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The Legend of Billie Jean poster

The Legend of Billie Jean

year 1985decade 80sdirector Matthew Robbinsgenre Drama / Action

96 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Helen Slater Billie Jean Davy
Keith Gordon Lloyd Muldaur
Christian Slater Binx Davy
Richard Bradford Mr. Pyatt
Peter Coyote Lieutenant Larry Ringwald
Martha Gehman Ophelia Jacks
Yeardley Smith Putter Jacks
Barry Tubb Hubie Pyatt
Dean Stockwell Mr. Muldaur

The Legend of Billie Jean | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryan
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

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.
  • Lloyd is imagined entering VHS pornography with equipment, capital and experience of crime.
  • Binks is imagined moving to Burlington, working at Ben & Jerry’s and getting beaten up after selling bad acid at a Dead show.
  • 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.
  • Hubie’s governorship and Binks becoming Doug McCray’s father in The Town are additional jokes.
  • Hubie using the Billie Jean episode to claim he learned his lessons and launch a Texas political career is endorsed.

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.
  • 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.
  • Jennifer Gray in Ferris Bueller is added.
  • 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.
  • Winona Rader in Lucas and Amanda Peterson in Can't Buy Me Love are additional examples.

Roger Ebert's review

Rating not yet verified

No Roger Ebert review was found by the hosts; they speculate he would have liked the empowerment theme.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:41Read transcript
  • The hosts say they have no Roger Ebert review.
  • The female empowerment theme is imagined as something Ebert would have liked.

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.
  • The harassment, escape and accidental shooting at the souvenir store are discussed; the apparent shoulder wound prompts questions about injury realism.
  • The mall exchange with Rebel Yell and marbles is nominated; more time in the mall and more stores are desired.
  • The two mustached cops suggest an unmade buddy-cop film, and Hubie emerging from plants is enjoyed.
  • The Joan of Arc viewing, haircut reveal and rich house are discussed, including the dark rooms, security cameras and bedroom-to-pool slide.
  • Lloyd’s horror masks are compared to Rick Baker; his confident rapport and suit conflict with the impression of a solitary horror enthusiast.
  • The Fair Is Fair tape playing at the police station and the child copying the gesture are praised.
  • The reward-seeking couple shooting at Billie Jean is enjoyed for its absurdity, while another response reserves it for the aged-worst category.
  • 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.
  • The motorcycle ride and crowd appearance are compared jokingly to a live podcast and meet-and-greet.
  • The burning store, discarded merchandise and third use of Invincible close the candidate rundown.
  • The first tape after the haircut is another final scene preference; the accompanying you-look-famous line is singled out.

The most "year the movie came out" 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.
  • Panama Jack sun products and gas priced at $1.05 are period details.
  • Watching a wall of televisions for major news is nominated; the beta movie camera is called the winner.
  • Hubie’s patterned jams shorts evoke wearing swim trunks all day.
  • 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.
  • Craig’s addressed response picks the haircut.
  • Favorite movie-radio-DJ comparisons include Play Misty for Me, Reservoir Dogs, The Warriors, The Fan and The Fog.

What’s Aged the Best?

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

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

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.
  • The shopping cart full of junk food, including Butterfingers, is another selection; drinking milkshakes in the heat is questioned.

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.
  • The haircut reveal beginning at the pool is praised; Jeffrey Kimball is reported to have also shot Top Gun.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

The abused-child rescue and bounty-seeking couple sequences are nominated.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:25Read transcript
  • The Kenny rescue or couple shooting for the reward are offered, with a qualification that the latter is enjoyable despite taking the movie sideways.
  • Yeardley Smith is reported to have questioned Putter’s first-period subplot.
  • Saving Kenny while on the run strains the story, and the grandmother placement prompts a dark joke that she could be worse.

What’s Aged the Worst?

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

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.
  • Shooting at Billie Jean amid children for a house down payment is condemned; station wagons fishtailing reflect worse car handling, though it improved chases.
  • Invincible is jokingly proposed for fewer or many more repetitions, and an acoustic version for a love scene is imagined.
  • The report that Pat Benatar disliked the film is questioned despite her performing the song; a settle-down response is proposed.
  • The way adults speak to Billie Jean is recalled as an earlier criticism.
  • A reported reshoot wig is criticized for obvious hair discontinuity, especially given the earlier concern over her haircut.

