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A Very Good Girl
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Petersen Vargas
Screenplay by	Marionne Dominique Mancol Daniel S. Saniana Jumbo A. Albano
Story by	Marionne Dominique Mancol
Produced by	Carlo L. Katigbak Kriz G. Gazmen John Leo D. Garcia Carmi G. Raymundo
Starring	Kathryn Bernardo Dolly de Leon
Cinematography	Noel Teehankee
Edited by	Benjamin Tolentino
Music by	Andrew R. Florentino
Production company	ABS-CBN Film Productions
Distributed by	Star Cinema
Release dates	September 27, 2023 (2023-09-27) (Philippines) October 6, 2023 (2023-10-06) (United States)
Running time	117 minutes
Country	Philippines
Languages	Filipino English
Budget	$2 million
Box office	₱100 million ($1.79 million)

A Very Good Girl is a 2023 Filipino black comedy thriller film directed by Petersen Vargas from a story and screenplay written by Marionne Dominique Mancol, with Daniel Saniana and Jumbo Albano co-wrote the latter. It stars Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon, with the supporting cast includes Kaori Oinuma, Jake Ejercito, and Angel Aquino.

Produced and released by Star Cinema, the film was theatrically released nationwide in the Philippines on September 27, 2023.

Plot

Mercy is fired and blacklisted by her tyrannical employer, “Mother” Molly Suzara, who pretends to be a caring entrepreneur. After Mercy's mother, Conchita, is fatally hit by one of Molly's company vehicles, Mercy vows revenge. Over the next five years, she amasses a fortune through fraud to pose as a rich entrepreneur named Philo, aiming to infiltrate Molly's circle and expose her past.

Philo gains Molly's attention by buying a relic at an auction and gifting it to her. She befriends Zab, Molly's brand endorser and the daughter of Molly's money-laundering partner. Zab plans to leave the country without Molly's knowledge. At Zab's birthday party, Philo reveals Zab's plans, leading Molly to expose Zab's affair. Zab retaliates by revealing Molly's blackmail information, causing her friends to abandon her. Philo wins Molly's friendship by uploading a sex tape of Zab at Molly's request.

Philo infiltrates Molly's office by arranging for her secretary Gene to get a job abroad and threatening another secretary, Charles, to expose his misogynist behavior unless he provides information on Molly's illegal activities. Despite cutting off Charles' penis and convincing him to turn whistleblower, Molly avoids imprisonment and restores her reputation. Philo spends her illegally obtained money on a grand birthday party for Molly, who declines to celebrate, saying she has lost trust in everyone. Philo arranges for a knifeman to stab her while she pretends to shield Molly, gaining her sympathy. Molly, treating Philo like a daughter, reveals she was an orphan who had an abortion and regrets her role in Conchita's death, unaware she is speaking to her daughter. Philo reveals she accidentally caused her unborn sister's death by making her father's pregnant mistress miscarry during an argument.

One day, Rigel, claiming to be Mercy's unborn sister, reconnects with her. Mercy secretly records Molly's confession about Conchita's death and presents it to the police, but it's deemed inadmissible. Mercy then learns from her friend Karen that her goddaughter Lovely has been injured in a gas explosion, with Rigel missing. Desperate, Philo seeks help from Molly, only to find her kissing Rigel, who triggered the explosion on Molly's orders.

After Rigel leaves, Molly reveals she had discovered Mercy's past and mocks her for her poverty, naivety, and mother's death. Enraged, Mercy stabs Molly in the neck but is knocked down. Molly flees, pursued by Mercy, leading to a confrontation at her stepmother's bedside. Molly tricks Mercy into fatally stabbing her stepmother, claiming they are now even. Molly asserts that Mercy is no different from her, prompting Mercy to choke her but ultimately let her go, declaring herself the better person. As Mercy leaves, Molly follows to mock her but is fatally hit by a car. Mercy, at peace, appears to ascend into the sky.

Cast

• Kathryn Bernardo as Philomena "Philo" Angeles / Mercedes "Mercy" Novela
• Dolly de Leon as Molly "Mother" Suzara
• Angel Aquino as Conchita Novela
• Chie Filomeno as Zab Omila
• Jake Ejercito as Charles Monteron
• Donna Cariaga as Karen Merino
• Kaori Oinuma as Rigel Abalos
• Gillian Vicencio as Joenna Ondon
• Ana Abad Santos as Gene
• Althea Ruedas as young Mercy
• Natania Guerrero as Lovely
• Nour Hooshmand as Alma Feliciano

Production

In late March 2023, during Bernardo's new movie alert event that was shown through Star Magic's YouTube channel, it was announced that she is set to star with the globally acclaimed actress Dolly de Leon in a movie.

The production began filming in May 2023 and officially wrapped late July 2023.

Promotions and marketing

Pre-release

The official teaser of the film was released on August 4, 2023. On August 11, 2023, a teaser poster was released and was seen in different social media platforms of Star Cinema and other related accounts.

On August 23, 2023, a media conference was held. It was attended by the film's lead stars Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon, along with its cast members, creators, and director, Petersen Vargas. The official trailer and poster were also unveiled during the event.

Release

A Very Good Girl was released in Philippine cinemas nationwide on September 27, 2023. A day before its general release, a premiere night of the film was held at SM Megamall on September 26, 2023, and it was attended by the film's cast and crew members including the lead stars Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon, and director Petersen Vargas. The event was also attended by many of ABS-CBN's homegrown talents including music groups BGYO and BINI as well as GMA Network's resident talents Alden Richards, Mavy Legaspi, and Kyline Alcantara, and veteran actor and Bernardo's co-star in 2 Good 2 Be True, Ronaldo Valdez.

