What Sarah said:
You should watch The Runaways for the feel, look and sound of punk in the ’70s. It’s a biopic with a bit of a coming of age feel, and focuses on the relationship between singer Cherie Currie and guitarist/vocalist Joan Jett during the creation of the all girl punk band The Runaways.
Mike’s verdict:
I wasn’t very familiar with The Runaways before watching this film. I was definitely aware of Cherry Bomb in the same half-remembered way that I know a lot of songs from the 1900s. For those who don’t remember, back in the day exposure to music was primarily through radio – a medium that made identifying artists and song titles a bit of a crap-shoot. You had to be lucky, or really interested, to hear the song and the DJ announce it’s details. It probably doesn’t help that I also would have been paying attention about 25 years after the band was actually in rotation. Either way, as it turns out I am familiar with a few of the their songs – I just didn’t realize they were connected.
Of course, I’m a lot more familiar with Joan Jett’s music. I’m sure that has a lot to do with the fact that her career continued long after The Runaways‘, and it doesn’t hurt that she stamped her name on her next band…
In any case, I have no real emotional attachment to the music that might skew how I feel about the film. Still, I did have some expectations about how it would go. Dirty clubs, unseemly characters, angry girls, drugs, tour bus foolishness, at least one slimy band manager, and obviously punk rock music. And in a lot of ways, that does sum-up the basic plot of the film.
But as much as the film is superficially about the band’s development, it actually does have a lot more to say about the relationship between Jett and Currie. At least it implies there is a lot to say about their relationship. In fact, it sort of implies a lot about a lot. Somehow I get the feeling that a true director’s cut would be a Scorsese-length epic. Time passes almost too quickly, even for the whirlwind pace of the music industry, and a number of scenes felt like there was supposed to be more. Hannah Marks‘s Tammy, for instance, is left as an awkward side character but could very easily have been used as a proper dramatic device. I also believe that some issues that were skipped over entirely would have been addressed directly if this film had been made in 2020 rather than 2010.
Even so, I did enjoy the feel of the film. I don’t have any memories to rely on, but the depiction of 1975-76 feels faithful. The locations, the clothes, the sounds; all work very well. And say what you want about Bella Swan, but Kristen Stewart was an entirely believable Joan Jett. Dakota Fanning was also quite believable – almost too believable considering she would have been roughly the same age as the character she was depicting.
All of that to say, The Runaways is a good film and I enjoyed watching it. However, there is another aspect that should not be overlooked: namely, the fact that it has provided an excuse to get (re)acquainted with the band members and where there lives have gone since the band disintegrated.
There isn’t too much surprising to say about Jett. She’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Currie continued her music career (despite what the film suggests) with a certain amount of success, particularly once she started performing with her sister. She also stared in a number of films, including Foxes with Jodie Foster. But most interestingly, she is now a chainsaw carving artist – she even has a very GeoCities-esque website that showcases her art! Yup, chainsaw art.
Sandy West, the drummer and only member other than Jett to remain with the band for their entire run, died in 2006 at the young age of 47… from lung cancer brought on by a lifetime of very punk-rock smoking.
Micki Steele, one of only three original members (with Jett and West), left the band before they were even picked up by Mercury Records. But in the ’80s she changed directions entirely, joining The Bangles!
Lita Ford had a fairly unremarkable solo career, but she did record a duet with Ozzy Osbourne.
Finally, Jackie Fox, who at 15 turned down early acceptance to study math at UCLA in order the join the band, went on to study linguistics and get a law degree from Harvard after she left the band. In addition to working as an attorney now, she also spends her time on game shows like Jeopardy!. And most interestingly, she is the only member of the band who refused to give her permission to be depicted in the film. The producers had to invent the fictitious bass player Robin, played by Alia Shawkat.
mike reviews movies suggested by friends 