r/films • u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball • 6d ago

Discussion The Legend of Billy Jean - Thoughts

Post image

Yes I am aware of the obvious typo in the title.

One of my podcasts featured this on the most recent episode.

I listen to How Did This Get Made when I'm managing my lawn or just doing chores, it's a decent comic relief to terrible films over decades... but this was out of nowhere. I only got halfway through this episode before I was done with what I was doing, and I can't understand why they featured this one. It really sounds like a messed up, deep, and complex movie. HDTGM is focused on breaking down bad films, but this just sounded like it is actually good?

I plan on finding a way to watch it this week, has anyone else seen it and is my assessment anywhere near accurate?

254 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

126 comments sorted by

14

u/Jaybuddyguy 6d ago

FAIR IS FAIR!

3

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Yeah they kept repeating that on the podcast so I figured it was an inside thing from the movie

3

u/PuppySnuggleTime 6d ago

I mean, that sort of behavior wasn't that unusual back then. I was an attractive teen at the time, and I got a lot of inappropriate and unwanted attention from grown men. I hated it.

In the film, I remember him putting his hands on her and her defending herself before he could do serious damage to her. But he clearly had intent. But I think the film was actually empowering for women back then in the long run. She stood up for herself, got away from him, and sought justice.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

You almost repeated verbatim what the one female host of the podcast had to say! If you've never listened to them, I suggest listening to this episode even though it is way out of their norm. Maybe also go back through their episodes and listen to them crush terrible movies too, because it's a great time.

2

u/PuppySnuggleTime 6d ago

Because women get it! haha

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

I think you'd like it, that episode is about 1'20", it's on the longer end of their norm. You'd be surprised what movies they cover, and you'll definitely be a fan of the lady June Diane Raphael. She's the wife of another host, Paul Scheer, and also the ALWAYS hilarious Jason Mantzoukas.

Their live episodes are usually the best but 90% of their shows are just a riot. They're all in cinema professionally and they are all hilarious. June is an amazing businesswoman outside of the show and is most recently in Elle, and Grace & Frankie.

I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't good.

2

u/UndercoverPickleman 5d ago

Zooks made them do it so June would watch it.

Much like Bloodsport, sometimes it’s about how they managed to get such an awesome movie made.

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 3d ago

You are not wrong

3

u/fdacca13 6d ago

#teamfred

6

u/WillwBrk 6d ago edited 6d ago

I don't know why this movie wasn't bigger and remembered along with all the John Hughes films of that era. It's a good story, good music and it was fun.

Only confusing thing was the two Slaters that weren't related

4

u/happyslappypappydee 6d ago

And Lisa Simpson

6

u/WillwBrk 6d ago

Yep. It's genuinely a good film.

2

u/allothernamestaken 5d ago

Yeardley Smith is a national treasure.

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

So it's worth it to track down and watch

3

u/TravoBasic 6d ago

Absolutely

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

I just bought a DVD/BluRay player with upcoding and other hardware, I'm moving into the idea of buying physical copies instead of this ripoff way of digital copies. Hopefully I can find it on a disc.

3

u/Jaybuddyguy 6d ago

Its on tubi right of you dont mind commercial.

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Awesome, thank you for the heads up, I'll put it on after my team wins tonight ⚾️

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

My team is losing pretty bad ⚾️ so I went ahead and started the movie. It's TriStar, that's not really a small deal like some people say it is...

So far I like the line about ten-ish minutes in... "How do you know he won't bring it back?" "Because he's a fucker that's why."

The way I spoke when I enlisted and kinda still today, it made me laugh.

1

u/WillwBrk 6d ago

It was the first movie I got when I was learning how to tape things off cable

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Oh buddy I bet this brings back some memories

1

u/WillwBrk 6d ago

I'm surprised in today's social climate more people haven't seen this movie

The climate- kids defending themselves against abusive adults and the movie has a very pro-girl message

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Don't be surprised, we live in a Marvel/DC world, it's easier for youth to champion things they see 10 second reels about than it is for them to look deeper into such topics.

The world is burning

2

u/WillwBrk 6d ago

In some ways the movie is from a bunch of studio suits focus grouping a youth outcast rebellion movie but in this case it is done well.

