What Worked?Most bio-pics follow a by-the-books routine, and The Runaways is no different; however, the performances save the film from being mundane. The musical rise, the hard crash because of some vice, usually drugs, and the redemption are the typical ground this type of film covers. However, Director Floria Sigismondi fills the screen with enough flash and gloss to keep most of the audience from cringing at the predictability of it all. The three main actors, Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart and Michael Shannon, give fully-invested performances that make for an interesting watch.Dakota Fanning once again proves that she is a force to reckon with, as she extends her already impressive range here playing Cherrie Currie: the sexy kitten with sharp claws, a taste for poison and the heart of a rocker. Fanning shows her sex appeal for the first time, and convincingly belts out Cherrie’s lyrics. She transitio scholarships for women ns well from a conservatively shy dreamer to a glamorous rock sensation. Where Fanning shines the most are the scenes where she’s at home with her jealous sister and sickly father,as well as when she eventually buckles under the pressures of stardom and leaves. We can sense the anguish in her eyes, and feel the question tattooed in her mind: what if?Kristen Stewart shows that she is more talented than the “one note actress” that those vampire films make her out to be. Stewart impressively plays Joan Jett with a slouched, rebellious attitude, and aggression. The hair-flipping and lip-biting are surprisingly absent, and her voice as Jett is a wonder. Completing the amazing acting tri-pod is Michael Shannon as Kim Fowley, the band’s manager. Shannon is deliciously quirky and raw, stealing every single scene he’s in.Besides the performances, the film also projects the complexity of self-empowerment for females.