The Runaways is a 2010 film based on the true story of the 1970s teenage female band called The Runaways, which was made up of Cheri Currie, Joan Jett (before the Black Hearts), Sandy West, Lita Ford, and Jackie Fox. They were best known for the song “Cherry Bomb.”
The film was actually co-produced by Joan Jett and Cheri Currie. It stars Dakota Fanning as Cheri and Kristen Stewart as Joan. I watched this movie for the first time about a year ago and for some reason it struck a chord with me. I will say that’s it’s nothing spectacular, and many will say it’s just your typical story of the rise and fall of a rock band and I would agree, but the thing that makes it a little bit different is that it’s about women in rock n roll, in the 70s, revolting against standards in the male dominated music industry. This was apparently the first known all female band to play heavier rock music and they garnered quite a bit of attention for that.
I was also impressed by Dakota’s performance in this movie, and Kristen Stewart was a good choice actress to portray Joan.
From the movie:
Tammy: My brother says guys don’t like girls who are tough. He says guys like girls to be soft and flirty.
Joan Jett: He would say that, he’s a pussy.
Tammy: He does spend a lot of time doing his bangs.
Kim Fowley: I like your style. A little Bowie, a little Bardot, and a look on your face that says I could kick the shit out of a truck driver.
Kim Fowley: Rock ‘n’ roll is a blood sport, a sport of men. It’s for the people in the dark, the death cats, the masturbators, the outcasts who have no voice, no way of saying I hate this world, my father’s a faggot, fuck you, fuck authority – I want an orgasm! Now, growl! Moan! This ain’t women’s lib, kiddies – the is women’s libido! I wanna see the scratch marks down their fucking backs! Now, do it again. Again. Like your boyfriend just fucked your sister in your parent’s bed.
Kim Fowley: Girls nowadays, they don’t have any role models. This band is self-empowerment, man – Aphrodite, Cleopatra, Eurydice! No more second-class status, sitting at concerts with asshole boyfriends who worship bands from a Popular Mechanics evaluation of amplifiers. The Runaways have the most chance of any group I’ve seen… To do with the Beatles did. To tear this world apart.
I like the movie. It was strange seeing Dakota Fanning playing such a grown up and sexy role but she pulled it off.
I thoughts so too. I had a lot of doubts about this movie before I watched it. I imagined it to be some teenybop flick like Josie And The Pussycats.
I haven’t seen this yet but it looks decent.I heard Kristen and Dakota actually sing in this.
Yes they do
I actually really wanted to see this but the Kristen Stewart’s existence annoys me oops.
Irene, this was actually the first movie I’ve seen where I didn’t dislike her. I’m still not entirely sold on her but I will give that she’s capable of more than twilight.
My issue with this movie, was that there was something disturbingly meta about a movie that, while about women in rock, was also about the exploitation of teen girls for profit making that point by having Stewart and Fanning make out.
To add to what Andie said, I found it a bit unsettling that the movie sexualizes these teen girls to such a degree. It’s already messed up how acceptable it is for underage girls in their teens to be viewed as sex objects just because they might have breasts, but I still think it’s gross. These girls were 15. A 15 year old girl is not a woman…she is still a girl.
A 15 year old girl is not a woman…she is still a girl.
Then someone should probably tell these selfsame 15 year old “girls”… and their “liberated” feminista mothers… and the store owner that “forced” them to buy the ‘Porn Star’ brand jeans, eh?
For all of human history, up until the day before yesterday (figuratively), most women were married by age 15. Present day practice of consent age = 16, 17, or 18 (varies from US state to state) is probably better, but there is neither biological nor historical basis for any “ewww, gross” feelings on the matter. It’s down to media brainwashing. Turn off Duh Boob Tube.
“Then someone should probably tell these selfsame 15 year old “girls”… and their “liberated” feminista mothers… and the store owner that “forced” them to buy the ‘Porn Star’ brand jeans, eh?”
Huh? For these girls it was more like rebelliousness out of drunken or absent fathers.
“For all of human history, up until the day before yesterday (figuratively), most women were married by age 15. Present day practice of consent age = 16, 17, or 18 (varies from US state to state) is probably better, but there is neither biological nor historical basis for any “ewww, gross” feelings on the matter. It’s down to media brainwashing. Turn off Duh Boob Tube.”
I think when it comes to attraction and age, the line between biological desire and pedophilia is becoming thinner with girls going into puberty younger now. I see lots of men my age checking out girls who are in reality are young teenagers and they’re reaction is “But her body, she looks 20.”
Is it only really pedophilia when men are checking out girls who have not yet developed?
Idk how I would answer that, but I know a lot of men gain better perspective on things once they have a daughter of 15.
I don’t like when teen girls are oversexualized either, but they didn’t really have much of a choice when making this film. It wasn’t a decision or choice to make them sex symbols. They were basing a movie off a book that was based on a true story. The movie portrays the girls this way because that’s how reality was for this band.
Other than that, I generally like the movie. I just think it would have been presented better of the girls were at least a few years older.
I just think it would have been presented better of the girls were at least a few years older.
Umm, it was based on a TRUE story. These women/girls were that talented AT THAT AGE, and they were getting into all kind of “situations” AT THAT AGE… should the filmmakers have… LIED?
At least the ACTORS were actually not minors… that’s nice, for once.