Rock'n"roll Biopic Not In The Best Of Shapes

Rating: 7/10 (3 April 2016)

Oh yeah, it is a way too difficult to film biopics about real rock bands. If the members are still alive, they can meddle in the process, send a scathing review after the film is made, or ask to be withdrawn from the script altogether if they fear their part in a given movie would be not so good. Or even the time limits of a film, even if the band in question, The Runaways, exited for not so many years, still, many many key events have to be omitted or so heavily shortened that any fan will end up scratching their head and asking whether it was what they wanted to see. Mind you, this version is not bad at all, as a musician myself, I must admit that the rehearsal process and backstage routine are depicted admirably well, and the whole grudge of a song learning, sound check, and pre-gig booze is here at an excellent realistic swap. Still, the short timing of the movie leaves much off the camera, and the whole thing seems a bit too rushed and sometimes ruined. The main actors do their part well, Kristin Stewart as Joan Jett is surprisingly decent, dark, menacing, self-destructive and deep. Dakota Fanning as Cherry Curie is another winner, with her blonde angelic looks and wild persona. The rest is a bit dubious. Kim Fowley? Was he that weird and queer? Lita Ford? She is present, but her fiery guitar and her fiery persona are shown so briefly and little, that one can only feel shame. The bassist? Her name? Poor dear, she never even uttered a word. Sandy, the drummer? She is cool at the offset, but then she is somehow lost in a mire. The rushes ending and vague scenes with bathtub and sea leave us a bit perplexed, and the whole wrap-up is a bit too confusing. Anyway, this is not a bad effort, and yeah, can be watched at least once, even for their sake of beautiful ladies and their long legs. Kidding. The movie is good.