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Encyclopedia > The Legend of Billie Jean

The Legend of Billie Jean
Directed by Matthew Robbins
Produced by Rob Cohen
Written by Lawrence Konner
Mark Rosenthal
Starring Helen Slater
Christian Slater
Keith Gordon
Yeardley Smith
Peter Coyote
Music by Craig Safan
Cinematography Jeffrey L. Kimball
Distributed by TriStar Pictures
Release date July 19, 1985
Running time 96 minutes
Language English
IMDb profile

The Legend of Billie Jean is a 1985 drama film, directed by Matthew Robbins. Director Rob Cohen on the set of Stealth Rob Cohen (born March 12, 1949 in Cornwall, New York, USA) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Helen Slater Helen Rachel Slater (neé Schlachter, born December 15, 1963 in Massapequa, New York) is an American film actress and singer-songwriter of Jewish descent. ... Christian Slater shown on the DVD cover of Pump Up the Volume, 1990 Christian Slater (born Christian Michael Leonard Hawkins on August 18, 1969 in New York City) is an American actor. ... Keith Gordon is an American actor turned film director. ... Yeardley Smith Martha Maria Yeardley Smith (; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress and voice actor who is best known for providing the voice of Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons. ... Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon October 10, 1941 in New York City) is the cofounder, with Emmett Grogan, of the San Francisco Diggers and veteran of the San Francisco Mime Troupe. ... The TriStar Pegasus logo, used since 1993. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the year. ... A drama film is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. ...


Taglines: When you're seventeen, people think they can do anything to you. Billie Jean is about to prove them wrong.


The last thing she ever expected was to be a hero.

Contents


Plot summary

The movie begins with Billie Jean Davy, a Corpus Christi, Texas high school girl, riding with her younger brother, Binx, on a motorscooter. They stop at an ice cream stand and are having fun until a group of boys, led by Hubie Pyatt, 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. Hubie and his friends sneak up, knock Binx down, and steal his scooter. Billie Jean, Binx, and their friends Putter and Ophelia go to the police about the scooter. They speak to Detective Ringwald 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. Nickname Sparkling City by the Sea Location Location in the state of Texas Government Counties Nueces County Kleberg County San Patricio County Mayor Henry Garrett Geographical characteristics Area  - City    - Land    - Water 1,192. ... A typical mid 1980s twist and go scooter. ...


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. A trailer park is a neighborhood consisting of an area of land where trailers rest. ...


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, 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 are cutting their hair short, and doing everything they can to help Billie Jean escape from the police and get what she wants.


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, 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. With a crowd 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 kicks 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 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. She has finally found the justice and respect she was seeking all along.


Trivia

  • The film has no relations with Billie Jean, the 1983 single by Michael Jackson
  • Helen Slater and Christian Slater are not related, although they share the adopted surname and played siblings in the film.

Billie Jean is a 1983 hit single from Michael Jacksons Thriller album. ... For other people with the same name, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation) Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana) is an American musician and entertainer whose successful music career and controversial personal life have been at the forefront of pop culture for the last quarter-century. ...

Main cast

Helen Slater Helen Rachel Slater (neé Schlachter, born December 15, 1963 in Massapequa, New York) is an American film actress and singer-songwriter of Jewish descent. ... Christian Slater shown on the DVD cover of Pump Up the Volume, 1990 Christian Slater (born Christian Michael Leonard Hawkins on August 18, 1969 in New York City) is an American actor. ... Keith Gordon is an American actor turned film director. ... Yeardley Smith Martha Maria Yeardley Smith (; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress and voice actor who is best known for providing the voice of Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons. ... Barry Tubb Actor Barry Tubb was born in Snyder, Texas on February 13, 1963. ... Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon October 10, 1941 in New York City) is the cofounder, with Emmett Grogan, of the San Francisco Diggers and veteran of the San Francisco Mime Troupe. ... Richard Bradford (born November 10, 1937 in Tyler, Texas, USA), is an American actor best known for his lead role in the British TV adventure series Man in a Suitcase, made in 1967. ... Dean Stockwell Dean Stockwell (born March 5, 1936 in North Hollywood, California) is an American actor who is best-known for his role as Admiral Albert Al Calavicci in the American TV series Quantum Leap. ...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
The Legend of Billie Jean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (993 words)
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 motorscooter.
Billie Jean, Binx, and their friends Putter (Yeardley Smith) and Ophelia (Martha Gehman) go to the police about the scooter.
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.
Billie Jean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2230 words)
In about 1981, during a Jacksons tour, a woman known later to be a stalker had accused Jackson of not claiming the paternity of one of her fraternal twins.
She went so far as to call herself "Billie Jean Jackson", and to claim she was married to the singer.
The introduction of the character Billie Jean is foreshadowed by a two-line reference from the album's first track "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", another Jackson-penned song.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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