Overseas release

A Very Good Girl was released in the United States on October 6, 2023. It was previously scheduled for October 13, 2023. Two days before the general release for American audiences, a Hollywood premiere was held at the Pacific Design Theater in West Hollywood on October 4, 2023, with the attendance of the lead stars, ABS-CBN executives, and Filipino-American celebrities including social media personality and influencer Bretman Rock, actress Ginger Gonzaga, and drag queen Manila Luzon.

Reception

Box office

The film earned a total of ₱10 million from over 250 cinemas in the Philippines on its opening day. The film has earned over ₱40 million in its opening weekend as of September 30, 2023. As of October 10, 2023, the film has earned ₱100 million.

Critical response

Film critic Fred Hawson, writing for ABS-CBN News, gave the film a rating of 8 out of 10 stars and praised the performances of Bernardo and de Leon, further adding: "This was quite a roller-coaster ride of a film with an over-the-top camp value, with haute couture dresses and high society production design all the way."

Wanggo Gallaga of ClickTheCity.com gave the film 4 stars out of 5 stars and he wrote: "This movie was such a joy for me to watch because it was not what I was expecting (and I loved that), even if it ended the way I think a Star Cinema movie would end. The film was crazy and irreverent, and I thought it could have even pushed it more. But where it went is already a step forward. And at the very center of it all, A Very Good Girl is so enjoyable because of Kathryn Bernardo’s commitment to the character and the genre. This is a superstar turn."

Accolades

References

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2. "'A Very Good Girl' earns more than P100 million". ABS-CBN News. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
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5. ^ "'A VERY GOOD GIRL' CAST REVEALED: Here are the stars joining Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon!". ent.abs-cbn.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
6. Pasajol, Anne (May 26, 2023). "Kathryn Bernardo, Dolly de Leon begin filming for 'A Very Good Girl'". Retrieved August 1, 2023.
7. "Kathryn Bernardo, Dolly de Leon done filming 'A Very Good Girl'". ABS-CBN News. July 25, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
8. "Kathryn Bernardo, Dolly de Leon go dark and dangerous in 'A Very Good Girl' teaser | ABS-CBN Entertainment". ent.abs-cbn.com. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
9. Matalog, Patricia (August 14, 2023). "LOOK: Fan anticipation reaches fever pitch as 'A Very Good Girl' teaser poster is released!". ABS-CBN Entertainment.
10. ^ "Kathryn finds 'mother' in Dolly in 'A Very Good Girl' official trailer". ABS-CBN News. August 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
11. ^ "LOOK: Stars show support at "A Very Good Girl" premiere". ABS-CBN News. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
12. Yee, Lawrence (September 12, 2023). "Filipino Drama 'A Very Good Girl' Sets US Release Date (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
13. "'A Very Good Girl' coming to US cinemas in October". ABS-CBN News. August 31, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
14. Cabrera-Paraiso, Janelle Roa (October 6, 2023). "Celeb Guests at the "A Very Good Girl" Hollywood Premiere". Metro. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
15. "'A Very Good Girl' earns over P10M on first day". News.ABS-CBN.com. September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
16. "Kathryn Bernardo happy with success of 'A Very Good Girl'". ABS-CBN News. September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
17. Hawson, Fred (September 27, 2023). "Movie review: 'A Very Good Girl' offers quite a roller-coaster ride". News.ABS-CBN.com. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
18. Gallaga, Wanggo (October 2, 2023). "MOVIE REVIEW: Kathryn Bernardo delivers a true superstar turn in the cynical and campy 'A Very Good Girl'". ClickTheCity.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
19. "Kathryn big winner sa gawad Lasallianeta, Alden best actor!". www.philstar.com. January 30, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
20. "5th VP Choice Awards: List of nominees". 5th VP Choice Awards. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024.
21. Philippines Star (May 6, 2024). "LIST: Here are the nominees for the 72nd FAMAS awards". Philippine Star Life. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
22. Antonio, Josiah (May 27, 2024). "LIST: 2024 FAMAS Awards winners". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
23. Purnell, Kristofer (May 3, 2024). "Kathryn Bernardo, Alden Richards, DongYan to receive Box Office honors". Philippine Star.
24. Mallorca, Hannah (May 10, 2024). "Kathryn Bernardo, Cedrick Juan lead 2024 Gawad Urian nominees". Inquirer.Net.
25. Mercado, Josh (June 5, 2024). "Kathryn, Piolo, DongYan, Alden, Julia to receive Box Office Heroes award from 7th Eddys". ABS-CBN News.
26. "Kathryn Bernardo, Julia Montes, Marian Rivera vie for Best Actress at 7th Eddys". ABS-CBN News. June 14, 2024.
27. Monde, Joel (June 13, 2024). "PMPC Star Awards For Movies 2024 – Full List Of Nominees". Philnews.ph.
28. Evangelista, Jessica Ann. "Kathryn Bernardo, Cedrick Juan among 40th Luna Awards nominees". Inquirer.Net.
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30. Antonio, Josiah (July 15, 2024). "ABS-CBN gets 6 nods at ContentAsia Awards 2024". ABS-CBN News.

External links

• A Very Good Girl at IMDb

• 2023 films
• 2023 black comedy films
• 2023 thriller films
• Filipino-language films
• Philippine black comedy films
• Philippine thriller films
• Star Cinema films
• Philippine films about revenge
• Films directed by Petersen Vargas