better than expected - Kristen Stewart was good

Rating: 6/10 (7 August 2010)

Sure the Runaways were the first all female rock group and made it a huge for such a short time but their music never impressed me. Patti Smith is still way more punk rock than all the members combined (even at 60 plus years old). This movie wasn't so much about the music or their attitude but about growing up and maturity.
Kristen Stewart probably secretly can't wait to be done with her type-casted twilight days and show her real talent than the vampire soap opera. She was great in Into the Wild and Adventureland but I believe her performance in The Runaways has been her best to date. She portrayed Joan Jett's attitude very well (even cut her hair to look like her) and sounded very much like Jett's voice.
Dakota Fanning on the other hand . . . not so much. She bored me. She seemed to try to hard. Fanning at age ten acted like a thirty year old so I feel her ego got in the way of this movie. That and she was so miscasted to begin with. It's a shame they couldn't get Evan Rachel Wood. Her part required lots of range and all we got was her half blank look and a voice that never even sounded like Cherie Currie.
The movie is short. Without credits at about 96 minutes. I liked the way it ended. It left me wanting more but not in a bad way. My biggest complaint was the lack story with the other three members. The big message I got out of the movie was Jett wanted everyone to be equal in the band. The lead singer shouldn't be the only member everyone remembers but all we got out of Sandy West was she's was very sweet? Lita Ford seemed like a bully while Robin never really said a word except for maybe a "yeah" a couple of times (which is a shame because I like Alia Shawkat). The whole movie was 95 percent Currie and Jett. In fact, at the end we find out what happen to only them and the producer.
Michael Shannon was a pretty good playing the crazed and perhaps controlling producer Kim Fowley. Though his performance was over the top at most parts, it was probably written that way. Shannon is a very skilled actor (watch Revolutionary Road).
In short, The Runaways won't stick in your mind by the end of the week but it does get a thumbs up from me and turned out to be a much better movie than I expected. I didn't expect really anything.
*** / *****