A Very Good Girl

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 from her job and blacklisted by "Mother" Molly Suzara, her tyrannical employer who pretends to be a caring entrepreneur in public. While Mercy's mother Conchita tries to reason with Molly, she is fatally hit by one of Molly's company vehicles to the latter's indifference. Mercy, who witnesses the incident, vows revenge and spends the next five years building a fortune through fraud in order to pose as a rich entrepreneur named Philo to enter Molly's circle and expose her past.

Philo gains Molly's attention by buying a relic at an auction before giving it to her. She also becomes friends with Zab, Molly's brand endorser and the daughter of Molly's partner in a money-laundering scheme that sustains her wealth. Zab reveals that she intends to go abroad without Molly's knowledge, fearing her wrath. At Zab's birthday party, during which Molly and her friends are in attendance, Philo reveals Zab's plans to Molly, prompting the latter to expose Zab's affair with the husband of one of their friends. Zab retaliates by revealing that Molly has been collecting information to blackmail her friends in her phone, resulting in all of them abandoning Molly. Philo, who stays by Molly's side, wins her friendship by uploading a sex tape of Zab at her request.

Philo infiltrates Molly's office by arranging for her secretary Gene to get a job opportunity abroad and threatening another secretary, Charles, to expose his misogynist behavior unless he gives her information on Molly's illegal activities. Despite cutting off Charles' penis and convincing him to turn whistleblower against Molly, the latter avoids imprisonment and restores her reputation. Philo spends the money she illegally obtained into a grand birthday party for Molly but the latter declines to celebrate, saying that she has lost trust in anyone. Philo arranges for a knifeman to stab her while she pretends to shield Molly, gaining her sympathy once more as Molly helps her recover. During this time, Molly, who begins treating Philo like a daughter, reveals more about her life, disclosing that she was an orphan who had undergone an abortion and expresses regrets about her role in Conchita's death, unaware that she is speaking to her daughter. Philo reveals that she had accidentally killed her unborn sister by causing the pregnant mistress of her father to miscarry following an argument.

One day, Rigel, a woman claiming to be Mercy's unborn sister, appears at the latter's place and reconnects with her. Mercy, who had secretly recorded Molly's confession about Conchita's death, presents her evidence to police but is turned away due to concerns over its admissibility in court. As she leaves, Mercy receives a call from her friend Karen that her daughter and Mercy's goddaughter Lovely has been badly injured by a gas explosion that has left Rigel missing. Having spent all her money on Molly's party, a desperate Philo seeks help from Molly at her home, only to find her kissing with Rigel, who is revealed to have triggered the explosion on Molly's orders.

After Rigel leaves, Molly reveals that she had discovered Mercy's past following Charles' scandal and mocks Mercy over her poverty, naivety, and her mother's death. An enraged Mercy fights with Molly, stabbing her in the neck before being knocked down. Molly flees and is pursued by Mercy, who encounters her at her ailing stepmother's bedside. Molly and Mercy fight until the former leads Mercy into fatally stabbing her stepmother, saying that they are now even. Molly claims that she is no different from her in being a bad person, leading Mercy to choke her. But Mercy is unable to finish her off and lets her go, saying that she is a better person than her for choosing to own up to her mistakes. As Mercy leaves, Molly follows to mock her, only to be fatally struck by an oncoming car. Mercy, at peace with herself, 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.

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.

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."