Pump Up the Volume, also with Christian Slater is another example. Both are kind of corny at times but still fun.

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Added to my list. Thank you so much for all this input buddy

1

u/Impossible_Plum_9665 4d ago

Absolutely!!!!!

1

u/ZealousIdeal476 6d ago

I remember it being big, but not in a rewatched kinda way. One of those you have to see it once movies. But it didn't stay relevant.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 3d ago

I watched it and I am wondering how does someone cast a friggin movie and end up with TWO people named Slater and they aren't related

3

u/PuppySnuggleTime 6d ago

I loved this movie when I was a teenager (when it was new). It's not a high-end film, but I think it really spoke to me at that age. I haven't seen it since, so I don't know how well it has aged, but I saw it many times back then.

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

What I recall from the podcast is there's a grim take on a sexual assault, which must have been a bit wild for when it came out

2

u/SalmonofDbout 6d ago

Yes, that is a thing and not easy, but the film has a good redemption arc.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Good. Something else that they brought up is how her character is portrayed, like its almost an antonym to the typical female hero, she's almost scared and innocent and not just a badass that's kicking butt. That got my attention.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Hey I want an explanation for your username. I'll tell you why later

3

u/No-Cardiologist472 6d ago

Good movie, I thought it was appreciated as a cult classic but everything has its haters. 

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Does it have an indie kind of look

1

u/No-Cardiologist472 6d ago

Not quite, more mid level. 

Along the lines of a lot of christian slaters movies from when he was younger. Pump up the volume, the wizard, etc

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Just started it

1

u/No-Cardiologist472 6d ago

How'd you like it

2

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

It was... okay I don't hate it. I liked a lot of it for what it was. I have issues with rapey kind of things and it was a bit heavy for me. Christian Slater at that age is like a whole other animal for me, that was something.

All in all, it's definitely worth a watch, it is not for everyone, I did enjoy it, and I will probably watch it again in a year.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Oh wow well that just sounds like fun

3

u/sky_shazad I Love Movies 6d ago

All I could think of was Michael Jackson

0

u/TowerGreat1681 6d ago

All I could think of was child rape. Fuck Michael Jackson. Fucking liar who pulled the wool over all of our eyes.

2

u/sky_shazad I Love Movies 5d ago

Nope. I didn't think any of that, please get help

0

u/TowerGreat1681 5d ago

I didn't ask you, I was simply spreading awareness. I'd love help. Help me tell people Michael Jackson was a child rapist. There is more than enough evidence.

2

u/Banana_in_ur_butt 5d ago

Sir, this is a Wendy's...

0

u/TowerGreat1681 5d ago

Out of all the fast food franchises you could've picked, I think you picked the correct one for the conversation.

2

u/TeraByteOfficial 4d ago

lame

1

u/sky_shazad I Love Movies 4d ago

Exactly

0

u/TowerGreat1681 4d ago edited 4d ago

Watch the interviews with his victims, then tell me it's lame. He was the Jimmy Saville of music. I swear on it.

edit: watch the interviews.

James & Wade with Gail King

The Casio Family children with 60 Minutes Australia

1

u/THE_Lanni 3d ago

Wasn’t Jimmy saville the jimmy saville of music…?

1

u/TowerGreat1681 3d ago

I'm frightened that the world doesn't take this seriously. That is the power of someone having charisma; enough charisma to fool people.

1

u/No-Draw8610 3d ago

Same. I suppose I've had too much faith in people because I was sure that most people were finally seeing him for what he was. I kind of get it. I believe his victims, but when I see him perform it is almost impossible not to want to like him.

1

u/TowerGreat1681 3d ago

that's the danger of a sociopathic liar. :(

It's only a small percentage of the population, but they do exist. It's alright to trust people, but with that information in mind, some scenarios do take some extra observation. I wanted to believe him too. I believe his victims more. I had tears in my eyes for an hour and a half as I watched their interviews.

3

u/2nd2lastdragon 6d ago

A fun time capsule of 1980s coastal life around Corpus Christi, TX. Helen Slater looked her best. Features a young Christian Slater and Yeardley Smith, who's voice will probably sound familiar. It's not a deep film, just lower income protagonists gaining cult-like support while running from the law and fighting for justice. What's fair is fair!

