Note: After a dispute with my editor I have decided to post my review of The Runaways here on my blog but you can see an alternative (and poorly edited) version at The Sun's website.
In 1975, The Runaways burst onto the music scene with their all girl line-up and no-nonsense attitude. Developed by record producer Kim Fowley and headed by guitarist Joan Jett they were poised to take over the charts but a series of setbacks prevented them from ever getting off the ground. Those familiar with the music industry know that Jett would go onto the front her own band, The Blackhearts, while the remaining members of The Runaways went in other directions.
Lead singer Cherie Currie released two solo albums and did some acting; but, the drug problem she developed while she was with The Runaways continued to plague her until she dropped out of the spotlight. Recently, Currie authored a novel with non-fiction writer Tony O’Neill detailing her young adult life and the time she spent with The Runaways, entitled Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway. This novel was then used, by music video director Floria Sigismondi, as the source material for a long gestating Runaways film.
Watching The Runaways it’s incredibly clear that the story has been framed so as to highlight Currie and Jett’s stories while relegating the rest of the band to the background. Part of this can be attributed to the star power of Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart who play Currie and Jett, respectively. But, the rest is probably due to Currie’s novel serving as the foundation and Jett serving as an executive producer on the film. Regardless of the reason, this is the film’s first problem. It’s incredibly difficult to invest yourself in the lives of these characters when you know so little about them. As Lita Ford, The Runaway’s tough willed guitarist, Scout Taylor-Compton is reduced to nothing more than a whiny teenager who’s jealous of her band mates. Drummer Sandy West fares slightly better, she is accurately portrayed as a co-founder of the band, but actress Stella Maeve isn’t given much to work with after that. Alia Shawkat rounds out the band presented in the film playing a fictitious amalgam of the band’s many bassists. Shawkat will look familiar to fans of the television series Arrested Development but the actress has barely any speaking lines here.
This leaves Fanning, Stewart and Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon, as Fowley, to carry the load. Fortunately, all three actors were surprisingly well cast for their roles. Known predominantly for her wooden performances in the Twilight films, Stewart is a much better actress than she’s often given credit for. At just 19, the young starlet has been nominated for 4 Young Artist Awards and she recently won the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Here she able to display why; embodying the poorly developed Jett character, Stewart elevates Sigismondi’s material. So does Shannon; as Kim Fowley he is careful to show hints on insanity and touches of brilliance. Rather than simply playing Fowley as a wholly over the top man, Shannon is able capture the svengali he truly was. However, it’s Fanning who is most impressive. Shedding what remained of her “child actor” label, Fanning meticulously traces Currie’s loss of innocence. More importantly she personifies the jail bait branding that music critics gave to Currie back in the 1960s. Scenes that feature Dakota parading around in lingerie or having sex, with both men and women, might upset fans of her previous work; but, they’re necessary because they highlight what life was like for Currie in her early teens.
If anything, Sigismondi tried too hard to keep the film tasteful at the expense of a fully fleshed out story. Her script continuously reminds the audience that these girls were fetish objects for the masses but it doesn’t show us that. One of the film’s major sex scenes feels too soft contextually in a movie that’s all about rebellion and anarchy, while another has a cliché fade-to-black sequence. The end result is a number of scenes that leave the viewer feeling awkward rather than satisfied. Her years as a music video director made Sigismondi well qualified to shoot the film’s numerous musical sequences and her love of the band does shine through at points. “I took more of a naturalistic approach. I wanted it very real and raw. I wanted you to be able smell the smoke and smell the beer in the clubs, just the reality of it,” said Sigismondi. Unfortunately, she and cinematographer Benoît Debie went a bit overboard with their attempts to show the grit. Several scenes are so dark that their focus becomes obscured.
Overall, the film is typical biopic with some flair. Despite its many plot holes, which do get progressively worse towards the end, The Runaways is a fun film evocative of the 1970s. It’s definitely a film worth seeing, though perhaps on DVD. Note: The Runaways opened in select cities on March 19th to an impressive $3,300 per theater average; it will expand to a wide release on April 9th.
Overall Grade: 5/10
