The Runaways

'Dead end kids in the danger zone
All of you are drunk and stoned'

THE RUNAWAYS (Released August 26th 2010, UK)
Dir. by Floria Sigismondi
Starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon

The Runaways were an all-girl teenage rock group formed in LA in the 1970s and have now become the subject of a new film by Floria Sigismondi in her first major feature. The band had a short career, spanning from 1975 to just 1979, but released 4 albums, had a number of hits and toured all over the world. The film covers this career from the very formation of the group as producer Kim Fowley introduced rhythm guitarist Joan Jett to drummer Sandy West, both of whom had approached him with the idea of creating an all-girl group. And the rest, as they say, is history.

With an influx of musician biopics (Walk The Line, Control et al) over recent years it is perhaps tough for the latest in the genre to avoid the standard formula set forward by its predecessors. While The Runaways doesn't necessarily avoid this structure, it is set apart by the interesting issues it raises with regards to feminism in the 1970's. In many ways the film could be seen as a representation of 'girl power', of a group of young women making their voices heard and making their mark upon a male-dominated market. The band were, in this respect, hugely influential, encouraging a generation of girls to pick up electric guitars and immerse themselves in the practice of rock and punk genres.

But the film has its dark side, and does not completely shirk from presenting the exploitation of the band and the dramatic effect it had upon relationships within the group. Fowley, while undoubtedly a talented music producer, was seen by many as a monster and stories have emerged since about the extent of the verbal and sexual abuse the band suffered from him. Credit to him, he provided the group with everything they dreamed of musically, but in order to encounter such success Fowley exploited the gender of the group, sexualising girls perhaps too young to fully deal with the inevitably very adult effects of being a sexual symbol. This was particularly difficult for lead singer Cherie Currie, thrust headfirst into a grown-up world, and eventually led to her alienating herself from both Fowley and the rest of the band.

The film is based upon Currie's memoir 'Neon Angel' and thus hers is the only family backstory we are provided with. Currie's is undoubtedly the saddest story; she seemed so unready for the adult world and was therefore the one so easily exploited by it. Dakota Fanning is an absolute revelation in the role, building astonishingly upon her younger roles in, amongst others, War of the Worlds and Man on Fire. While her earlier performances were strong they also on occasion invited irritation amongst audiences, her bug-eyed cuteness adding a little too much sugar to dramatic films; there is no such problem here, Fanning providing a very real portrayal of a young woman losing her innocence. The girl has most definitely grown up. Kristen Stewart, meanwhile, invests her take on Joan Jett with a wonderful sense of teen rebelliousness and punk attitude, capturing Jett's swagger and natural boyishness. Stewart is becoming steadily, film by film, a young actress of genuine talent. The Runaways is another example of just what she can bring to a role more compelling and better written than that of Bella Swan, and may even be her most assured performance thus far.

With the band experiencing such an eventful 4 year career it is only necessary and expected that the film can only deal with so much. It can perhaps, therefore, be forgiven that so much emphasis is placed on Currie and Jett and so little on the other band members. Badly written though they may be, it is quite understandable that the filmmakers decided to focus on the two biggest personalities and in Fanning and Stewart they have two actresses perfectly capable of bringing them to the big screen. The film also skirts over some of the more scandalous events that took place during the band's career, including Currie's abortion, bass player Jackie Smith's suicide attempt and the extent of the sexual experimentations within the group. It does, however, have interesting things to say about the band; the moment Jett and Fowley write the band's biggest hit 'Cherry Bomb' on the spot prior to Currie's audition for the group is particularly revealing, as well as the explosive reactions the band received in Japan, which Jett compared to 'Beatlemania'. 'The Runaways' is a solid biopic lifted by all-round superb performances and a coming-of-age story constantly tinged with sadness at the loss of youth and innocence.
3.5/5

'Rock 'n' roll is a blood sport, a sport of men. It's for the people in the dark, the death cats, the masturbators, the outcasts who have no voice, no way of saying I hate this world, my father's a faggot, fuck you, fuck authority - I want an orgasm! Now, growl! Moan! This ain't women's lib, kiddies - the is women's libido! I wanna see the scratch marks down their fucking backs! Now, do it again. Again. Like your boyfriend just fucked your sister in your parent's bed. LIKE YOU WANT A FUCKING ORGASM!'