Admittedly, if that list of music doesn’t appeal to you then you might not take to The Runaways. It’s not only a telling of one of the icons of female rock music but a celebration of all things rock, from the unusual visual style to the authentic surroundings and clothes.
Having said that, the film does as good a job of being an introduction for those who are not familiar with The Runaways as it does providing a celebration of them and similar music for the already initiated.
As I said, what makes The Runaways all the better is the performances from Stewart, Fanning and Shannon. Stewart ditches her sulking persona as Bella in The Twilight Saga, dons a choppy haircut and leather biker jacket and shouts into a microphone with conviction. She brings real weight to Joan, as does Fanning to Cherry Bomb, a persona that on paper was a difficult one to pull off. Shannon is as brilliant as ever as the band’s manager, Kim Fowley, even if he takes things to a level that’s a bit too over-the-top.
Despite it being more appealing to those who love the style of music it showcases, and the fact that it sometimes tries a bit too hard to be cool and edgy, Floria Sigismondi’s biopic is one of the best to come along in a long time. Breezily paced and entertaining yet with a lot of depth and emotion to dig your nails into , it’s one of my biggest pleasant surprises of 2010 and one I look forward to re-watching multiple times.
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