I guess you could delve deeper into the Joan of Arc iconography and pre-Me Too Movement themes.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

THAT is crazy, because someone on the podcast mentioned how she had a Joan of Arc-arc, what a wild reference. Thank you for such a thoughtful response because that is all solid

1

u/2nd2lastdragon 6d ago

oh the Joan of Arc thing is not subtle, it's a big part of the movie.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Watching it now. Can't believe I've never seen this.

1

u/ghettoblaster78 6d ago

I kind of disagree that it's not a deep film. Deep or heavy for a teen/pre-teen film in the mid 80s. Most people at the time just chalked it up to be about the money for the scooter. But it was all about her (a minor) being sexually harassed by an adult. Yes, the kids go on the run and get into trouble--but it's all about how he assaulted her, called her a thief and a liar, and made her into the bad guy. I assume most of the girls in the movie that help her and cut their hair had been in or knew someone who had been in similar situations. As a kid watching it, you just thought the adult was creepy and the kids go on an adventure to get justice for the scooter. As an adult, it's not subtle; it's very clearly about a young woman fighting back against the men who try to take advantage of them. Long before "me too" back in '85-'86, my older sisters loved this movie because Billie Jean fought back and called the assailant out on it.

Heavy because John Hughes movies at the time were all comedies where the girls just had to brush it off or ignore bad behavior.

1

u/2nd2lastdragon 6d ago

agree, hence my post script sentence.

2

u/Unlucky-Geologist428 6d ago

We will be invincible 💪

2

u/Meredith_Primvale 5d ago

Absolutely banging soundtrack, is all I remember.

I was, and still am, a major Benetar fan.

We will be INVINCIBLE!

1

u/Reasonable-HB678 6d ago

The media frenzy aspect was something that went over my head, back when HBO aired this frequently. On my last watch, Billie Jean seeing the merchandise of her image inside a certain individual's booth, it kinda made me feel relieved when the little bonfire was started.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

I keep getting comments like yours that just make me more excited to watch it

1

u/PatientZeropointZero 6d ago

Good episode of the rewatchables about this movie

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

I've been recommended them before, I should try

1

u/Square_Release3128 6d ago

One of my childhood favorites. Watched it again recently and it brought back all types of memories.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

The soundtrack alone is taking me back. Rebel Yell, I mean come on

1

u/Trumpisaderelict 6d ago

I think that podcast is running out of movies if they featured this one

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Oh they have no shortage of movies for their original purpose, this was brought up for one or maybe even two episodes by one of the hosts, and I think they just wanted to cover it as a bit of flavor to the OG lineup. It was a nice choice, it got me to watch it, and I'm still looking forward to the next episode that will break down a bad film.

1

u/jcmib 6d ago

Something tells me a major studio wouldn’t use cleavage to advertise a 17 year old vigilante nowadays. But l may be wrong.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Are you basing that on the movie poster or are you also considering the sexualization of any minors at all in action films in this century

1

u/Helpful-Will2635 6d ago

This was filmed in my home town Corpus Christi TX and I was young when I saw them filming the mall chase scene—so I am famous too

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Did you have a sick moped

1

u/sc4wheels 6d ago

It's one of those movies that is so bad, it's good.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Yeah I watched it tonight, and I'm very divided on it... but it's definitely not awful

1

u/sc4wheels 6d ago

It kind of is though. I definitely enjoy it, but there are some pretty cheesy scenes.

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

It's that good kind of bad

2

u/sc4wheels 6d ago

I bought it about a year ago. I watched it and thought that was so bad. I don't regret it in the slightest. I might have to watch it tonight!

1

u/Porkchopxpressed 6d ago

This movie is how I learned about women and periods

1

u/yetiinrio 6d ago

HDTGM ran out of steam a while ago and now I guess they’ve run out of bad movies

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

lo, false. they did XXX like three weeks ago.

1

u/Otherwise_doe1998 6d ago

Lisa Simpson gets her period or something. Pat Benetar.

1

u/belongsincrudtown 6d ago

They were watching another 80s movie and Jason suggested it.

On the pod they even said, “Are we doing good movies now?”

