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The Legend of Billie Jean

The Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo Award for What Happens the Next Day?

Modern celebrity speculation is followed by imagined futures for Lloyd, Binks, Hubie and Billie Jean.

Flex pick · Chris Ryan

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:27Read transcript
  • In 2025 she might appear on the Hawk Tua podcast, join the Unwell network and release music; in 1985 she might return to Corpus Christi and become a schoolteacher. — Chris Ryan
  • Lloyd is imagined entering VHS pornography with equipment, capital and experience of crime. — Bill Simmons
  • Binks is imagined moving to Burlington, working at Ben & Jerry’s and getting beaten up after selling bad acid at a Dead show. — Chris Ryan
  • Lloyd’s father is imagined with a minor role in the David Koresh standoff; Hubie becomes lieutenant governor, and Billie Jean faces lengthy copyright litigation. — Chris Ryan
  • Hubie’s governorship and Binks becoming Doug McCray’s father in The Town are additional jokes. — Bill Simmons
  • Hubie using the Billie Jean episode to claim he learned his lessons and launch a Texas political career is endorsed. — Bill Simmons
The Legend of Billie Jean

Apex Mountain

Five personal teenage-crush favorites are discussed, with additions and eligibility exclusions.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:26Read transcript
  • The retrospective list is framed around the speaker’s own high-school years and five favorite high-school movie characters. — Bill Simmons
  • The five named favorites are Kelly Preston in Secret Admirer and Mischief, Helen Slater in Billie Jean, Joyce [transcribed Heiser] in Just One of the Guys, an garbled Karate Kid actress, and Mia Sarah in Ferris Bueller. — Bill Simmons
  • Jennifer Gray in Ferris Bueller is added. — Bill Simmons
  • Rebecca D. Moray in Risky Business is excluded because her character is not in high school; Molly Ringwald was not a favorite, and Sean Young in Stripes is excluded as an adult. — Bill Simmons
  • Winona Rader in Lucas and Amanda Peterson in Can't Buy Me Love are additional examples. — Bill Simmons
The Legend of Billie Jean

Most Rewatchable Scene

The Invincible exchange montage and the first videotaped haircut reveal receive distinct favorite selections.

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:57Read transcript
  • The opening credits with Boys in Town are nominated for immediately establishing the Texas setting. — Bill Simmons
  • The harassment, escape and accidental shooting at the souvenir store are discussed; the apparent shoulder wound prompts questions about injury realism. — Bill Simmons
  • The mall exchange with Rebel Yell and marbles is nominated; more time in the mall and more stores are desired. — Bill Simmons
  • The two mustached cops suggest an unmade buddy-cop film, and Hubie emerging from plants is enjoyed. — Bill Simmons
  • The Joan of Arc viewing, haircut reveal and rich house are discussed, including the dark rooms, security cameras and bedroom-to-pool slide. — Bill Simmons
  • Lloyd’s horror masks are compared to Rick Baker; his confident rapport and suit conflict with the impression of a solitary horror enthusiast. — Bill Simmons
  • The Fair Is Fair tape playing at the police station and the child copying the gesture are praised. — Bill Simmons
  • The reward-seeking couple shooting at Billie Jean is enjoyed for its absurdity, while another response reserves it for the aged-worst category. — Bill Simmons
  • The five-minute Invincible montage of Billie Jean being exchanged across Texas is selected as a favorite; the communication network without phones or internet is questioned. — Bill Simmons
  • The motorcycle ride and crowd appearance are compared jokingly to a live podcast and meet-and-greet. — Bill Simmons
  • The burning store, discarded merchandise and third use of Invincible close the candidate rundown. — Bill Simmons
  • The first tape after the haircut is another final scene preference; the accompanying you-look-famous line is singled out. — Chris Ryan
The Legend of Billie Jean

