The Legend of Billie Jean is a teenager’s fantasy. Well, maybe an ‘80s-era teenager; there’s a good chance that kids nowadays will roll their eyes at some of what happens in this movie, much like I myself did as I was watching it today. I’m not saying this 1985 film is totally worthless. In fact, there were things about it that I really liked. But for the most part, The Legend of Billie Jean is pretty damn silly.
Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her younger brother Binx (Christian Slater) live with their mother (Mona Lee Fultz) in a trailer park in Corpus Christi, Texas. They are harassed on a daily basis by Hubie (Barry Tubb) and his pals, who go so far as to steal Binx’s beloved moped and vandalize it. In a fit of rage, Binx runs off to get his revenge, causing a concerned Billie Jean to head straight to the police. Though sympathetic, Det. Ringwald (Peter Coyote) says there’s not much he can do at this point, and tells Billie Jean to go home and wait for her brother.
But when Binx returns battered and bloody, …show more content…
Helen Slater brings a genuine likability to Billie Jean, giving the movie a hero you can root for; and a 15-year-old Christian Slater (making his big-screen debut) is equally good as her hot-headed younger brother. Along with the two Slaters (despite playing siblings here, the two are not related in real life), Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa in The Simpsons) is memorable as the boisterous Putter, who tags along with Billie Jean and Binx on their adventure, and Keith Gordon, playing their friend and hostage Lloyd, proves that the fine work he did in Dressed to Kill and Christine was no fluke. As for the adults, Richard Bradford makes for a great villain (I really wanted to punch his character, Mr Pyatt, who is a slimeball in almost every scene), but the film’s best performance is delivered by Peter Coyote as Det. Ringwald, the kindly cop tasked with bringing the young fugitives to
Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her younger brother Binx (Christian Slater) live with their mother (Mona Lee Fultz) in a trailer park in Corpus Christi, Texas. They are harassed on a daily basis by Hubie (Barry Tubb) and his pals, who go so far as to steal Binx’s beloved moped and vandalize it. In a fit of rage, Binx runs off to get his revenge, causing a concerned Billie Jean to head straight to the police. Though sympathetic, Det. Ringwald (Peter Coyote) says there’s not much he can do at this point, and tells Billie Jean to go home and wait for her brother.
But when Binx returns battered and bloody, …show more content…
Helen Slater brings a genuine likability to Billie Jean, giving the movie a hero you can root for; and a 15-year-old Christian Slater (making his big-screen debut) is equally good as her hot-headed younger brother. Along with the two Slaters (despite playing siblings here, the two are not related in real life), Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa in The Simpsons) is memorable as the boisterous Putter, who tags along with Billie Jean and Binx on their adventure, and Keith Gordon, playing their friend and hostage Lloyd, proves that the fine work he did in Dressed to Kill and Christine was no fluke. As for the adults, Richard Bradford makes for a great villain (I really wanted to punch his character, Mr Pyatt, who is a slimeball in almost every scene), but the film’s best performance is delivered by Peter Coyote as Det. Ringwald, the kindly cop tasked with bringing the young fugitives to