The Runaways

This movie pleasantly surprised me in more ways than one. From the reviews I read, (which all graded the movie within a B range), I gathered that the reviewers were of the opinion that the movie focused too much on the individual characters and not enough on the feeling of the age. It was too character driven, they said, and missed out on an opportunity to showcase an entire decade of music history. I would just like to point out that the title of the movie is "The Runaways", not "A Brief History of Rock and Roll in the mid-70's". I was completely satisfied with the movie because I got exactly what I expected (the story of the band and the two most famous women who made it up) and most times a great deal more. I would recommend this movie to anyone. If the film were a history of rock and roll, then only people who appreciate that kind of music would be interested in seeing it. But this film goes beyond that; it is a tale of adolescence, of growing up and finding out who you are, who you want to be. I absolutely loved Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning's portrayal of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. Both actresses eclipsed all work they'd done in the past, and I've seen a lot of both actress' work. People always give Kristen Stewart a tough time about her acting. I ask those people to take a look at the roles she's been given: they're not oscar-nominated screenplays, huh? Those roles are either cliché or poorly written altogether. She has not had her chance to prove herself with an awesome character and a well-written script. In The Runaways she does and she gives an understated yet powerful performance. As for Dakota Fanning, I can only wonder where she gets her inspiration. How a 15-year-old with, to my knowledge, no experience with drugs can give such a believable performance of a drug addict is beyond me. It is baffling (in a good way). She blew me away. The artistic direction gave the movie the grunge feel of the era, and the costumes were superb and in most cases exactly mimicked what the real artists wore; no liberties were taken. The reviews may have lamented the fact that music history was not represented thoroughly enough, but I was more than satisfied with The Runaways' story of teenage success, rebellion, and survival.