The Legend of Billie Jean

The Legend of Billie Jean is a 1985 American drama film, directed by Matthew Robbins. It stars Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Christian Slater, Dean Stockwell, Richard Bradford and Peter Coyote and Martha Gehman. Plot Billie Jean Davy, a teenager from Corpus Christi, Texas, is riding with her younger brother, Binx, on his Honda Elite scooter to a local lake to go swimming. Stopping for a milkshake, they have to deal with Hubie Pyatt, a rowdy local teen, and his friends hitting on Billie Jean, but Binx humiliates Hubie by throwing a milkshake in his face. Later at the lake, as Billie Jean tells Binx about the weather in Vermont (a place he wants to visit), Hubie steals Binx's scooter. As Binx goes to retrieve his scooter later that night, Billie Jean goes to the authorities with her friends Putter and Ophelia. They report the theft to Detective Ringwald, who is sympathetic but urges them to wait and see if matters resolve. When Billie Jean returns home, she finds Binx beaten and his scooter severely damaged. The next day, Billie Jean, Binx, and Ophelia go to Mr. Pyatt's shop and learn that repairing the scooter will cost $608. While initially appearing helpful and understanding, Pyatt propositions Billie Jean and then attempts to rape her. Meanwhile, Binx finds a gun in the shop's cash register. Billie Jean flees from the back of the store, clearly distressed. Binx aims the weapons at Pyatt, who tells him the gun is unloaded, but Binx fires it, wounding Pyatt in the shoulder. The siblings race away from the shop and become fugitives. By the time Ringwald realizes that he made a mistake not listening to Billie Jean, the situation has escalated out of control. Billie Jean wants only the cash to fix her brother's scooter and an apology from Pyatt. With help from Lloyd Muldaur, the teenage son of the district attorney, who voluntarily becomes her "hostage", Billie Jean makes a video of her demands, featuring herself with her long, blonde hair chopped into a crew cut, inspired after watching a movie about Joan of Arc on TV (the 1957 film Saint Joan). She dons a revolutionary-style wardrobe including combat boots, fatigues, and a wetsuit top with the sleeves torn off. As media coverage increases, Billie Jean becomes a teen icon, and young fans follow her every movement. Facing uncertain dangers, both physical and legal, Billie Jean is forced to turn in her friends Putter and Ophelia to the cops for their safety.