SXSW: Geekscape Reviews The Runaways

Filmmakers must hate VH1’s Behind the Music. That show has ruined the standard rise and fall rock and roll drama forever by beating that horse until its whole family died. The Runaways is the latest victim of Behind the Music’s wrath. It’s a good enough movie with some strong performances and fun soundtrack but its story is complete rock and roll cliche.

Part of this is the actual Runaways fault, in that their story just isn’t that interesting. They were an interesting, and some might say important, group but despite being a new kind of rock band, they never diverted from standard rock script. Amateur musicians get together with a manager that exploits their image instead of their talent, they get too famous too fast, they get addicted to drugs, the lead singer gets too much attention and causes jealousy in the group, and they break up. Boring.

Part of the fault lies with the genre. Biopics are inherently limiting for a filmmaker, and almost always devolve into “and then they did this, and then they did this, and then they did this.” This dry recounting of events takes precedent over making something that is stylistically or dramatically interesting. Actors and directors don’t have the space to create art, they are just reading history.

These flaws aside though, The Runaways is not a bad movie. It’s just a serviceable one.

When talking about biopics, the main issue is always the casting. You need to find the perfect people to capture these larger than life personalities, and The Runaways actually does a decent job with this. There aren’t any real standout performances here, but I feel that’s mostly to do with the genre and not the actors. Child actors and Twilight co-stars Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning are the main focus here and this is a pretty big step in breaking out of their preconceived images and making way for more adult roles. Stewart’s Joan Jett and Fanning’s Cherie Currie are characters who gave in to the rock and roll excesses of sex and drugs at a very young age. Currie was marketed as a sex kitten at the age of 15 and she lived up to that image in her private life, though the film is constantly intent on reminding you of her soft side. There has been a lot of talk about the sex scene that the two share together but it’s really nothing indulgent. There is some kissing and some artful cuts to conceal anything not appropriate for girls their age.

Stewart has been riding high on the success of the Twilight series, but with that has come a great deal of, somewhat deserved, criticism. She tends to come off as having no personality and being too mopey, but ever since Panic Room I’ve thought of her as an actress with great potential. She doesn’t completely live up to that potential here but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. There is no question that Stewart has the look and “fuck it” attitude to play the role but she doesn’t quite have that raw passion or emotion. She is still a bit too distant here. Everyone knows that Dakota Fanning is one of the, if not the single, most gifted child actresses film has ever seen. She has always seemed almost creepily mature and it’s interesting to see her actually grow into herself. This is a very new kind of role for Fanning. She is playing a sex symbol and one who flaunts that aspect of herself with reckless abandon. I don’t know if it was just my past experience with Fanning or not, but I could never really buy her in this role. She puts in a fine performance but she doesn’t exude raw sexuality. The other members of The Runaways are more or less forgotten in this film, so there is nothing to really comment on as far as their performances. This is really the Joan and Cherie show.

The one actor who completely hits it out of the park is Michael Shannon, who completely embodies the look and feel of the completely outlandish personality that is Kim Fowley. Fowley is the legendary rock producer that put The Runaways together and kept them in the press with his controversy laden marketing. Shannon continues to be one of the most interesting actors out there and was a perfect choice to play Fowley. He is also responsible for the majority of laughs in the film.

All that said, if you’re a huge Runaways fan or if you can’t get enough of Grrrrrl Power then this is a totally decent choice. If you want something new or emotionally affecting, then this will completely disappoint.