The most 1985 thing

The beta camera, local radio and haircut stand out among the 1985 details.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:02Read transcript
  • The music by Pat Benatar, Divinyls and Billy Idol, plus the Honda Elite scooter, are nominees. — Bill Simmons
  • Panama Jack sun products and gas priced at $1.05 are period details. — Bill Simmons
  • Watching a wall of televisions for major news is nominated; the beta movie camera is called the winner. — Bill Simmons
  • Hubie’s patterned jams shorts evoke wearing swim trunks all day. — Bill Simmons
  • Jimmy J. Judge on C-101 is a major omission from the initial list; all Corpus Christi characters seem to listen to the same station. — Chris Ryan
  • Craig’s addressed response picks the haircut. — Chris Ryan
  • Favorite movie-radio-DJ comparisons include Play Misty for Me, Reservoir Dogs, The Warriors, The Fan and The Fog. — Chris Ryan
The Legend of Billie Jean

What’s Aged the Best?

The villain, mall exchanges, young cast, music and assorted 1980s conventions

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:21Read transcript
  • Mr. Piat is praised as a disgusting, well-drawn villain whose souvenir business fits his rapid merchandising. — Bill Simmons
  • Mall exchanges gone wrong work well with hiding places, chases and escalators. — Bill Simmons
  • Young Christian Slater, the haircut phenomenon and the TV interviewer dismissing a woman’s perspective are highlighted. — Chris Ryan
  • Shoplifting with IOU notes and the unrelated Slaters looking like siblings are enjoyed. — Bill Simmons
  • Hiding in an empty suburban mansion is a favored device, compared with Beverly Hills Cop II. — Bill Simmons
  • Cruel teenage villains such as Hubie’s crew, Pretty in Pink bullies and Johnny Lawrence are recalled, with their late realizations. — Bill Simmons
  • Characters offended by a low ransom value are enjoyed, including Lloyd’s reaction to $10,000. — Bill Simmons
  • The money-lets-you-get-away-with-anything line and Lloyd’s hostage plan as a ploy to stay near Billie Jean are praised. — Bill Simmons
  • Mark [transcribed Saffin] is credited with score work and the golf-course song; Win in the End from Teen Wolf is recalled. — Bill Simmons
  • Stranger Things is suspected of drawing on this film, E.T., Goonies and The Karate Kid, including the haircut and music. — Bill Simmons
The Legend of Billie Jean

The Big Kahuna Burger Award for Best Use of Food and Drink

A milkshake dumped on a bully and Putter’s junk-food cart are favorites.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:07Read transcript
  • Dumping a milkshake on a movie bully wins immediate affection. — Bill Simmons
  • The shopping cart full of junk food, including Butterfingers, is another selection; drinking milkshakes in the heat is questioned. — Chris Ryan
The Legend of Billie Jean

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

The wide lake shot and the haircut reveal are admired.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:46Read transcript
  • The quiet wide shot of the pair lying on the wooden structure in the lake is admired. — Bill Simmons
  • The haircut reveal beginning at the pool is praised; Jeffrey Kimball is reported to have also shot Top Gun. — Bill Simmons
The Legend of Billie Jean

What’s Aged the Worst?

Vermont fantasies, shooting near children, unstable cars, music repetition, adult behavior and the reshoot wig

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:23Read transcript
  • Binks’s Vermont fantasy rests on a poster and heat avoidance; Hot Dog…The Movie is offered as an imagined influence. — Bill Simmons
  • Shooting at Billie Jean amid children for a house down payment is condemned; station wagons fishtailing reflect worse car handling, though it improved chases. — Chris Ryan
  • Invincible is jokingly proposed for fewer or many more repetitions, and an acoustic version for a love scene is imagined. — Bill Simmons
  • The report that Pat Benatar disliked the film is questioned despite her performing the song; a settle-down response is proposed. — Bill Simmons
  • The way adults speak to Billie Jean is recalled as an earlier criticism. — Chris Ryan
  • A reported reshoot wig is criticized for obvious hair discontinuity, especially given the earlier concern over her haircut. — Bill Simmons
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