Film Reviews

The Runaways

• Rating:
• Director: Floria Sigismondi
• Starring: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Alia Shawkat, Scout Taylor-Compton, Michael Shannon
• Details: US/106mins 16

A biopic that never gets under the skin of its central characters, The Runaways is also notable for some strange casting. Dakota Fanning feels a little babyish for the type film Floria Sigismondi is trying to make. It's all teenagers doing drugs, drinking and rocking out; and while she may be of the same age as the real life Cherie Currie was when superstardom beckoned, it's still tough buying her in the role of a drugged out front woman for a rock band. Opening with Currie as a naive teen, who stood out from the crowd of her fellow high schoolers by loving David Bowie more than anyone else, her life changes forever when she meets Joan Jett (Stewart) and famed music mogul Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon embracing the abrasive). Plucked to front the band more because of her unique look, she learns to sing from scratch, tours the world and finds fame, but struggles with the excessiveness that being a rock star brings. Joan, meanwhile, is all about the music, and just wants her talent to shine through - she also likes kissing girls sometimes. Stylishly filmed and full of cool tunes this may be, but at no point do you feel like you know any members of the band other than Currie. Stewart's Jett does get a fair amount of screen time, but can do little with it; those that don't know of her blistering musical talent will be none the wiser after the credits roll, which is a travesty in itself. The Twilight starlet is fine, and certainly looks the part, but the script simply does not give Jett enough substance. It plays more like a series of scenes of young girls posturing and trying to look cool. With the exception of Stewart, Titular band The Runaways simply look like teenage girls playing dress-up, while Sigismondi spends very little time with anyone other than Fanning. However, Shannon does have a blast as the eccentric and sleazy record boss who gives the band their break, and the film is at its most entertaining whenever he is on screen. Despite having most of the ingredients of a great story, it lacks the authenticity to really rank as a worthwhile rock biopic.

Review by Mike Sheridan