Pretty good movie of the story of the 1970s girl Rock and Roll band, The Runaways.

Rating: Null/10 (29 August 2010)

The two main members of the 1970s Rock Band, The Runaways, were Cherie Curry as the lead singer and Joan Jett, the band's catalyst and guitar player. This movie is based on Curry's book, and one of the producers is Jett. From that I believe it is safe to assume the movie is very faithful to what really happened all those years ago.
When Rock and Roll hit its stride all the bands were guys. It was a rough music, not something for dainty girls. But Joan Jett as a teenager was not interested in what most girls were interested in. She bought a black motorcycle jacket, the kind that tough guys wore.
Kim Fowley, a guy, already had established some credentials as a producer and Jett got his attention at an event. He was intrigued by the idea that an all-girl group might be America's answer to the British invasion. He introduced her to a girl drummer, told them to work something up, and in a teen nightspot found Currie, told her she would become their singer because she had the 'look', even though she was not yet a singer.
When you take all that for what it is on the surface, there was no reason why this motley group of girls should have ever gotten farther than the garage, but Fowley, as eccentric as he appears to be, somehow had a vision, he drove the girls to look and sound like a rock band, and in a funny scene had neighborhood kids throw things at them, empty cans, paper junk, even dried dog turds, to teach them how to play under adverse conditions and to defend themselves.
The girls were teenagers. Currie was only 15. They didn't have much in the way of home lives, and they basically became "runaways." The movie is hard to watch at times, filled with profanity and drug use. But it gives a glimpse into that life and what it took to form a successful girls R&R band.
All the actors are good. Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett. Dakota Fanning (who really was 15) as Cherie Currie. And Michael Shannon in an inspired performance as Kim Fowley.