I think I wanted it to be a tale of empowerment. The first ever all-girl punk rock band, proving women can rock just as hard as men. In actuality, though the story is of junky teenagers, treated like performing chimps by their manager, and in reality, subject to sexual abuse.
Having said that, the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll of The Runaways is undeniably cool. Not just because of the pleather, latex and wedges in the wardrobe trailer, but also because the music - still - totally rocks.
I’ll freely admit to never having heard of The Runaways before the movie was in production, but that’s the beauty of a biopic. It allows a new generation of girls to rediscover and fall in love, afresh, with the music of the ‘70s.
Maybe the movie isn’t as obviously empowering to women as the trailers suggest, but there is something infectious about The Runaways’ fuck-you attitude. In this, the iPod generation, don’t be surprised if, with ‘Cherry Bomb’ howling in our ears, we all start doodling anarchy signs, or kicking pigeons as they impede our progress down the street.
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