In the opening scenes of “The Runaways,” Floria Sigismondi’s ode to the all-girl hard rock band, the characters played by Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning could be almost any teenage girls living in the Valley circa 1975. Fanning is sitcom-cute in a plaid shirt, miniskirt and knee socks; Stewart sports a T-shirt and jeans.

But then Stewart’s character walks into a rockabilly boutique, dumps a bag full of change on the counter and demands “what he’s wearing,” pointing to a guy in a black leather motorcycle jacket and leather pants. Suddenly, high school girl Joan Larkin has transformed into Joan Jett.

Cut to Fanning as Jett’s soon-to-be-bandmate Cherie Currie, staring into the bathroom mirror with David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane” album cover nearby. With a partially drawn red lightning bolt on her face, she’s chopping her long blond hair into an approximation of his glam shag.

“It looks really terrible,” says her twin sister, Marie, watching in horror.

“Good,” answers Cherie.

And then the title credits roll. [Continue Reading at the Source]