Two best friends in New York fall for the same guy in Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal's directorial debut Very Good Girls.
This is a rather low-key drama which unfortunately didn't invest me to a great degree. Its combination of storylines about teen love/angst and familial drama are unremarkable and just blend into so many indie dramas I've seen before without adding something different. There are some elements of mumblecore with the focus on young love and naturalistic performances, but it doesn't help it carve out its own distinct identity.
Its strongest quality is its acting, as Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as best friends Lilly and Gerri make for a good pair. I just wish the film around them was more suited to their talents, as their casual chemistry makes their relationship seem believable.
The overall cast is quite stacked for a film like this with Demi Moore, Clark Gregg, Peter Sarsgaard and even Richard Dreyfuss all being involved. Boyd Holbrook as the romantic interest for both Lilly and Gerri is the weakest out of the bunch though as his character is extremely bland. It makes you wonder what the girls really see in him to make him so sought after.
I think the film's main problem is that there is little to no development for its characters. You learn barely anything about them as people which makes it difficult to care about the issues in their lives. This is particularly evident for Lilly's family drama when her parents go through relationship difficulties, which ends up being insignificant to the main romance storyline.
Even that side of the narrative is relatively conflict-free until the last 20 minutes, which are thankfully more engaging than what came before it. The whole affair just ambles along with little purpose, but at only 91 minutes it isn't unnecessarily stretched out.
In terms of filmmaking the direction is competent, if lacking personality. Bobby Bukowski's light cinematography and Lisa Meyers' art direction is also aesthetically pleasing which is an added bonus.
Final Verdict
It blends into countless indie dramas that have come before it without adding any distinctive elements, so there isn't much to recommend outside the performances of the two leads.
Yorumlar