The Runaways

(MA) Sony DVD/BD

Hey, kids, do you want to be a rock star? Hey, parents, do you want them to not be a rock star? While graphic in its depiction of underage excess, The Runaways is a confronting portrait of how destructive hedonism can be, especially for kids.

Based on the true story of Joan Jett’s first band, allegedly the first all-female rock group, The Runaways charts their short-fuse 1970s career in a retro swirl of underage sex, swearing, substance abuse and rocking out. Amid the squirm-inducing scenes of sexualised minors and teens being exploited (sometimes with consent), this cautionary tale demonstrates how the business of show can devour the young, restless and vulnerable.

Twilight co-stars Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning are Jett and singer Cherie Currie, mistakenly confident that they can handle what comes to rip them apart. As a sleazebag producer, Michael Shannon symbolises the kind of amoral manipulator that parents will want to save their children from.

Ben McEachen