"Very Good Girls" is a charming, honest, but woefully misunderstood film that tells the story of Dakota Fanning's Lilly and Elizabeth Olsen's Gerry as a pair of best friends in New York City who initially agonize over the fact that neither of them has lost their virginity. But when they both eventually fall in love with David Avery (Boyd Holbrook), their longtime friendship gets a major run for its money.
What I took away from this film is that people should never confine their thinking to some sort of overidealistic rosy picture of life.
Lilly, the more bookish of the pair, has been so busy with her academics and summer job as an NYC boat tour guide that she very seldom worried, or even wondered, about her love and/or sex life while also dealing with a sudden rift in her family stemming from her parents' separation.
On the other hand, the much more outgoing Gerry lives in an environment with two outspoken hippie parents who encourage freedom, and with it, a more open discussion of love and sexuality. I enjoyed the two girls' dynamic, despite the fact that they're very obviously polar opposites.
Other reviews skewered this film, saying that the talents of the cast were wasted on a bland story. However, I think the storyline wasn't bland or boring at all, just muddled by the somewhat forced love triangle scenario. As good as the film was, the triangle (in my opinion) weighed things down a bit as opposed to driving the narrative.
All in all, "Very Good Girls" is a cute yet misunderstood movie that one must watch with an open mind. Olsen and Fanning's performances were great, and appearances from well-known actors such as Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ellen Barkin (among others) make it that much more interesting.
What I took away from this film is that people should never confine their thinking to some sort of overidealistic rosy picture of life.
Lilly, the more bookish of the pair, has been so busy with her academics and summer job as an NYC boat tour guide that she very seldom worried, or even wondered, about her love and/or sex life while also dealing with a sudden rift in her family stemming from her parents' separation.
On the other hand, the much more outgoing Gerry lives in an environment with two outspoken hippie parents who encourage freedom, and with it, a more open discussion of love and sexuality. I enjoyed the two girls' dynamic, despite the fact that they're very obviously polar opposites.
Other reviews skewered this film, saying that the talents of the cast were wasted on a bland story. However, I think the storyline wasn't bland or boring at all, just muddled by the somewhat forced love triangle scenario. As good as the film was, the triangle (in my opinion) weighed things down a bit as opposed to driving the narrative.
All in all, "Very Good Girls" is a cute yet misunderstood movie that one must watch with an open mind. Olsen and Fanning's performances were great, and appearances from well-known actors such as Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ellen Barkin (among others) make it that much more interesting.