Pop culture perfectionists can thank TV's "Mad Men" for two frighteningly accurate period films of late. In last September's "The Informant!," Steven Soderbergh served up a pitch-perfect portrait of 1990's Illinois. (Take it from one who was there.) And in her telling of the band that spawned Joan Jett and Lita Ford, "The Runaways" director Floria Sigismondi shows 1970's southern California in all its gritty glory, through the eyes of the teenage girls who just wanted to rock on and get out.
There's a lot to admire about "The Runaways," starting with its scratchy visuals. The film has minimal dialogue, relying on images of trailer parks, hardened dog excrement, and floating cigarette smoke, not to mention the hard-edged cast of characters. The young women of the title band have a do-it-yourself aesthetic that's refreshing to watch in this age of hair extensions and spray tans. Early on, Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) styles herself to look like David Bowie by chopping her bleached hair. "That's ugly," observes her sister Marie (Riley Keough). "Good," Cherie says dryly.
Sigismondi pulls no punches when showcasing the all-girl rock band's short-lived moment in the sun, spurred by Svengali-like record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon). Snorting cocaine in an airplane bathroom and experimenting with self-pleasure via showerhead are involved. The film is better for it - sure, it's uncomfortable at times to watch underage girls play fast and loose, but this is how it really happened. The Runaways were bursting with raw talent, but their "jailbait" status is what propelled them into music headlines.
However, this musical movie sorely lacked, well, music. The one live performance shown in its entirety was electrifying, so why weren't there more? In a film about groundbreaking rock and roll, more songs would have only enhanced an already fascinating story.
Still, "The Runaways" is worth seeing, for Kristen Stewart if nothing else. Stewart jams on guitar, throws out curse words and sexy grins, and looks great with a dyed black shag 'do. Her Joan Jett is a female James Dean with an ax to grind, and it's pure fun.