Very Good Girls

Very Good Girls
File:Very Good Girls.jpg Official movie poster
Directed by	Naomi Foner
Produced by	Norton Herrick Michael London Mary Jane Skalski
Written by	Naomi Foner
Starring	Dakota Fanning Elizabeth Olsen Boyd Holbrook Demi Moore Richard Dreyfuss Ellen Barkin Peter Sarsgaard Clark Gregg
Music by	Jenny Lewis
Cinematography	Bobby Bukowski
Edited by	Andrew Hafitz Dylan Tichenor
Production company	Groundswell Productions Herrick Productions
Distributed by	Tribeca Film MG Film
Release dates	June 24, 2014
Running time	91 minutes
Country	U.S.
Language	English
Box office	$6,940

Very Good Girls is the first feature 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.

Synopsis

Best friends Lily (Fanning) and Gerri (Olsen), home for one last New York summer, make a pact to lose their virginity before leaving for college. But when they both fall for the same handsome artist (Holbrook) and Lily starts seeing him in secret, a lifelong friendship is tested.

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.

—Naomi Foner

• 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. Herrick was producing and financing the project, with Michael London's Groundswell Productions also producing.

Shooting locations included Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.

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 part in the film, but he is not listed in the final cast.

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.

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". 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. Variety criticized the "really bad" drama, particularly the "vapid and cliched" screenplay. "This all-around misfire ... may go directly to home formats."

External links

• Very Good Girls at IMDb
• Very Good Girls at AllMovie
• Very Good Girls at Rotten Tomatoes