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THE RUNAWAYS (2010): Bella Goes Punk

February 9th 2012 02:19

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Kirsten Stewart Dakota Fanning The Runaways poster

This warts-and-all valentine to 70s rock scene was produced by the band's driven creator Joan Jett, which gives the film some gritty indie credibility. Directed by Floria Sigismondi, who decided to move on from music videos, the film is loosely based on "Neon Angel: The Cherie Currie Story," a 1989 memoir by Cherie Currie (portrayed by Dakota Fanning in the film), the doe-eyed, troubled lead singer of the very first American all-girl teenage punk rock band, The Runaways, that experienced a meteoric rise to fame and an equally fast downward spiral in the second half of the 1970s.

In an attempt to effectively evoke its punk subject matter The Runaways boldly opens with a shot of menstrual blood dripping down the leg of Cherie, who just then hits puberty, while trying to hitch a ride home with her sister Marie (Riley Keough, the striking granddaughter of Elvis Presley himself). This is however as provocative as it gets in terms of pushing the envelope.

It is 1972 and 15-year-old Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart, sans vampire hangers-on) is already lovin’ rock and roll as a street smart tom boy, restlessly searching for a creative outlet in the LA club scene. One night she bumps into the legendary producer Kim Fowley, portrayed with creepy abandon by Michael Shannon (who made a splash with Revolutionary Road in 2008) to the extent to which the script lets him – Kim’s antics were allegedly much more exploitative and abusive than portrayed. Fowley is receptive to Joan’s idea of an all girl rock band and introduces her to drummer Sandy West (Stella Maeve). The wheels of punk rock history spin into motion when Joan and Kim find the face of the band – Cherie, a precocious 15-year old Blondie lookalike who channels Bowie with her style and sexuality focused presence.

Kirsten Stewart Dakota Fanning The Runaways

A whirlwind of budding polymorphous sexuality, inevitable traps of fame and notoriety, pill-popping, roller blading, dog-poo throwing, pissing on guitars and general debauchery follows, only hinting at the real goings-on described in Currie’s book, however the two leads manage to bring a ring of emotional rawness into their portrayals and sing convincingly too. The meticulous attempt at evoking 70s décor and atmosphere also impresses as does the soundtrack, including Bowie, T-Rex, The Stooges, Susie Quatro and The Sex Pistols, however The Runaways best known songs “Cherry Bomb” and “Queens of Noise” are performed by Stewart and Fanning.

The band eventually splits as Cherie enters her own Leaving Las Vegas storyline, and Joan wallows in self-pity before forming Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and hitting the rock’n’ roll G-spot for good this time. All in all the film is a cool ride down punk rock memory lane. The Runaways were the (cherry) bomb.