Prior to her “Bad Reputation” days, a young Joan Jett was involved in the “jailbait rock” group “The Runaways.” The story of the band of teen girls that rose to fame in the 1970s premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and now a new trailer has been released.
It’s 1975, and The Ramones and Tom Petty are dominating the airwaves. A group of teenage girls in Hollywood longed for the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, and what resulted was The Runaways. Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning), Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and their bandmates come of age and they are exposed to life on the road and everything that comes with it.
They are manipulated by their manager, Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), the band was billed as “jailbait rock” since the girls were all age 16 or younger when they recorded their first album. They achieve some success in America and explode in popularity in Japan, all the while trying not to spiral out of control.
“The Runaways” looks like it’s primarily a vehicle for Fanning to break out of her child star persona and for Stewart to challenge herself beyond her lead role in the “Twilight” films. I’m all for young talent trying to stretch their abilities, and if Fanning and Stewart want to prove they’ve got range, this seems like a good way to do it. I’m also excited to see Shannon in another film following his Oscar-nominated turn in “Revolutionary Road.”
Also starring Alia Shawkat, “The Runaways” opens in limited release March 19 before expanding April 9.
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I still haven’t decided on this one, but I’m leaning toward yes.
Yep! I’m quite impressed with Dakota Fanning!