In the '70s, the all-girl rock band the Runaways gained huge amounts of fame and attention for albums like The Runaways and Queens of Noise. Although the group disbanded decades ago, the band continues to gain recognition with the new film ""The Runaways."" The movie, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, tells of the band's experiences in the music industry and is likely to be a success with audiences.
The film follows the same storyline as Cherie Currie's upcoming book, ""Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway,"" a personal memoir about her experiences in the band. The book is about Currie's struggles with drugs and violence along with some other wild stories about the band that are not mentioned in the film.
Like the book, the film follows Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) as they go from unknown California kids to rebellious rock stars. It depicts how record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) brought the girls together and turned them into an outrageous success; but because he never had the girls' best interests at heart, the bandmates eventually turned against each other.
Lead singer of the Runaways and central focus of the movie, Cherie Currie, worked closely with the film's producers and thinks the band's story is valuable for all audiences.
""It's an important story to tell,"" Currie said. ""It's a story that says you can be what you want to be against all odds.""
Rock 'n' roll in the '70s was ruled completely by men. This meant the Runaways had to deal with many hardships both on and off the stage, including having garbage thrown at them while performing by the male bands they were opening for.
""We went up against the big, bad boys in music, and none of them wanted us there,"" Currie said. ""We basically worked hard for any kind of respect in the music business.""
The look of the film emphasizes the grungy, dirty world of rock 'n' roll, highlighting sexuality, drugs and garbage infested streets and concert halls. The Runaways were not treated with respect and never experienced the shiny, glamorous treatment the rock stars of today receive.
Director Floria Sigismondi, who is best known for her direction of music videos, shot large portions of the film in close-ups, piecing them together with fast-paced editing, making the film style resemble that of a rock 'n' roll music video. Normally this excessive, rapid pace would be off-putting, but it pairs extremely well with the Runaways' chaotic road to success and makes the concert scenes exciting to watch.
Cherie Currie and Joan Jett both worked closely with their acting counter-parts, which clearly had an impact on the actresses' performances. Fanning excelled in her role as Cherie Currie, able to transform with ease from a wide-eyed, innocent California girl to an angry rock chick who is not afraid to strut out on stage wearing six-inch platform heals, a corset and fishnet stockings. Stewart left the fragile Bella Swan (""Twilight"") in the dust, morphing into an angry, swearing, tough rocker who is willing to mess someone up without thinking twice. Both Fanning and Stewart did all their own singing, which is so well done that it's difficult to differentiate between the actresses' singing and the use of actual Runaways' recordings.
Michael Shannon's portrayal of Fowley, however, was the best the movie had to offer. Shannon was entertaining and intimidating at the same time, making the viewer wonder whether to laugh or cower in the corner whenever he says a line.
Overall, ""The Runaways"" is an enticing tale of a troubled band, andone that is sure to entertain music enthusiasts.
