Movie Review - The Runaways

Dakota Fanning struts around on screen sporting a white satin corset, black thigh-highs, and at least 5-inch silver platform heels. She lays a conglomeration of pills on the stage floor, crushes them with her heels, and is soon on her knees snorting the white powder up. Moments later, she’s singing into a microphone:

“Hello, world, I’m your wild girl. I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!”

This isn’t the Dakota Fanning the world knows and loves—the little girl who came into the Hollywood scene at age 7. However, she has made a successful transition from child star to adult star in this month’s “The Runaways”.

Sporting bell-bottoms, lots of eyeliner, and David Bowie-inspired makeup, Fanning portrays The Runaways’ ill-fated lead singer, Cherie Currie. At just 15, Currie became lead singer for the all-female group and rocketed to fame, especially in Japan. Fanning shines as Currie. You can see Currie’s innocence being peeled back in layers as she explores the world of rock and roll. One moment, she’s singing Peggy Lee songs into her hairbrush in her bedroom, the next she’s screaming into a microphone about getting high at a nightclub.

Fanning’s performance of the band’s most successful hit, “Cherry Bomb,” is eerily similar to Currie’s original performance for Japanese television. Her vocals are impressive, as is her embodiment of Currie, from her looks to her seductive and vulgar movements on stage.

“The Runaways” was directed by Floria Sigismondi, who has previously directed numerous music videos for artists ranging from Marilyn Manson to Sarah McLachlan.

Sigismondi, in her silver-screen directorial debut, proves herself as a director and screenwriter. Based on Cherie Currie’s 1989 memoir “Neon Angels: A memoir of a Runaway,” “The Runaways” focuses on the relationship between band founder Joan Jett (surprisingly well-portrayed by Kristen Stewart), ingénue-turned-sex-pot Currie, and manipulative manager Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon).

Shannon as the sadistic punk-rock pervert is truly frightening. His image of Fowley is practically a caricature, with his extravagant behavior and even more extravagant makeup. Fowley exposes the girls to the world of sex appeal, drugs, and rock music and lets them wreak havoc. He unleashes a beast within the girls that he ultimately cannot control, yet credits himself with their successful beginnings.

“The Runaways” follows the classic yet cliché recipe that many rock’n’roll films do: too much too soon with a drug induced fall from grace. Many of the band members are from broken homes, snort cocaine, and have promiscuous groupie sex.

The film portrays drugged-out scenes with a hazy filter, depicts the rising fame of the group with a magazine montage, and has chase scenes with over-zealous fans dying to touch their rock goddess icons.

Yet, Kristen Stewart’s performance as Joan Jett, the band’s front woman, goes beyond the too much too soon stereotype. She captures Jett’s longing for the rock’n’roll lifestyle, the loneliness and rage of adolescence. This isn’t the bland Bella Swan from the Twilight series, this is pure Joan Jett: she screams “Fuck you” at every chance she gets, pisses on guitars, and smashes wine bottles when she’s angry.

Don’t go into this film expecting it to be a biopic of the rise and fall of the band: the characters of lead guitarist Lita Ford and drummer Sandy West are barely touched upon, while The Runaways’ many bassists are portrayed by a fictional character, Robin Robins. If you’re looking for an in-depth look at the story of The Runaways, check out the documentary “Edgeplay” instead, which, despite the fact that Joan Jett does not contribute to the film, provides an interesting and heart-breaking look into the lives of the band members and Fowley.

“The Runaways” is a great film that illustrates the budding friendship between Jett and Currie in a world of rock’n’roll chaos. It’s a movie that makes you feel 16 again, dying to become a rock star. Expect to leave the theater with “Cherry Bomb” stuck in your head, as well as a strong desire to smash a guitar on stage.