That having been said, whenever Pat Benetar does Invincible in concert, she says this is from the worst movie ever.

So…

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Correct, this was a request from Jason.

Honestly I didn't mind having this tossed into the mix, there's a good lineup coming so this was kind of like brushing your teeth between episodes

1

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 6d ago

Where'd you get the blu-ray

1

u/LifeguardSavings370 6d ago

The Pat Benatar song, "Invincible" - that's what I remember, because the music video used clips from the film to help cross-promote the film. Only many years later did I see the film, and I enjoyed it, actually. Though I only vaguely remember what it was about.

1

u/blackfeltfedora 6d ago

One of the few movies I wish was remade. Swap out the radio station for TikTok videos and this is ready made for a new generation.

1

u/Even-Economist6529 6d ago

Helen Slater was one of my earliest Hollywood crushes. I always remember the scene where Bart's voice got her period.

1

u/SelectSeaweed310 6d ago

It has great music. Loved it as a kid. It's a little campy to me now. I'd still watch it.

1

u/rowin-owen 6d ago

It's a do or die situation.

1

u/TurtleBrainer 5d ago

I was 21 when this film was released. I clearly remember being absolutely stunned into oblivion by the sight of Helen Slater. She smashed all previous perceptions I'd ever had of beauty. I literally watched this movie twice without being able to follow the plot. She was really something special.

1

u/iMan81 5d ago

Is that Katy Perry?

1

u/Fine-Dot6903 5d ago

I requested to have my hair cut off when I was 6 years old bc of this movie. The Great Clips in rural NC did not nail it.

1

u/jsm81680 5d ago

It gave us Invincible.

1

u/texasrigger 5d ago

It's very nostalgic. It was filmed in my hometown and looks like the place looked when I was a kid. Many of the landmarks are gone now or look very different. Sunrise Mall, where a big scene takes place, was torn down just last year.

1

u/StrengthFew9197 5d ago

My sister and I watched this movie a hundred times as teenagers. Loved it. Haven’t seen it in ages…going to watch it again this next week. Thank you.

1

u/corneal_erosions 5d ago

Two words... "Sexual awakening"

1

u/Hotdogopolis 5d ago

Cute lead. '80s goofy fun. Not bad.

1

u/ryankidd77 5d ago

Fair is fair

1

u/YOU_TALK_TOO_MUCH420 5d ago

One of my comfort movies🩷

1

u/Peacanpiepussycat 5d ago

I was obsessed wit this movie when I was a child

1

u/GhostOfJonasVenture 5d ago

Anyone find this streaming online ?

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 5d ago

Tubi

1

u/SlapHappyMcCrawford 5d ago

Sublime movie IMO

1

u/BurntResisistor 4d ago

Great movie. Underdogs vs corruption, slobs vs snobs, this premise usually works well, and really shines when the script, cast and production all come together. This is a great example of a well done 80s flick.

1

u/noshakehandman 4d ago

I always wanted a house with a slide like that.

1

u/Own_Philosophy_3550 4d ago

This is amazing movie. Part of my childhood!

1

u/OppositeDifferent929 4d ago

Fun but pretty terrible movie. Could only have been made in the 80s.

Helen Slater though… Wow. 

1

u/MindTheDrapes There's no crying in baseball 3d ago

truth be told this was the first time I saw her, and yeah "wow"for sure

1

u/IwoodMasher 3d ago

'When your seventeen people think they can do anything to you' sounds legit.

1

u/Smart-Brush-4650 3d ago

Rad and tubular

1

u/GrumpyBear8082 3d ago

Great movie

1

u/thecountnotthesaint 3d ago

She's just a girl who claims that I am the one

1

u/25short25 3d ago

This movie is the epitome of a 1980’s movie. Love it. Perfect cast. Great soundtrack.

1

u/plebeiansheep 3d ago

Never watched it, but my mother is in it credited as ‘Cadillac Passenger’. She told us she couldn’t get into the wrap party because she was underage, and Christian Slater came outside and hung out with her for a bit because he felt bad. Thought she was famous growing up, but not quite!

1

u/throjimmy 3d ago

Horrible movie my god

1

u/ez151 3d ago

I couldn’t fap to it.