THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN (1985)
Retro VHS Edition
Label: Mill Creek Entertainment
Region Code: A
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 95 Minutes
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Director: Matthew Robins
Cast: Helen Slater, Christian Slater, Peter Coyote, Keith Gordon, Yeardley Smith, Martha Gehman
I completely remember watching The Legend of Billie Jean for the first-time on VHS, seated on my grandmother's floor soaking in the glow of the TV as I crushed hard on Helen Slater (Supergirl) for ninety-five minutes, and to say that this most recent viewing was not laced with warm feelings of early teen nostalgia would be a straight-up lie.
In a small Corpus Christi neighborhood Binx (Christian Slater, Very Bad Things) stands-up for his sister Billie Jean (Helen Slater) who is being harassed by a group of those popped-collar jerks that the 80's were so full of. In retaliation they trash Binx's prized motor scooter and smash-up his face a bit. Outraged by the incident Billie Jean approaches the father of the teen responsible who in turn forces himself on the young woman, nice guy, and when her brother walks-in sees all this he accidentally shoots the dirt bag. Scared and not believing anyone will believe poor kids from the trailer park the teens hit the road with friends Ophelia (Martha Gehman) and Putter (Yeardley Smith, Maximum Overdrive). While fleeing authorities the teens gain notoriety and the public sympathy as the authorities - lead by Lt. Ringwald (Peter Coyote, Southern Comfort) - launch a statewide manhunt for the kids.
While on the run Billie Jean watches a Joan of Arc film and is inspired to cut her hair short, afterward make a video proclaiming her innocence which goes viral, causing other young women across the state start cutting their hair short as show of support. Christian Slater made his feature film debut with this one before going onto 80's teen-glory with Heathers, Gleaming The Cube and Pump Up The Volume! Fans of The Simpsons will be sure to spot (and hear) Yeardley Smith as the foul-mouthed Putter, and I am pleased to say her character here is nowhere near as annoying as the screeching newlywed from Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive.
While on the run the group make friends with a wealthy horror-nerd named Lloyd Keith Gordon, Christine) who ends up a very willing hostage with a sweet spot for Billie Jean, and who can blame him? Unfortunately Lloyd neglects to mention that his father (Dean Stockwell, Wild At Heart) is running for State Attorney General which complicates matters quite a bit. There's also a small cameo from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 screamer Caroline Williams who manages to fit a lot of screaming into a tiny role.
The hi-def presentation from Mill Creek Entertainment is pretty decent and while there's no lossless audio option the Dolby Digital stereo supports it quite nicely with a soundtrack featuring the Divinyls, Pat Benatar, Billy Idol and even Wendy O. Williams. This Retro VHS Edition is the same version as the 'Fair Is Fair' Special Edition released by Mill Creek a few years back with a new retro slipcover, no new extras, same exact discs and keepcase sleeve art underneath, but if you're a fan of slips and retro-VHS artwork packaging it's still pretty cool. .
The Legend of Billie Jean is pretty ridiculous, but it still works for me in a nostalgic, fist-pumping, cool-80s sort of way, it's certainly a bit silly watching it now but when I was twelve it felt like a fucking battle cry - haha. While it's no Reagan-era classic it's certainly worth a revisit and you can pick it up for just a few bucks plus there's a commentary from Helen Slater and Yeardley Smith, which is a fun listen.
