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did not find the film's love triangle to be plausible, but stated, "In these and other works, Foner displayed a real feel for the various undercurrents that rage within families, both happy and broken ones. She understands how irritation can transform into profound need at a moment's notice, as well
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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.
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Lilly's boss flirts with her, offering lucrative night shifts with an obvious implication. Walking home, she sees David waiting outside her house; they kiss and have sex in the garage. The next morning Lilly bumps into her father who apologizes, asking her to have dinner with him, which she declines.
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Gerri tells Lilly that David is leaving for Paris, so Lilly finds him, admitting she didn't sleep with her boss. Angry, David warns her not to manipulate other people's feelings but still kisses her goodbye before leaving in a cab. As Lilly walks away, Gerri confronts her furiously, having overheard
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At her father's memorial service, Gerri tells Lilly she lost her virginity to David, prompting her to see her boss and agree to his advances. They kiss in the tour boat, but then she changes her mind. However, when she confronts David about having sex with Gerri and he does not respond, she lies and
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described the film as "a limp directing debut" for Foner, claiming the film's outdated "counter-culture" sensibilities made it appear "frozen in time". Rooney also found the characters unconvincing and criticized the "artificiality" of the love interest who asks the lead character to "read a couple
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Lilly makes amends with her father and he suggests she ask for forgiveness, but she does not take his advice. The morning before leaving for college, Gerri comes over with a photograph David sent her for Lilly, his way of making sure the girls saw each other before she left. Gerri reveals she never
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Lilly's mother learns about her father's affair and asks him to leave, against Lilly's wishes. She begins to hang out with David and they kiss. Gerri invites David to an open mic night where she sings a song she wrote for him, while out of her sight, David takes Lilly's hand and holds it under the
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Later in the evening, Lilly learns that Gerri's father died after collapsing in the subway. She leaves David to be with a despairing Gerri. Sharing her grief encourages Lilly to ask her mother to forgive her father. Gerri tells Lilly she can't stop thinking about David. Guiltily, Lilly rejects
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Afterward, David sneaks in through the bathroom window. They shower together before spending the day flocking around the city. They arrive at a basketball court where a stylishly dressed man strips to his underwear and dances ballet liberatingly. Kids join him while David videos.
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Arriving home, Lilly sees her father with a woman in the office. She takes comfort in spending the evening with Gerri's family, who are loud and open in contrast to Lilly's stony mother and absent father. The girls talk and vow to lose their virginity before leaving for college.
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is full of memorable, subtle touches that come through whenever Foner seems to be working to her strengths." He concluded that "what's actually happening onscreen often feels a lot less interesting than what's clearly boiling beneath the film's surface."
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tells him she had sex with her boss. The next day, Lilly surprisingly finds her parents cooking in the kitchen as her mother has forgiven her father. David shows up, claiming he didn't sleep with Gerri, and Lilly storms off.
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David's attempts to meet again. He confronts her and she rebuffs him, asking him to meet up with Gerri, but is dismayed when David complies. He comforts Gerri and they kiss in her backyard garden, which Lilly sees.
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actually had sex with David, she asked him to but he told her he was already in love with someone else. The girls make up, taking off their clothes to dance in the sprinklers.
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was in final negotiations to play a role in the film, but he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced with
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Production company
Herrick Entertainment announced on July 20, 2012, that principal photography had begun in
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The film received negative reviews from critics. It has accumulated a 19% rotten rating on
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was Oscar-nominated. First screened publicly in early 2013, the film stars
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criticized the "vapid and clichéd" screenplay, while Susan
Wloszczyna of
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and the first feature film directed by
American screenwriter
832:"Very Good Girls Is a Smart Movie With a Dumb Love Triangle"
803:"Very Good Girls movie review & film summary (2014)"
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Best friends Lilly and Gerri spend their last summer in
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587:"PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS ON 'VERY GOOD GIRLS'"
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536:compared the film negatively to 1980's
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765:"Very Good Girls: Sundance Review"
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782:Simon, Alissa (23 January 2013).
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417:as Edward Berger, Lilly's Father
593:. July 20, 2012. Archived from
411:as Norma Berger, Lilly's Mother
405:as Danny Fields, Gerri's Father
830:Ebiri, Bilge (July 25, 2014).
737:. Tribeca Film. Archived from
705:. July 6, 2012. Archived from
399:as Kate Fields, Gerri's Mother
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274:The supporting cast includes
267:). The film premiered at the
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784:"Review: 'Very Good Girls'"
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928:Films set in New York City
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948:2013 independent films
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459:Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
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33:Official movie poster
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597:on November 24, 2012
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243:is a 2013 American
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729:"Very Good Girls"
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617:"Very Good Girls"
475:In January 2012,
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128:Devin Maurer
91:Ellen Barkin
550:Bilge Ebiri
427:Clare Foley
415:Clark Gregg
371:Naomi Foner
288:Clark Gregg
249:Naomi Foner
137:Jenny Lewis
95:Clark Gregg
57:Produced by
52:Naomi Foner
43:Naomi Foner
39:Directed by
903:2013 films
897:Categories
626:2013-06-24
568:References
446:Production
397:Demi Moore
276:Demi Moore
245:drama film
229:Box office
208:91 minutes
192:2014-06-24
181:2013-01-22
144:Production
107:Demi Moore
49:Written by
841:April 21,
812:April 21,
601:April 26,
511:Reception
327:Manhattan
146:companies
121:Edited by
877:AllMovie
745:June 24,
652:5 August
312:New York
221:Language
133:Music by
75:Starring
836:Vulture
788:Variety
555:Vulture
529:Variety
487:Release
441:as Karl
333:table.
232:$ 6,940
224:English
213:Country
190: (
179: (
503:, and
493:iTunes
298:, and
290:, and
866:IMDb
843:2022
814:2022
747:2014
715:2012
685:2012
654:2014
603:2022
501:Vudu
357:Cast
306:Plot
259:and
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505:VOD
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