First Hit: A very enjoyable film which treads evenly on many different themes.
Because I play guitar and attempt to sing and was in a high school band, I’m always up for a film on rock bands or personalities which have something to say or that I’ve followed.
The biggest interest for me with The Runaways was that they were one of the few all girl rock bands that actually fought through the primarily male focus business and made a name for themselves.
This film chronicles the bands birth by Joan Jett (played by Kristen Stewart), her meeting with producer Kim Fowley (played by Michael Shannon) and him putting Jett together with other musicians. The film also highlights the lead singer Cherie Curry’s (played by Dakota Fanning) rise and fall.
The script, taken from Cherie’s book “Neon Angel: A Memoir of A Runaway” is clearly a firsthand account of her coming of age and the beginnings of a history making band. These girls were very young (Curry was 15 at the time) and their ability to make their presence known in the very macho world of rock was amazing.
This movie shows that it was a combined effort of gall, talent, driven determination, and a bit of luck.
Stewart is really wonderful to watch as she embodies Jett’s mannerisms and drive to be a successful rock and roll musician. Fanning surprised me, in a positive way, with her grown appearance and ability to take on this roll of a young girl who becomes the lead singer and face of the band. Fanning creatively embodied and captured the naivety of the experience Curry went through. Shannon was a blast to watch and probably enjoyed doing this film.
Overall: Definitely a fun and interesting film giving life to the mid 1970s and what it must have been like for all girl rock bands.