Tuesday Night is Film Night spins the wheel of genre's tonight and it stops with it's arrow pointing straight at a music biopic. So will it be a hit or a miss, as we watch;
The Runaways
This film from 2010, traces the rise to fame, or possibly infamy of the real life band; The Runaways. The Runaways were an all girl group making their music out of Los Angeles from 1975 onwards. If you are still none the wiser, then their rhythm guitarist and singer was a one Joan Larkin, who changed her name to Joan Jett. Ah yes, her.
Based on the book; Neon Angel, written by The Runaways lead singer, Cherie Currie, The Runaways follows the lives of Currie and Jett and the other girls as the band is formed.
Down to the nitty gritty. Joan Jett is quite superbly portrayed by the sombre Kristen Stewart, dropping her vampire fangs, in exchange for a plectrum. Cherie Curry is bought to life on the screen by Dakota Fanning, who does a superb job recreating the teasing good looks and provocative nature of Currie.
Unfortunately, as with most music biopic's the other members of the band, the lead guitarist, drummer and bass player are lost to the background and although they are very much part of the band, they are reduced to bit parts in the film.
The only other real main character is that of Kim Fowley, a record producer, impresario and song writer, that pulls The Runaways together, developing their style and moulding their future. Fowley is apparently; "one of the most colourful characters in the annals of rock & roll...", as well as being; "....a shadowy cult figure well outside the margins of the mainstream." Either way he is played by Michael Shannon, who has appeared in many films, including previous Tuesday Night is Film Night films, such as The Woodsman and World Trade Center.
OK, so there we have our cast and the basic story. And I'm afraid the story is pretty basic and a standard music biopic. We see our band form, with ambitions to take on the world, but reality kicks them in the teeth, when they find out that the glamorous world of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, is an arduous, hard slog, formed in the back of a van, trailing around tiny venues, scraping together a living, but only just. Working hard and waiting for that moment when they burst into headlines and into our ears.
The portrayal of the formative years of the band, covering the years from 1975 onwards, is really quite good. A solid seventies soundtrack provides the back beat to the visual shenanigans of these five girls thrown together into an increasing sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll filled haze.
I don't recall so much swearing in the '70's!
In reality The Runaways were not that big. Their biggest hit is probably Cherry Bomb, however the film really does do justice to their story, from their nervous beginners, through the formative years and onto a degree of stardom, certainly in Japan and the far east. However, as with most stories from the music business, The Runaways eventually succumbed to the internal frustrations and external pressures and imploded. With the lead singer Cherie eventually walking out.
Of course, Joan Jett went onto bigger and greater things with The Blackhearts.
This is turning into a review of the band rather than the film!
One other point to make about the film, the cinematography is most excellent, the way the film is shot, brings an extra dimension to the movie, normally with a music based film, there is a lot of concentration on the music itself, with The Runaways this is not so true, but this is no bad thing, we get a very well rounded, visually attractive, study on music and musicians, seeing their highs and lows, the ups and the inevitable downs.
As a whole package, it's pretty good, but as a film, I'm not sure it would warrant the cost of a cinema ticket these days. Having siad that, if I were ever to see the book the film is based on, I might be tempted to buy it.
The film struggles to hit a score of 6.5 out of 10.
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