Chicks who rock

Rating: 7/10 (27 July 2011)

I have been a fan of The Runaways for a couple of years and was pretty intrigued by the idea of a biopic about them. I was excited to see the portrayal of young teenage girls getting thrown into the highly adult world of hard drugs, alcohol and sex.
I can honestly say that this movie didn't disappoint me. Stewart who plays female rocker Joan Jett was a treat. She gave a good performance as the rebellious and cool singer but I was never worried about her acting, I'd seen her in the movie Speak and knew she'd give it her all. She didn't let me down as I watched her raw and emotional performance. Dakota Fanning also was an excellent cast as Cherie Currie. She plays the innocent girl spiraling downward into the explosive world of rock n roll superbly. Stella Maeve is also another awesome cast choice. She is great to watch as Sandy West and I found myself smiling every time she was on screen. The last actor who made a profound impact on the film was Michael Shannon who plays eccentric band manager Kim Fowely. He is dynamite on the screen and I loved his sexist and harsh ways. Shannon dug deep and became a monstrous asshole.
The only thing I had difficulty liking was the haphazard progression of the film. I read Currie's "Neon Angel" and was expecting something a little more cohesive from the film. I don't know if Sigismondi was using it as a technique to further enhance the chaos of the band but it just annoyed me a little. As I said I like the movie. I enjoyed the grungy and hard examination of the 70's rock and roll world. The acting us great and so is the material. I love the music, always will, and found it faultless in the film. Fanning and Stewarts vocals are on key as is the awesome ability if the girls to play their instruments.
I recommend you watch it if you love music and enjoy a good trashy/grungy film about girls behaving badly. Trashy goodness.