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.

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.

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.

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.