Parents' Guide to

The Runaways

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Sex, drugs, and glam rock in '70s teen band biopic.

Movie R 2010 109 minutes
The Runaways Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 9 parent reviews

age 10+

Its All About Trust

I think if you trust your child, then the age is limitless, can you trust your child to fast-foward through the "Iffy Stuff"? If so, no harm is done! :-)

This title has:

Too much sex
2 people found this helpful.
age 16+
Lots of sex, drug use, and profanity. Teen actresses are sexualized and parade about in their underwear. Well-made biopic but all a little gratuitous, even if it really happened.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (18):

THE RUNAWAYS makes you long for the days when rock-and-roll was, to paraphrase Fowley, "a death sport" and making music wasn't all posture and preening (no autotune here). The look-and-feel is right, the hunger seemingly real and raw. And the music brings on punk-rock nostalgia in the first few guitar licks. Kudos to director Floria Sigismondi, and the entire cast she assembled. Shannon, Stewart and Fanning all bring it, and in style. The film makes good use of Stewart's nervous energy; finally, she doesn't come off angsty, only raring to go.

But yes, there is a stipulation: The whole enterprise doesn't fully gel. Like a band missing that secret ingredient that lifts them from relative anonymity. The styling's right, but the substance is not. Though Currie's family life as detailed here ostensibly informs her music and actions, the film goes for the obvious, simplistic connections. Abandoned child seeks sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll -- blah, blah, blah. But how did she really feel about the music? The same could be said for Jett here; she remains an enigma. Still, these mysteries don't fully prevent having a fairly good time.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate