Very Good Girls (2013)

Two New York City girls make a pact to lose their virginity during their first summer out of high school. When they both fall for the same street artist, the friends find their connection tested for the first time.

Director:

Naomi Foner

Writer:

Naomi Foner

Stars:

Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Sterling Jones

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dakota Fanning	...	Lilly
Elizabeth Olsen	...	Gerri
Sterling Jones	...	Beach Boy
Lenny Platt	...	Beach Boy
Boyd Holbrook	...	David
Ellen Barkin	...	Norma
Kiernan Shipka	...	Eleanor
Clare Foley	...	Phoebe
Roslyn Curry	...	Joy
Clark Gregg	...	Edward
Demi Moore	...	Kate
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Danny
Owen Campbell	...	Karl
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Fitzsimmons
Brandin Steffesen	...	Dancer

Storyline

The summer before college presents two best friends, Lilly and Gerri, with the opportunity to shed their good girl images. Both girls want to lose their virginity and explore another side of who they are. But their dark and different home lives and the introduction of two bad boys, threaten to destroy their friendship without it being the nice coming-of-age summer that the two girls envisioned.

---

Plot Keywords:

summer | virginity | friendship | coming of age | artist | 

---

Taglines:

When we lose our innocence, we have to find ourselves.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Very Good Girls - Die Liebe eines Sommers

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Groundswell Productions, Herrick Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anton Yelchin was originally cast but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Boyd Holbrook replaced him.

---

Goofs

When Lilly comes home from the beach at the beginning of the movie, she tells her mother that she had gone to Brighton Beach. Her sister expresses surprise that she had gone all the way to Rockaway. Rockaway is nowhere near Brighton Beach.

---

Quotes

Lilly: I'm trying to tell you the truth. You hurt me.
David: So you had to hurt me back, right?
[chuckles]
David: You know, you really are full of shit. You keep this up, and there won't be anyone left to play with, you understand?

---

Soundtracks

Deep Sea Wading
Written by Howard Herrick
Performed by The Naked Stills

User Reviews

Have I seen this before... ?

Yes, I have. We all have.

Two regurgitated caricatures of the stereotypical American teenage girl, Lily and Gerry are sooooooo different yet so alike. Both fall in love with the same part shady stalker, part brooding troubled artiste~ who wants to travel the world but his list of places to visit is, like, "Rome... (d-uh)Paris..." Daddy issues are, of course, played up wonderfully, because what is any worthy female teenage protagonist if not the product of her father's neglect? What possibly can one expect when the preppy rich teenage daughter of a straight-laced household made up of detached parents and siblings goes to her dad's office to ask him to get through with this patient already they're getting late for dinn- *gasp* and henceforth a series of incredibly stupid decisions are made by two girls we initially assume to be a lot smarter, wittier, braver and mature than they turn out to be. Every trick in the book for a deep and wholesome young-woman-coming-of-age film is not simply used, but abused in the most blatant schticky manner possible; I promise you, there is more than one cameo made by Sylvia Plath.

This film is a true example of lazy filmmaking in an industry where ~gratuitous-yet-modest~ sex scenes and summertime virginity pacts are more important than honest *portrayals* let alone discussions about teenage turmoil and female sexuality. Not even that awkwardly long shot of Dakota Fanning kinda-sorta running-jogging could redeem this movie.

Don't watch it. You've already seen it. And you've seen better.