Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

The Legend of Billie Jean

Play trailer Poster for The Legend of Billie Jean PG-13 Released Jul 19, 1985 1h 36m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
39% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Restless teenager Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her brother, Binx (Christian Slater), dream of leaving oppressive Corpus Christi, Texas, for Vermont. When Binx's scooter is trashed by bully Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb), Billie Jean goes to ask Hubie's father (Richard Bradford) for $608 for repairs, only to have Mr. Pyatt try to rape her. As she flees, Binx finds Mr. Pyatt's gun and unintentionally shoots him. Billie Jean and her brother go on the run, becoming folk heroes in the process.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Legend of Billie Jean

The Legend of Billie Jean

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Rebellious in spirit and anarchic in style, this Helen Slater-starring vehicle holds a certain youthful cool but is otherwise a disjointed retelling of an oft-repeated legend.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (38) Critics Reviews
Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel Although it's obviously a B picture, The Legend of Billie Jean has quite a lot going for it. The film doesn't get many points for finesse, but it has energy, good performances and more wit than you'd expect. Nov 17, 2023 Full Review Patrick Goldstein Los Angeles Times The film makers may have envisioned Billie Jean as some sort of free-spirited Joan of Arc, but spirit is just one of the many key ingredients missing from this jumbled teen-age fable, enough to try the patience of -- ahem -- a saint. Nov 17, 2023 Full Review Sid Smith Chicago Tribune Teenagers, who may not have seen this picture's many hero/outlaw predecessors, might like its the pop soundtrack, better-than-average acting and modest punk attire. Everyone else is likely to find Billie Jean the very thing that becomes a legend least. Rated: 2/4 Nov 17, 2023 Full Review Joe Baltake Philadelphia Daily News The plot of this teen revenge fantasy may be hard to swallow, but the movie itself goes down easy, thanks in large part to the presence of stunning Helen Slater, who is totally credible as a young woman turned into an outlaw/heroine. Nov 17, 2023 Full Review Laurie Horn Miami Herald Director Matthew Robbins keeps the pace light, nonviolent, and more entertaining than a made-for-TV movie. The fashion show’s the action. Nov 17, 2023 Full Review Marylynn Uricchio Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Legend of Billie Jean comes complete with a stupid ending, but fortunately, the audience has been well prepared. Nov 17, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (406) audience reviews
mike s Classic 80s movie, not a oscar winner but remember movies are not just supposed to be art they can be fun....This was a fun 80s movie! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/11/24 Full Review K W Fun and inspiring. I watched this back in the 80s. Great Pat Benetar song. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/02/24 Full Review Lloyd S Not interesting. Awful plot and disjointed. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/24 Full Review Jeff M I admittedly am having a rough time separating quality from nostalgia with this one. The first 20 minutes are really rough, and I anticipated yet another film of my youth that didn't age well. However, this is a movie that gets better and better as it goes along. There's some really bad stuff here, and it probably deserves a **1/2 or *** rating at most, but by the end I was captivated and standing up in bed singing the 80s power ballad "INVINCIBLE" along with Pat Benatar. Despite a Southern accent that tends to vary in certain scenes, Helen Slater is a strong protagonist for whom we are definitely rooting. She is strikingly beautiful here, and I have always been baffled that she never became a bigger star. It's also refreshing to see Christian Slater in a performance that doesn't seem to be mimicking Nicholson. On the bad side, we have truly awful performances by Yeardley Smith and especially Martha Gehman, a very stereotypical supporting cast of characters and a plot that strains credibility at times. But there's a peculiar timeliness to this movie during this ME TOO period of our culture. I enjoyed it enough to watch it a second time with audio commentary by Helen Slater and Yeardley Smith. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Trenaway E The critics were stupid on this movie, for it is great! From the story arch, character arch, and music, this movie hits it out of the park. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/29/23 Full Review Daniel G Absolutely amazing! Mad I didn't watch this sooner. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Legend of Billie Jean

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

The Color Purple 73% 94% The Color Purple Watchlist Smooth Talk 94% 47% Smooth Talk Watchlist Gorillas in the Mist 84% 75% Gorillas in the Mist Watchlist Just Between Friends 33% 52% Just Between Friends Watchlist The River 27% 49% The River Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Restless teenager Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her brother, Binx (Christian Slater), dream of leaving oppressive Corpus Christi, Texas, for Vermont. When Binx's scooter is trashed by bully Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb), Billie Jean goes to ask Hubie's father (Richard Bradford) for $608 for repairs, only to have Mr. Pyatt try to rape her. As she flees, Binx finds Mr. Pyatt's gun and unintentionally shoots him. Billie Jean and her brother go on the run, becoming folk heroes in the process.
Director
Matthew Robbins
Production Co
Guber-Peters Company
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 19, 1985, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2012
Runtime
1h 36m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Surround
Most Popular at Home Now