Categories & segments

The Legend of Billie Jean

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Freeze mass media at this era; Keith Gordon’s performances vary wildly.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:09Read transcript
  • Mass media is imagined stopping at early cable, radio and scarce personal video cameras; the speaker accepts a record-store career in that world and recalls the music of 1984–85. — Chris Ryan
  • Everybody probably thinks their childhood moment of games or cable TV was perfect. — Chris Ryan
  • Keith Gordon is proposed as having extreme performance variation: praised here and in Dressed to Kill, criticized in Back to School, with a mixed reconsideration of Christine and a positive Jaws 2 mention. — Bill Simmons
  • Gordon is praised as a director, particularly A Midnight Clear; The Chocolate War credit is uncertain, and his acting persona is compared to a darker off-brand Matthew Broderick. — Chris Ryan
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:50Read transcript
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:19Read transcript
  • The mustached undercover cops are ruled out and Putter is suggested. — Bill Simmons
  • Dean Stockwell is forcefully advocated for the early scene with Peter Coyote and the district-attorney role; Paris, Texas is mentioned. — Chris Ryan
  • A final reply still picks Putter for being funny. — Chris Ryan
The Legend of Billie Jean

Recasting Couch

James Spader or John Cusack as Lloyd; alternate songs for action scenes.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:58Read transcript
  • Young James Spader is proposed for Lloyd while retaining Texas; Lloyd’s lack of accent is rationalized with private school. — Bill Simmons
  • Young John Cusack is proposed for Lloyd and warmly endorsed. — Bill Simmons
  • R.E.M.’s Pretty Persuasion would replace the golf-course chase song for more energy. — Bill Simmons
  • Til Tuesday’s Voices Carry is proposed for the escape sequence with Billie Jean lookalikes, emphasizing a female artist and empowerment. — Chris Ryan
The Legend of Billie Jean

Picking Nits

Billie Jean may not need a love interest; a love-triangle revision is suggested.

Flex pick · Chris Ryan

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:11Read transcript
  • Craig’s addressed contribution questions immediate romance with the first man she meets as weakening empowerment and preventing an exploration of fame’s loneliness. — Chris Ryan
  • A revision gives Billie Jean prior history with Hubie and a triangle with Lloyd; his souvenir-store inheritance is mocked. — Bill Simmons
The Legend of Billie Jean

Half-Assed Internet Research

A real slap, concealed hair, vanished locations and uncertain Benatar/haircut stories

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:20Read transcript
  • Putter’s mother reportedly slapped Yeardley Smith for real, leaving her face numb; Smith reportedly refused a haircut and used a concealed ponytail. — Bill Simmons
  • Smith’s comic timing is praised; City Slickers and an uncertain sitcom memory are discussed. — Bill Simmons
  • The miniature golf course is reported replaced by the Texas State Aquarium, and an abandoned-mall video is mentioned. — Chris Ryan
  • The claim that Benatar called this the worst movie ever made is repeated with explicit doubt and a settle-down response. — Bill Simmons
  • Fast-Rewind accepts visitor-submitted anecdotes, so stories about Helen Slater’s haircut opinions are treated as unverified. — Chris Ryan
The Legend of Billie Jean

Apex Mountain

Honda Elite scooters and self-haircuts: yes

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:11Read transcript
  • Helen Slater prompts debate among this film, Supergirl and The Secret of My Success, with box-office failures weighed against the Michael J. Fox opportunity. — Bill Simmons
  • City Slickers is counteroffered; expectations for Slater are compared to Elizabeth Shoe and Kelly Preston, with a hypothetical Working Girl role. — Bill Simmons
  • Christian Slater is rejected. — Bill Simmons
  • Honda Elite scooters are endorsed and Lou Reed’s 1985 advertisement is recalled. — Bill Simmons
  • Billie Jean’s self-haircut is called unmatched and immediately iconic, leading to COVID haircut memories. — Chris Ryan
  • Peter Coyote is weighed against Ken Burns narration and E.T.; E.T. is preferred. — Bill Simmons
  • Billie Jeans prompt comparison of the film, song and tennis player, with uncertainty about the filmmakers’ reaction to the shared name and a Billy the Kid interpretation. — Bill Simmons
  • Fair being fair and short-haired women are proposed; specific haircut memories remain uncertain. — Chris Ryan
  • Sturby Beach and Corpus Christi movies are endorsed; Yeardley Smith’s apex is The Simpsons, Barry Tubb’s Top Gun, and Keith Gordon’s Christine; Joan of Arc has other peaks. — Bill Simmons
The Legend of Billie Jean

Picking Nits

Police response, escape logistics, money, the hostage plan and anonymity strain belief.

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:28Read transcript
  • Too many detectives pursue a shoulder shooting, and Hubie repeatedly interferes without an obstruction charge. — Chris Ryan
  • The children should be caught quickly because they stay in Corpus Christi and revisit the same places. — Bill Simmons
  • An expensive unlocked scooter in a trailer park is questioned, though the purchase itself is supported. — Bill Simmons
  • Breaking into the district attorney’s house by chance, his absence and the private shopper stretch belief. — Bill Simmons
  • Remaining safely at Lloyd’s house or borrowing gas money seems easier than the hostage plan, with returning the sisters home offered as an explanation. — Bill Simmons
  • Rally sharpshooters apparently obeying the district attorney and the final Binks hostage plan are called absurd. — Bill Simmons
  • Billie Jean leaving without charges is questioned; Piat’s wrongdoing and falsely attributed simultaneous robberies are possible explanations. — Bill Simmons
  • Cutting her hair after recording the tape would better protect anonymity; driving a plated station wagon among repeated destinations strains the chase. — Chris Ryan
Displaying discussions 1993 - 2004 of 11315 in total