Kristen Stewart is best known for her role as Bella Swan in the "Twilight" series, but she has played other roles. In fact, she has played other roles extremely well and deserves recognition. Most notably, her role as Joan Jett in "The Runaways." As Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart gives an amazing performance.
The movie and Kristen Stewart's portrayal of Jett, however, were overlooked and almost completely forgotten this awards season. Other than at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, her name and role were never even mentioned in consideration.
Stewart received positive critical reviews of her work in "The Runaways." Kirk Honeycut in the Film Journal International called Kristen's performance "the driving force." Roger Ebert said of Stewart (and co-starDakota Fanning,) that the pair "bring more to their characters than the script provides." A.O. Scott of the New York Times said of Kristen's role, "Ms. Stewart, watchful and unassuming, gives the movie its spine and soul."
Kristen Stewart's commitment to Joan Jett is evident throughout the movie. Her walk, attitude, and voice all perfectly match the famous rock star. Stewart sings during the movie, and her voice blends seamlessly with The Runaways' real music.
Often given negative feedback for her role and acting ability as Bella Swan in the Twilight series, Stewart demonstrates her talent in "The Runaways." Before "The Runaways" premiered, many doubted Kristen's ability to handle the tough role of Joan Jett. Not only did Kristen Stewart prove she could handle the difficult role of playing a real person, she nailed it.
"The Runaways" failed to make a strong showing at the box office, which may have contributed to its lack of recognition. The R rating could have kept Stewart's younger fans away, and others may not have been able to see her as anyone other than Bella Swan. Whatever the reason, a lot of people missed out on a great film and an award-quality performance by Kristen Stewart.
Hopefully, Kristen Stewart will provide many more award-quality performances in her career. She is an extremely talented actress. Her strong role as Joan Jett should have received more recognition and landed Stewart many award nominations.
Thankfully MTV did step up and at least acknowledge "The Runaways," even if the nomination was for an insignificant part of the movie. Kristen Stewart and co-star Dakota Fanning received a "Best Kiss" nomination, but unfortunately Kristen Stewart lost to herself and her Twilight saga co-star, Robert Pattinson. At least she still won!
