Very Good Girls
| Very Good Girls | |
|---|---|
 Official movie poster | |
| Directed by | Naomi Foner |
| Written by | Naomi Foner |
| Produced by | Norton Herrick Michael London Mary Jane Skalski |
| Starring | Dakota Fanning Elizabeth Olsen Boyd Holbrook Demi Moore Richard Dreyfuss Ellen Barkin Peter Sarsgaard Clark Gregg |
| Cinematography | Bobby Bukowski |
| Edited by | Andrew Hafitz Dylan Tichenor |
| Music by | Jenny Lewis[1] |
Production companies | Groundswell Productions Herrick Productions |
| Distributed by | Tribeca Film MG Film |
Release date | June 24, 2014 |
Running time | 91 minutes [2] |
| Country | U.S. |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6,940 [3] |
Very Good Girls is the first feature film directed by American screenwriter Naomi Foner, whose script for drama Running on Empty was Oscar-nominated. First screened publicly in early 2013, the coming-of-age drama stars Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as two friends who fall for the same man (Boyd Holbrook). The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2013; it was given release on home formats on June 24, 2014.
The supporting cast includes Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, Ellen Barkin, Clark Gregg, and Peter Sarsgaard. The film was produced by Norton Herrick, Michael London, and Mary Jane Skalski.
Plot
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (June 2017) |
School friends Lily (Fanning) and Gerri (Olsen) spend their last New York summer together. On a Coney Island beach, they run into David (Holbrook), an attractive guy selling ice cream. After an awkward conversation, they move away, and David takes a picture of Lily from the back.
Lily sees her father kissing another woman in the office. Upset by this, she takes comfort in spending the evening with Gerri's family, who are loud and open in contrast to Lily's. The girls are uncomfortable to be 'the last ones' and vow to lose their virginity before leaving for college.
As Lily walks to work as a boat tour guide in Manhattan, David watches from a distance. He starts posting her pictures around the block, asking where she lives. Lily blushes when she sees the posters. She doesn't tell Gerri, who chased David to the restaurant printed on his matchbox. Lily goes to the beach to see David. He asks her out, and she reluctantly gives him her address.
Lily's mother learns about her father's affair and asks him to leave. Lily would prefer him to stay as she doesn't want the family to break up. She hangs out with David and finds he's an aspiring artist who intends to travel the world, which resonates well with her. They kiss but David sends her away. Gerri invites David to an open mic nught where she sings a song she wrote for David, but David takes Lily's hand and holds it under the table.
Lily's boss (Sarsgaard) flirts with her, offering lucrative night shifts. David is waiting outside her house; they kiss and have sex in the garage. The next morning Lily runs into her father who apologises for his affair and asks her to have dinner with him, but she declines.
David sneaks in through the bathroom window as Lily takes the morning shower. They have sex, go around the city posting David's art and taking pictures of themselves. Later in the evening Lily calls her mother and learns that Gerri's father died after suddenly collapsing in the subway. She leaves David to be with Gerri.
Gerri is in despair, realising her life will never be the same. This encourages Lily to ask her mother to forgive her father. Gerri confides she can't stop thinking about David and wishes him to be with her. Feeling guilty, Lily rejects David's attempts to meet again. When he confronts her, she rebuffs him then asks him to meet up with Gerri. David complies. When Gerri breaks down and asks him to make love to her, he comforts her and they kiss.
At her father's memorial service, Gerri confides to Lily that she lost her virginity to David. Lily is upset and goes to see her boss. They kiss and start making out in the tour boat, but Lily runs away. She confronts David about having sex with Gerri. Seeing him confused, Lily lies that she too had sex with her boss, then leaves.
The next day, Lily finds her parents cooking in the kitchen, and is upset to learn they are back together. David shows up and claims he didn't sleep with Gerri, asking Lily to tell Gerri the truth about their affair. Lily storms off, ignoring him.
Gerri tells Lily that David is leaving for Paris. Lily goes to David and admits she didn't really sleep with her boss. David thinks Lily is too spoiled and warns her to stop manipulating other people's feelings, or soon there will be no-one left to play with. He kisses her goodbye and leaves in a cab. As Lily walks away, Gerri confronts her, having overheard their conversation. Gerri is furious at Lily for 'playing God.'
Lily makes amends with her father, confiding in him about her affair. As she is about to leave for Yale, Gerri comes over with a photograph of Lily which David sent her to make sure the girls meet each other. Gerri actually never slept with David because he claimed to be in love with someone else. The two make up and end up dancing in their bra and panties while the sprinklers come on.
Cast
The film deals with female sexuality and friendship in a way we haven’t seen before. These girls will be stunning young women in a couple of years, but they’ve struggled through high school with only each other. Most of us have been there. This is the summer where they finally get to touch real life.
- Dakota Fanning as Lilly Berger
- Elizabeth Olsen as Gerri
- Boyd Holbrook as David Avery
- Demi Moore as Kate, Gerri's Mother
- Richard Dreyfuss as Danny, Gerri's father
- Ellen Barkin as Norma, Lilly's mother
- Clark Gregg as Edward, Lilly's father
- Kiernan Shipka as Eleanor, Lilly's sister
- Peter Sarsgaard as Fitzsimmons, Lilly's summertime job boss
Production
Production company Herrick Entertainment announced on July 20, 2012, that principal photography had begun in New York City.[1] Herrick was producing and financing the project, with Michael London's Groundswell Productions also producing.[1]
Shooting locations included Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.[5]
Cast-member Peter Sarsgaard is the son-in-law of writer-director Naomi Foner, who is the mother of his wife, Maggie Gyllenhaal.
In January 2012, Anton Yelchin was in final negotiations to play a role in the film, but he is not listed in the final cast.[4]
Release
The film was released on June 6, 2014 through iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, and VOD. The film started a limited theatrical release in the United States on July 25, 2014.[6]
Reception
The film received negative reviews from critics. It has accumulated a 19% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 31 reviews. The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "a limp directing debut" for Foner. The film's outdated "counter-culture" sensibilities made it appear "frozen in time". It found the characters unconvincing, criticizing the "artificiality" of the love interest who asks the lead character to "read a couple of lines of Sylvia Plath before their first kiss".[7] We Got This Covered called the film "insincere from bottom to top," expressing disappointment that "its innate lousiness" deflated the dramatic efforts of its leads.[8] Variety criticized the "really bad" drama, particularly the "vapid and cliched" screenplay. "This all-around misfire ... may go directly to home formats."[9]
References
- ^ a b c "Principal Photography Begins on 'Very Good Girls'" (Press release). Herrick Entertainment. July 20, 2012. Archived from the original on November 24, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Very Good Girls". Tribeca Film. Tribeca Film. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
- ^ "Very Good Girls - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ a b Fleming, Mike, Jr. (January 21, 2012). "Sundance: Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Anton Yelchin Lead Naomi Foner's 'Very Good Girls'". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "In Photos: Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen are 'Very Good Girls' in Brooklyn". On Location Vacations. July 6, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ "Tribeca". Tribeca. Tribeca Film. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
- ^ Rooney, David. "Very Good Girls: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Feldberg, Isaac. "Very Good Girls Review". We Got This Covered.
- ^ Alissa Simon (23 January 2013). "Review: 'Very Good Girls'". Variety.