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

Fair Is Fair might have helped the box office, but The Legend of Billie Jean better supports cult status.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:24Read transcript
  • Fair Is Fair is reported as the original title.
  • The alternative title might sell better initially, but the released title is thought to help its later cult identity.

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.
  • Everybody probably thinks their childhood moment of games or cable TV was perfect.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Casting What-Ifs

No casting alternatives were found in the hosts’ research.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:33Read transcript
  • Both responses say no casting what-ifs were found.

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.
  • Young John Cusack is proposed for Lloyd and warmly endorsed.
  • R.E.M.’s Pretty Persuasion would replace the golf-course chase song for more energy.
  • Til Tuesday’s Voices Carry is proposed for the escape sequence with Billie Jean lookalikes, emphasizing a female artist and empowerment.

Picking Nits

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

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.
  • A revision gives Billie Jean prior history with Hubie and a triangle with Lloyd; his souvenir-store inheritance is mocked.

Half-Assed Internet Research

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

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.
  • Smith’s comic timing is praised; City Slickers and an uncertain sitcom memory are discussed.
  • The miniature golf course is reported replaced by the Texas State Aquarium, and an abandoned-mall video is mentioned.
  • The claim that Benatar called this the worst movie ever made is repeated with explicit doubt and a settle-down response.
  • Fast-Rewind accepts visitor-submitted anecdotes, so stories about Helen Slater’s haircut opinions are treated as unverified.

Apex Mountain

Helen Slater is disputed; Christian Slater is rejected, while Honda Elite scooters and self-haircuts are endorsed.

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.
  • City Slickers is counteroffered; expectations for Slater are compared to Elizabeth Shoe and Kelly Preston, with a hypothetical Working Girl role.
  • Christian Slater is rejected.
  • Honda Elite scooters are endorsed and Lou Reed’s 1985 advertisement is recalled.
  • Billie Jean’s self-haircut is called unmatched and immediately iconic, leading to COVID haircut memories.
  • Peter Coyote is weighed against Ken Burns narration and E.T.; E.T. is preferred.
  • 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.
  • Fair being fair and short-haired women are proposed; specific haircut memories remain uncertain.
  • 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.

Cruise or Hanks?

Young Tom Cruise could play Binks or a sympathetic gang member.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:33Read transcript
  • An All the Right Moves-era Tom Cruise is proposed as Binks.
  • His Collateral hair is recalled, and a nice member of Hubie’s gang is another possible role.

Scorsese or Spielberg?

Scorsese is chosen for an imagined cocaine-business version.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:00Read transcript
  • Scorsese is chosen with Mr. Piat imagined running a large cocaine operation above the shop.
  • Lloyd is imagined as a solitary Paul Schrader-style journal writer.

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.
  • The children should be caught quickly because they stay in Corpus Christi and revisit the same places.
  • An expensive unlocked scooter in a trailer park is questioned, though the purchase itself is supported.
  • Breaking into the district attorney’s house by chance, his absence and the private shopper stretch belief.
  • 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.
  • Rally sharpshooters apparently obeying the district attorney and the final Binks hostage plan are called absurd.
  • Billie Jean leaving without charges is questioned; Piat’s wrongdoing and falsely attributed simultaneous robberies are possible explanations.
  • Cutting her hair after recording the tape would better protect anonymity; driving a plated station wagon among repeated destinations strains the chase.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A Brad Ingelsby prestige version and Lloyd’s adult-film sequel are imagined.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:23Read transcript
  • A Corpus Christi prestige version would make Piat a major drug dealer behind a shop front and put Binks into a fentanyl storyline; Billie Jean is proposed as its title.
  • A sequel would turn Lloyd into a Jack Horner-style VHS pornography producer.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Peter Schrager is added to the impersonation roster; Mad Dog questions the rally sharpshooters.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:04Read transcript
  • The existing imitation roster is recited, then Peter Schrager is explicitly added with affection.
  • The Schrager imitation treats Billie Jean’s commitment to fairness and response to radio coverage like an athlete’s comeback.
  • The Mad Dog Russo imitation protests sharpshooters targeting Billie Jean at the beach rally.

