Bad Reputation

I was able to see this one last night, and I was just as impressed as I was with "The Runaways" eight years ago. I've actually been a fan of Ms. Jett since her tenure with The Runaways, and still think she's the greatest. This documentary is worth seeing, and just may get Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.

I'm a huge Joan Jett fan. I love 80's rock and I think that some of her songs that weren't radio hits are underrated and as good as anything that was out on the radio in the 1980's. Joan was and is the ultimate cool feminist, doing her thing and not worrying about her "reputation" so to speak. Lots of great archival, concert, and interview footage in this. Fans of Joan Jett, fans of music, or fans of the 80's will love this.

Really, she is. I love the song "I Love Rock and Roll" as well as several of her other hits, but I didn't really know that much about Joan Jett. She was before my time, but her story is badass. She was a trailblazing female rocker who was brave, outspoken, and talented. She broke down barriers for women in the music industry and her rock contributions stand the test of time. Fun documentary covering her journey as an artist. Sometimes the movie didn't do a great job of anchoring the events to a timeline, but otherwise, it was well done.

Documentary on the storied life and career of rock 'n roll guitarist-singer-songwriter Joan Jett, whose path to stardom began in 1975 when the 16-year-old from Canoga Park, CA began frequenting a Hollywood nightclub for kids. Intoxicated by the music and the campy glitter vibe--and inspired by the burgeoning women's movement and Liza Minnelli's performance in "Cabaret"--Jett and her electric guitar from Sears was eager to make contacts within the industry. She quickly did, connecting with eccentric music producer Kim Fowley to form The Runaways, the first hard rock group with 16 and 17-year-old girls as its members. From her years living on the streets of L. A. to a continually hot-and-cold solo career, this rock chick's rollercoaster journey is entertaining despite being laid-out in a spotty fashion (it's the Cliffs notes version). Some wonderful stills, home movies on tour, insider interviews and a hot soundtrack make up for an overall lack of gravitas. *** from ****

It's a documentary about female rock pioneer Joan Jett. It follows her from her teen years in L.A. and forming The Runaways with Cherie Currie, Lita Ford, and producer Kim Fowley. After the band's collapse, she falls into despair until she connects with bubble-gum music writer/producer Kenny Laguna. She starts up Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and forced to start a label of their own.

In general, I know about The Runaways and The Blackhearts but I don't know about Laguna. It's a solid biopic of the highs and the lows of her career. It goes through the generalities of The Runaways. Her drug use could be expanded on. I would have liked to know where she was when she heard about the deaths of her friends Sid and Nancy. Does she have any words of wisdom about them? As for the rest, her relationship with Laguna is the most interesting. It doesn't skip over their lulls in the 90's. There are also famous fans doing their thing. The two main non-connected ones are Billie Joe Armstrong and Miley Cyrus. While I appreciated Armstrong, I can do without Cyrus. No matter how hard she tries, Cyrus can never be punk. If it's young female Hollywood, they could have used more Kristen Stewart. At least, she has more professional connection to Joan Jett. One gets a good sense of her in this doc and that's always the main goal.