It’s 1975 and rebellious LA teens Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) meet and become seminal members of The Runaways who will make history and pave the way for generations of girl rockers to come…
‘The Runaways’
NZ Release date: 9 September 2010
It’s 1975 and rock and roll is still very much a man’s world.
Rebellious Los Angeles teens Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) meet at a local nightclub and become seminal members of the girl rock band The Runaways who will make history and pave the way for generations of girl rockers to come.
Under the controlling hand of music producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) The Runaways shake up the local rock scene with their sexually provocative behaviour and musical prowess.
The band have a meteoric rise to fame which comes crashing down after jealousy, infighting and drug addiction plagues the band.
Directed by Floria Sigismondi and based on Cherie Currie’s personal memoir ‘Neon Angel’, The Runaways is a chick flick without the smooth edges.
I thought Dakota Fanning’s performance as the troubled 15 year old Cherie Currie stole the show. She managed to pull of the bad ass sex kitten with ease, shaking off any last reminders of her child actor past. Kristen Stewart didn’t quite pull off tough girl Joan Jett and I felt like she was playing the same character she has in many of her other film roles.
It’s worth mentioning the both actresses did actually sing for the roles and from listening to the original recordings of The Runaways they did a pretty good job of it.
Sigismondi bought a Italian art house flavour to the film which didn’t really work in some parts of the film but overall I enjoyed it. Definitely a good movie for a girls night out and you’ll want to listen to girl rock music as soon as you get home!
By Helen King, 16 August 2010.
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