Just One Oscar

Pat Benatar’s Invincible and Jeffrey Kimball’s cinematography are considered.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:05Read transcript
  • Pat Benatar is suggested, but whether Invincible was written for the movie is explicitly uncertain.
  • Jeffrey Kimball’s cinematography is called the best part of the movie, although an Oscar is difficult to justify.
  • Say You, Say Me is recalled as the original-song winner over Power of Love; Invincible is thought a possible nominee rather than established as eligible.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

An accidental killing rewrite, Cowboys allegiance and Pyatt’s politics are considered.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:17Read transcript
  • Would the film improve if Binks accidentally killed Piat, prompting a Pulp Fiction comparison and a visit from the Wolf?
  • Which side of the Danny White/Gary Hogaboon quarterback dispute did Piat favor, and did he own Mavs tickets?
  • Piat is imagined as a future Trump-aligned merchandise seller whose rhetoric about unruly youth anticipates MAGA.

Producer review

Craig enjoyed a fun 95 minutes and its entertaining plot.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:39Read transcript
  • The addressed first-time viewer had not heard of it and reports Matt Belloni also did not recognize it; he enjoyed the film.
  • The response praises an entertaining, smart plot and accepts a blend of genuine and ironic affection for these 1980s films.

More from the conversation

Introduction: 400th episode American Gangster last week; football-week one-for-us selection and Tubi repeat viewing.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:13Read transcript
VHS/cable nostalgia: Last Starfighter, Maximum Overdrive, Explorers, Big Trouble in Little China, RAD; Karate Kid and Teen Wolf added. Helen Slater attraction and film cable ubiquity.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:44Read transcript
Craig is asked about his camera angle and his first viewing; he expected a tennis movie. Full identity is unresolved in this passage.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:08Read transcript
Female empowerment and viral fame viewed through 2025 eyes; casual misogyny, sexual assault and child abuse; Billie Jean develops from shy teen to capable protagonist.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:32Read transcript
Pat Benatar, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper as cultural counterparts; Invincible played three times and used in score; Top Gun and Vision Quest music comparisons.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:11Read transcript
Playful created-the-internet comparison to Pump Up the Volume; merchandising/viral fame; TV obsession and teenagers taking control of narrative with cameras.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:20Read transcript
Camera prices and technical limitations recalled; high-school film and home editing anecdotes; exceptional home surveillance/theater setup.
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:43Read transcript
A quotation attributed to director Matthew Robbins describes young powerless characters and notoriety confused with fame; The Sugarland Express is compared.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:39Read transcript
1980s kids-versus-adults theme contrasted with present wealth conflict and adults retaining childhood culture.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:19Read transcript
Helen Slater film career run and school return; Christian debut and subsequent films; hosts correct misconception that Slaters were siblings; reported crush during filming.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:13Read transcript
July 1985 theatrical popularity list: Back to the Future is explicitly first and Cocoon second, followed by Pale Rider, Rambo First Blood Part II, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, St. Elmo’s Fire, E.T., Goonies, European Vacation, Emerald Forest, Silverado, Prizzi’s Honor, Fletch, Explorers, Beverly Hills Cop, A View to a Kill, Brewster’s Millions, Red Sonja, Day of the Dead and Legend of Billie Jean. Vision Quest and Just One of the Guys are added as other 1985 releases. No ordinal positions beyond the first two are inferred.
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:29Read transcript
Theatrical film volume in 1985 is contrasted with event releases and fewer choices in 2025.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:22Read transcript
Jon Peters and Peter [ASR Gruber] are discussed as film producers, with later Sony troubles; Robbins reportedly said Peters was preoccupied with Helen Slater’s haircut. These are film credits, not podcast producers.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:56Read transcript
No budget is reported; $3.1 million gross is discussed alongside Pump Up the Volume and Kicking and Screaming as low-grossing Rewatchables selections.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:50Read transcript
Binks’s unrealistic Vermont expectations lead to a tangent about bedroom posters and their replacement by phones.
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:48Read transcript
A joke about buying a mall for Ringer offices leads to a recollection of investigating the Boogie Nights house; its commute made the plan impractical.
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:22Read transcript
COVID home haircuts and a non-video Cast Away solo podcast are recalled.
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:14Read transcript
The beach teenagers evoke a Life magazine image of period youth culture; The Summer I Turned Pretty is floated as a possible future time capsule.
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:26Read transcript
The core four characters and setting are a good hang, compared with early Jaws 2; Out of Bounds and Cloak & Dagger are related kids-on-the-run premises.
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:03Read transcript
Closing thanks include ASR Gahau, Ronick, Eduardo and Good Worldbeck for producing. These unresolved spellings are retained privately and do not establish unambiguous full credited identities.
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:55Read transcript