Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

TxMike We watched this at home on DVD from our public library.It isn't a great movie but it has some interesting elements. The ages of the main actors were a bit disconcerting, Fanning was 18, Olsen was 23, and Holbrook was 31 during filming.Dakota Fanning is Lilly, good daughter, eldest of three, preparing to graduate and go off to Yale. Her parents are Psychiatrists, with offices in their home, they seem well-off. Lilly has a job, she is a guide for boat tours of the New York Harbor areas.Her best friend, almost like a sister, is Elizabeth Olsen as Gerri. At some point nearing the end of their senior year they discuss not wanting to graduate and go off to college still as virgins.While at the beach in the summer they encounter Boyd Holbrook as David, an aspiring photographic artist, operating an ice cream stand. The two friends talk to him, everyone goes on their way.As it turns out each girl makes contact again with David, but for most of the movie the other doesn't know about it. Lilly gets very involved, she and David sleep together often. Gerri lies about sleeping with David, it turns out he is faithful to Lilly but her doubts cause her to treat them badly.The summer is ending, David decides to head to Paris to pursue his photography, Lilly and Gerri make up, life goes on. Just a slice of life story, teenage girls trying to figure out adult life and where it may lead them.Not a bad movie but not particularly memorable.

Steve Pulaski Very Good Girls is the worst kind of film in the regard that its poster and trailer allude to the idea that it will be covering loftier subjects in the realm of teen angst, but it isn't until one finally sees the film that they realize that every preconceived notion they had about the film turned out to be a product of wishful, optimistic thinking. Very Good Girls is a tiresome retread of clichés and sterile filmmaking, one without wit or insight into the life of a teenager, and constructing characters out of thin, threadbare personality traits without ever giving them opportunities to expand into something greater.It doesn't stop there; it also places two strong talents at the core of its mediocrity. One of whom is Elizabeth Olsen, who has been on a roll with such fantastic films that she really doesn't have time for a film like this. Alongside Olsen is Dakota Fanning, a considerably successful child actor who has had a rather rough time finding adult roles now that she has moved on from her childhood career. The two play best friends Lily and Gerry, both of whom home for one last summer in their homestate of New York. Upset that they are practically the only two people who still hold their virginity, they make a pact to lose it before leaving for college. After a day at the beach, they fall in love with the first guy they say, a misunderstood, crabby soul by the name of David (Boyd Holbrook) who, despite his surly attitude when they first meet, turns out to be a quietly romantic guy, who enjoys poetry. The two begin the long, tireless task of trying to maintain a relationship with this guy behind each others back, while occasionally returning home to fight or disagree with their parents, where the film misses another bold opportunity at characterization.To begin with, we already know so desperately little about Lily or Gerry other than they're attractive, life-long collegians who are virgins and detest the fact they are virgins. Other than that, they are as vacant as characters can be, and given this film was written and directed by a female begs the question why Naomi Foner didn't take the route of humanizing her characters. In a sea of films that seem to get adolescents wrong, particularly the females, Foner had a chance to develop female characters rich with feelings and ideas, but instead opts for them to have nothing more on their mind than some personally-lacking blonde guy who they fall head over heals in lust with for reasons never truly outlined. If a male had written and directed this film, we'd be deploring every grating opportunity to simplify these characters into outlets striving for basic human gratification and nothing more.As stated before, even Lily and Gerry's parents have no personality to speak of, with Lily's parents having a more hardened, regressive attitude and Gerry's being more loose and liberal. Conversations between the girls and their parents last for no longer than two minutes and bear nothing in the way of identification but rather patient-testing oversimplification. Nobody in this film has an identity, and as a film about the sexual awakening of two lifelong best friends, I don't think it's wrong to expect a film that would be something in the way of deep and contemplative.Very Good Girls is, in some ways, a poor man's version of the brilliant Norwegian film Turn Me On, Dammit!, which concerned a fifteen-year-old girl experiencing a rampant sexual awakening, full of dirty fantasies and prolific masturbation. The film showed the darker side of adolescent sexuality in a blatant manner, never sugarcoating or shortchanging and always looking to humanize and provide a lens of empathy and understanding. Very Good Girls, in comparison and on its own, is an abysmal display of emptiness in one of its most contemptible forms.Starring: Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, and Boyd Holbrook. Directed by: Naomi Foner.

