The Runaways

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There's a seamy thread that snakes its way through The Runaways like a filthy unmentionable so forbidden, even thinking it will get you thrown in jail. The film tells the story of the rise (and eventual decline) of the all-girl, sub-16 year-old "jailbait" rock band from the '70s, The Runaways, who paved the way for future generations of girl rock bands. A lot of the band's success came from the on-stage sexuality of its members, and the film never pulls back on the reigns of this teen eroticism.

We get an early indication that writer/director Floria Sigismondi has no interest in taking the high road of political correctness when the film's opening scene depicts blood pouring from between the legs of Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) as she gets her first period. The rock n' roll scene in the '70s was a tough one, especially so for such young girls. And we're apparently going to get it all... the sex, the drugs and the rock n' roll. Oh, and more sex... from 15 year-olds.

Based on the memoir of Currie, Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway, the film limits most of its focus to founding band members Jett (Kristen Stewart), who became guitarist and principal songwriter, and singer Currie who was discovered by Jett and flamboyant record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) outside a Los Angeles disco club at the tender age of 15. With the exception of gender, the film is your basic VH1 rags-to-riches-to-rags rock 'n roll story, but soars under the strength of the heavy-weight performances of Stewart and Fanning who do a great job at channeling the power that rock music carried in the '70s.

Not only does Sigismondi successfully document the rise and fall of the band, but the first-time filmmaker also faithfully captures the volatile climate of the 1970s, an awkward period that struggled to find a purpose after the tumult of the '60s. A lot of social hang-ups had been lifted by the time the '70s rolled around, making kids feel as if most norms and mores no longer existed. The time was ripe for punk, glam, or anything else that might stir the pot of social acceptability. Fowley knew this and exploited it for maximum effect. The film is as messy and flawed as the era, but its grittiness and raw energy infuse it with an authentic rock n' roll spirit.

Sigismondi's lack of reluctance to depict the band members' blatant under-aged sexuality and wanton debauchery (which involved, among other things, Currie's donning a lacy corset and revealing panties on stage... at 16 years-old) lends the film a passionate sense of authenticity and truthfulness. Sigismondi seems to revel in titillating the audience with a taboo subject that never allows us to completely settle in. In fact, we're uncomfortable most of the time. We don't question her judgment for showing it (nor that of the actresses for their portrayals), but rather, we look at the entire establishment that allowed it to flourish back in the day. This certainly wouldn't be met too kindly today.

Stewart's brooding, mumbly, mannerisms play nicely into Jett's withdrawn but determined persona. It's exciting to see her come alive on stage when she cranks up her guitar. And yes folks, that's really Stewart singing and strumming.

Fanning excels at her depiction of the slow burn that brought down Currie's curtain of fame and teenage innocence. Behind it was a smoldering pit of confusion, agony and misery. It's a beautiful thing to see Fanning take us through her character's progression.

The rock n' roll soundtrack gives this coming-of-age story an edge as hard and bristly as the era from whence it came. It features many of the band's most well-known songs, as well as some by artists that influenced the band, such as Suzi Quattro. We're even treated to a re-enactment of the impromptu writing of Cherry Bomb, which went on to become the band's most commercially successful song.

On the surface, The Runaways is a movie about a rock band that flamed out too early. But the real story being told: that of an unlikely bunch of girls who captured lightning in a bottle, is so well handled by all involved, the movie will likely become a rock n' roll staple alongside such classics as Velvet Goldmine and Almost Famous.


Component Grades
Movie
DVD
4 stars
3 Stars
DVD Experience
3.5 stars

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - July 23, 2010
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles
: English, English SDH
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD); BD-Live; movieIQ

The film’s AVC MPEG-4 encoded video faithfully captures the director’s intent in portraying the gritty time period.  This is a period piece, so expecting the visuals (well, all except that pink outfit in the final scene) to be brighter than bright is unrealistic.  This is a film about punk, so expect it to look a little…punkish and grainy.  Black levels are excellent and the flesh tones are consistently spot-on.

The audio on this Blu-ray is rock ‘n’ roll superb.  Crystal clear dialogue, bottom-heavy bass, and a soundtrack, faithfully presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound keeps the good times going on and off the stage.

There’s only a little meat on this bone in the special features department, folks.  Truly a disappointment when it is obvious the makers have gone to incredible lengths to recreate the look and feel of the late 1970s.

Supplements:

Commentaries:

  • Feature Length Audio Commentary:  The commentary track features Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.  Pretty righteous on its own – especially for fans of rock ‘n’ roll – as they discuss the making of, the book, and shooting the scenes.

Featurettes:

  • Plugged In: Making the Film (15 mins): This featurette headlines the cast, crew and members of the real Runaways as they talk about the making of the film and how the actresses prepared to be in the band.
  • The Runaways (2 mins): This lightning fast featurette is sort of the cliff notes of the first featurette.  A complete waste of time and space.
  • MovieIQ + sync: This HD feature allows users to access real time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie via BD-Live.

Deleted Scenes:

  • Additional Scene (3 minutes): One scene with optional director's commentary.

Photo Gallery

  • From the Evidence Room: A basic stills gallery of 23 images.

Trailers:

  • 1080p Trailers for Chloe, The Square, The Bounty Hunter, Harry Brown, The Pillars of the Earth, Get Low and Youth in Revolt.

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