately fares best in its briskly-paced first act...

It vacillates wildly between excellence and incoherence from moment to moment; it would likely be a cult classic if only anyone remembered that it existed.

"The Legend of Billie Jean" is partly intended as a satire of the American machine of celebrity, but it's mostly supposed to be taken straight, and much of the fun of the movie lies in trying to tell the two apart.

The Legend of Billie Jean does remain interesting and entertaining throughout its run, even if it is a bit short on plot and a lot short on realism.

June 25, 2017

FULL REVIEW