Amari-Sali Between Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen, it is hard to argue that there isn't some sort of draw to this movie. After all, they are playing two best friends in New York having their last summer together before college. Which in itself is a nice coming of age story. But then with the added mix of them trying to lose their virginity, it does make you wonder if this film is going to end up insightful or relatable, or if perhaps that angle will solely be used to get boys interested in the film.Characters & StoryIn the suburbs of New York City you'll find two best friends: the adventurous Gerry (Elizabeth Olsen), and her more timid friend Lily (Dakota Fanning). They have been friends for quite a while and have a strong bond, but with college around the corner, and Lily leaving for Yale, they try to make this summer one to remember. How you may ask? Well, with it being the summer they both lose their virginity.Enter David (Boyd Holbrook). A boy who Gerry is head over heels for on first sight but, unfortunately for her, his focus is on Lily. Leading to the question: can one boy, a complete stranger, possibly ruin a multi- year friendship just because he is hot, mysterious, and willing to be in the company of both of them?PraiseIn the summer time a lot of coming of age films are released, and perhaps what makes this one a tad different is that the focus is on two girls trying to grow up and become their sense of what mature is. This is opposed to the usually coming of age films about boys, much less awkward boys, who find some girl, who is usually out of their league, and he finds a way to win her over with his charm. With this film though, the girls are given not just the focus, but aspirations for once. Gerry wants to be a musician, and while I didn't catch what Lily wanted to do at Yale, at the very least we learned she wanted to do more than lose her virginity over the summer.And when it comes to the story as a whole, I felt that it made for something entertaining to watch. Both Fanning and Olsen make appealing leads, and you can understand their lust for Holbrook who makes a good "I'm troubled and mysterious" love interest. Plus, I must say I did like the side stories dealing with both Lily and Gerry's families. They were good enough to provide us with insight to understand why Lily and Gerry were the way they are without the parent's drama starting to compete with the main story.CriticismI will say though, I hate the fact there was a love triangle in the film. Also, I wasn't a fan of director/ writer Naomi Foner romanticizing David's stalking into a cute love story. I mean, think of how off putting it would be if some guy tries to get your attention by pasting photos of you walking away from him around a neighborhood, and then not even asking for your phone number, but instead your address. Then, to make matters stranger, you can see Lily/ Fanning is uncomfortable with this dude and yet gives him a chance. Something which, to me anyway, may send the wrong message since usually a girl's intuition when it comes to a guy making her uncomfortable is right.Overall: TV ViewingIf you don't over analyze the film, you'll likely love it. It has the general feel of most coming of age films, with a nice twist with having female leads. However, I do feel slightly that even with the gender switch when it comes to who is the lead, it has the same problem most coming of age films have. The girl, or rather girls, are a bit too dependent on the guy when it comes to them evolving. Which, in all honesty, I don't think neither Gerry nor Lily do in the film, evolve that is. If anything, they both fawn over David, as he seemingly plays with both, leading to the girls fighting and then making up. Which I realize is a major spoiler, but at the same time it is a story done so much that even considering that a spoiler would mean you haven't seen a coming of age film, much less a romance film, ever.

cnycitylady Very Good Girls is a coming of age story that touches on friendship, family, love and discovering when it's okay to indulge in yourself. Nothing new there, amIright? The mood is set fairly early on, kicking off the 'best friends forever' feel.Elizabeth Olsen and Dakota Fanning have great chemistry, and there is nothing stopping you from believing that they truly are best friends, which really plays into the story when you witness a 'betrayal' of some kind. Although you fall in love with the sweetness of the romance that blossoms you cannot help but 'tisk, tisk' at the surreptitious actions of this 'friend.'The movie keeps your attention all throughout it although you're not sure what you want to come of the story. The build up to the ending is perfectly paced and the performances are spectacular. Dakota Fanning delivers yet again and Elizabeth Olsen is letting it known that she is an actress to reckon with. 7.4/10