The Runaways

… was the name of the first girl group Joan Jett was in. The movie is based on a book written by Cherie Currie, one of the other girls, who was only 15 at the time. I have learned that the book was as much about her family as about the group, but the writer chose to basically only do the musical part of the story. And, I’m sorry, but even if it is all true, it’s so predictable. Exploitation and drugs and burnout. I think there might have been a better movie here somewhere, but they didn’t find it, which is too bad, because Kristen Stewart as Joan and Dakota Fanning (all grown up now!) are good, and the Runaways were ground-breaking. I don’t know rock history, and there might have been others like them, but basically up until that point “girl groups” sang dreadful dreck like “My Boyfriend’s Back” and “It’s My Party.” For kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll you had to go to the heavy metal guys. Girls weren’t supposed to play any instrument, especially guitar, which you don’t need to watch many hard rock groups to understand is a penis substitute on a very deep level. But the Runaways really did kick out the jams.