It's 1975, and they're about to EXPLODE.

...The Runaways, directed by Floria Sigismondi

I saw this movie about a week ago and I'm still thinking about it, which usually means something, and I'm not surprised. This movie was incredible. In fact, I almost don't know where to start...so here's a brief description. The Runaways were the first all-girl rock band to make it big. The way it all came about is like something out of a movie, so it's only fitting that this film was made. It was 1975, and Joan Jett was just 17 years old and hanging out at the local disco. What happened there changed her life, and the lives of four other teens. She spotted Kim Fowley, an eccentric record producer who had groundbreaking aspirations of his own. Jett approached the man, telling him her dream of forming a completely female band. Fowley took Jett's number, and just two weeks later, 15 year old drummer Sandy West introduced herself to Fowley outside the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood. After West expressed her frustrations of only ever working with all-male groups, Fowley put her in contact with Jett, and the rest, as they say, is history.


After hustling a few other members for the band, the group began writing songs, and after touring the club curcuit in Los Angeles for about a year, they were signed by Mercury Records and started a tour of the U.S. In 1976, the girls travelled to Japan for a sold out show. The live recording of that concert went gold, the pinnacle of The Runaways' stardom. Eventually, the band went their seperate ways and Jett worked on her solo career as well as a new project with a new group. Jett is easily the girl who gained the most success post-Runaways.

Cast members (from left) Scout Taylor-Compton, Dakota Fanning & Kristen Stewart, chatting whilst on a break from filming on location in the San Fernando Valley area, LA, July 2009.

Before seeing this film, the above information was all I really knew. Actually, I didn't even know about some of it...all I really knew was that Kristen Stewart (of the Twilight Saga super-duper-fame) was going to be playing Joan Jett, and that Dakota Fanning, also from the vamp series, was going to be playing another member of the band. Silly me. Whilst the assumption that The Runaways is all about Joan Jett isn't a hard one to make - considering the promotion of the film includes posters that clearly credit Stewart before Fanning - it certainly is a wrong one.


Here's the deal: this movie is about the life of a 15 year old girl named Cherie Currie, a twin with an alcoholic father, a self-absorbed mother, and a small-town life that she hated. Currie was an outcast, and one of the film's earliest scenes conveys this with ease; Currie is performing at a talent show, dressed in a head-to-toe David Bowie costume, lip-syncing 'Lady Grinning Soul,' so seriously, you can't help but laugh a little. Half-way through, the crowd begin throwing things at her, and she responds by giving the school hall the double-finger-flip-off. Without the audience even realising it, this scene sets the tone for the entire movie. Currie is different, she's the quiet rebel who's into rock 'n roll. She'll cut all her beautiful blonde hair off to create a shaggy mullet so she can look like her music idol. All of a sudden, the film isn't about Joan Jett anymore.

(From left) Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning & Cherie Currie attend the premiere for The Runaways at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York City, March 17, 2010.

But now onto the acting...and I could not for the life of me see a single flaw. All members of the band are impeccably cast. Stella Maeve, Scout Taylor-Compton and Alia Shawkat are perfect accompaniments to the two main characters in the band. Michael Shannon is undeniably engrossing as over-the-top manager Fowley, and real-life rock royalty Riley Keough (Elvis Presley's grand daughter) is the film's dark horse as Cherie's twin sister Marie. This is Keough's first acting job and to say she nailed it would be an understatement. But the real props have to go to the movie's two leads, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. Quite apart from their stellar performances, the fact that these two really sang, with Stewart also teaching herself to play all of Jett's songs on the guitar is astonishing. And refreshing. And sublime.

Joan Jett, now 51 years old, (and still rocking), actually said that the first time she heard a tape of Kristen Stewart singing one of her songs, she thought it was herself. Non-Stewart fans may scoff at the idea, or even shudder, but the inescapable truth is that this girl knows her craft. Sure, she's had her run-ins with the paps, and she does often seem to have that look on her face that says "I hate my life!" but all of that disappears the moment she slips on the all-leather outfit Jett was famous for (which, incidentally, is within the first five minutes). In The Runaways we see K-Stew in the role she was born for. The New York Times noted "Stewart, watchful and unassuming, gives the movie it's spine and soul." High praise also came from The Metro Times: "It turns out that Stewart is actually really good at capturing Jett's icy, tough-but-cool girl swagger, adding the needed touches of vulnerability that transform it into a pretty terrific performance...Stewart is a genuine rock star here." The attitude, the passion, the talent...Stewart delivers all of the qualities that Joan Jett is admired for. Yes, for the most part this is a movie about the lead singer, but what is really fascinating and relatable is the relationship that instantly sparks between Cherie and Joan. Their chemistry is palpable, as is Stewart's and Fanning's.

Kristen Stewart at Eccles Centre Theatre in Park City, Utah, where the film premiered on January 24 for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Which brings us to the real star of this biopic. Dakota Fanning is sensational. The resemblance between the person and the actor is uncanny. The way Fanning looks, talks, behaves and especially the way she performs shows such a likeness to Currie, you simply sit in awe of her. It's little wonder this child-star is still going strong. This is her most emotionally intense and gripping performance to date. Tremendous praise for Fanning's portayel of Currie have been repeatedly showered over the now 16 year old actress, with the respected New York Times reporting that Fanning "displays heartbreaking vulnerability as well as frightening poise." Other phrases of acclaim for Fanning include, "a knockout," "the standout," "at once impressive, and a little disturbing," "a note-perfect performance," "haunting," and "amazingly raw." Hollywood.com wrote "Fanning plays Cherie with such fearless discovery that it's impossible to take your eyes off her." But the statement that simply sums it up is this one by People magazine: "The gutsiest performance belongs to Fanning, who's sexy, sick, and altogether unsettling, leaving us feeling invigorated." Enough said.

Dakota Fanning posed for photographers at the premiere, held at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood, California on March 11, 2010.

At the end of the day, this is a wonderfully enthralling example of cinematic art. Visually, it's surreal and edgy whilst still being raw and true-to-life, always with a powerful hit of engulfing mind trips. In terms of sound, the musical components of this movie were perfection 100% of the time. And then there's the little things. The things that really made you feel like you were taking a journey with these girls. The attention to detail, and the fine art of accuracy. For example, the tattoos the two leads get together were identical to Currie's and Jett's (Currie has a small cherry on the front of her right shoulder; Jett has a fighter jet on her left hip). The acting skill is overwhelming, as is the story at times. But the most obvious quality of this film is that it was exciting. It was fun. It was funny. It made you want to go buy a guitar and start a band of your own. In my eyes, any movie that encourages increased interest in music...well, that just rocks.


NOW HEAR THIS: Download Dakota Fanning's unmissable rendition of 'Cherry Bomb,' as well as her duet with Kristen Stewart on 'Dead End Justice.' On a non-Runaways note, re-visit 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' by The Stooges (it plays during the famous lesbian kiss, and makes it that much sexier).