My how Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart have grown up. These two young actresses take some big risks by playing Joan Jett and Cherie Currie in The Runaways, and for the most part, it pays off.
The Runaways were the first all-girl rock band and had a huge hit with “Cherry Bomb.” Cherie (Fanning) had the looks and Joan (Stewart) was the heart and soul. But both of these ladies had talent on top of all that. Joan had the idea of an all-girl rock band, but it was record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) who put it all together. He turned these girls in to women of rock ‘n roll and taught them how sex sells.
The film is not really a biographical movie. We do not really get to know any of The Runaways on a personal level besides Cherie. We do get a glimpse into the life she lives and her troubled family life. The Runaways is really about the rise and demise of the band. And the spotlight is on Joan and Cherie’s relationship with each other. It is a case of egos clashing and letting fame get the best of you. Joan loved music. It is her life. Cherie could sing, but loved being famous. It is the classic tale of jealousy and addiction ruining something that could have been great.
The film really works because of the performances from Stewart, Fanning and Shannon. Shannon is so rude, crude, and over-the-top as their producer/manager, but he sure is fun to watch. Everytime he is in a scene, you pay attention to him. You just cannot help it. And Fanning plays a troubled girl who gets in way over her head. Cherie was portrayed as a sex kitten, not as a singer. And she was okay with that for a while. She got all of the attention from cameras, magazines, and men. But it cannot last forever and it does not.
But the best performance has to be from Stewart. She captures the attitude and strength of Joan Jett. She is the woman in black and one tough chick. She did not care what people thought and while girls did not play the electric guitar back then, Joan did. Kristen Stewart is a good actress. Sometimes, the Twilight movies overshadow her talent, but then there are films like this one and Adventureland in which you see her in full force.
The Runaways is a wild film about some wild girls. The pace of the movie is pretty fast until the end. Once the band falls apart, the flow gets a little slow. The good news is once the film slows down, it is almost over. The film has sex, drugs, and alcohol. But we all knew those things would be included. It is a rock ‘n roll movie after all.
Director Floria Sigismondi does not provide a lot of information about the women who created the Runaways, but we get to see how the band came together and changed how women rock. The Runaways is a fast film about girls living in the fast lane. It has good performances and keeps you interested and entertained. Plus, the music is cool. The music itself could almost tell their story. It certainly adds to it.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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