Poppy Moore is a wealthy and spoiled American girl who is sent to a boarding school in England by her widowed father, where she soon learns the true meaning of life and friendship.
This was Richardson's final film role before her death the following year. Since its initial release, the film has gained a substantial cult following, being particularly popular in the UK where the film is set.[2][3][4]
Plot
Poppy Moore is a spoiled and rebellious teenager from Malibu, California. After a prank involving the belongings of her widowed father Gerry's new girlfriend, Poppy is sent to Abbey Mount, an all-girls boarding school in England. Upon arrival, she is warmly greeted by the headmistress Mrs. Kingsley, but with disdain by head girl Harriet Bentley, and is assigned to a dormitory with four other students—Kate, Josie, Kiki, and Jennifer "Drippy" Logan.
As Poppy struggles to conform to the school's strict policies, Kate advises that she will have to get herself expelled. Aided by her roommates, Poppy pulls a series of pranks around the school and takes the blame; she sets up Harriet as a call girl in a phone booth, vandalises the swimming pool and exposes the relationship between Mr. Nellis and Mrs. Rees-Withers.
Poppy and her roommates devise a plan to befriend and seduce Freddie Kingsley, the son of the school's headmistress, believing that breaking this rule will lead to expulsion. In the midst of this, Poppy gradually integrates into the school community, restores her natural brown hair and bonds with her roommates. During a costume party, Poppy nearly kisses Freddie before the two are interrupted. Poppy also discovers a talent for lacrosse and becomes captain of the team, leading them to the finals for the first time in decades. Meanwhile, Harriet grows increasingly frustrated with Poppy's popularity and her relationship with Freddie. Poppy goes on a date with Freddie and the two grow closer, culminating in a kiss.
Upon returning to school, Poppy finds her roommates reading an email allegedly written by her, suggesting she was only friends with them to get herself expelled and return to Malibu. Freddie receives a similar email, and reacts similarly. Feeling dejected, Poppy calls her friend Ruby in Malibu, who unintentionally reveals her affair with Robby, Poppy's boyfriend. After cutting ties with Ruby, Poppy accidentally causes a fire in the kitchen while playing with a lighter. Although she quickly extinguishes the flames, the school is under fire later that night. Drippy, locked in the freezer, is saved by Poppy. After the fire is extinguished, Freddie finds her lighter and gives it to her, refusing to hear any explanation. Poppy takes responsibility, writing Freddie an apology letter, and prepares to be expelled. She later discovers that her mother was an alumna of Abbey Mount and is comforted by Freddie, who forgives her.
At the school's Honour Court hearing, Harriet cross-examines Poppy. Meanwhile, her roommates deduce that Harriet forged the emails and discover Poppy's diary which reveals their friendship to be genuine. Her friends and the student body stand up in defence Poppy, angering Harriet who inadvertently mentions Poppy's lighter. As no lighter was ever mentioned, Harriet confesses under pressure that she did it and is expelled. Poppy is exonerated and reconciles with her friends. At the lacrosse finals, Abbey Mount wins the championship, and Gerry, impressed by his daughter's change of heart and appearance, supports her decision to remain in England. Some time later, Poppy invites Freddie and her roommates to her Malibu home.
Cast
Emma Roberts as Poppy Moore, a wealthy, rebellious and spoiled girl living in Malibu
Natasha Richardson as Mrs. Kingsley, Freddie's mother and the headmistress of Abbey Mount
Wild Child was released in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2008, taking fifth place at the box office with $2,196,366 from 359 cinemas with an average of $6,118. In its fourth weekend, it dropped to twelfth place. As of November 2008, Wild Child had grossed $8,235,794. In Australia, Wild Child was released 18 September, taking fourth place with only 93 cinemas and making $315,114.[11] The following week, it made a 60% increase with $566,918[12] but still slipped to 6th place. On 16 October, Wild Child fell to 11th. As of November 2008, Wild Child had grossed US$3,268,424 (A$4,236,579) in Australia.[12][13] The film has been released in many other countries, proving popular in some: the Netherlands ($1,553,825) and not so popular in others. The film has grossed a worldwide total of $21,972,336.[1]Universal had planned a North American release in the summer of 2009, but canceled it and chose to release the film directly to DVD.
Critical response
Wild Child has a 38% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "More mild than wild. This tween comedy mess falls flat on its face due to poor characters, poor direction and poor jokes".[14]
The Sun Online gave the film 2/5 saying "WILD? More like mild, unless you think short skirts and 'horse face' put-downs are outrageous." Urban Cinefile gave Wild Child a much more favourable review, stating "The film has an energy and honesty about it: it's lively, funny and smart and the characters are appealing."
Rating the film 2 out of 5 stars, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw deemed the film's story and characters "amiable enough, but still a bit tame" compared to films such as Clueless and Freaky Friday.[15] Describing Wild Child as "A tweenie comedy with an uplifting American-style sports movie awkwardly bolted on", David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph considered the film to be "a mess" with predictable plot twists and inferior to the film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.[16] In a mostly positive review for Variety, Leslie Felperin wrote that Dahl's script "puts more emphasis on character development and plot mechanics than the recent, slapstick-laden, girls’-school-set St. Trinian's, and still manages to have funnier one-liners". Felperin also found that the film's "third-act endorsement of female friendship turns out to be surprisingly affecting, despite obvious sentimentality."[17] Meanwhile, Jack Wilson of The Age took a different view of the characters' development, finding that Dahl's screenplay "dwells unpleasantly on cruelty and humiliation, and finally Poppy does little more than exchange one form of snobbery for another."[18]
DVD release
Wild Child was released on DVD in the United Kingdom on 8 December 2008. In Australia, it was released on 15 January 2009. In the United States, it was released directly to DVD on 17 November 2009.
Wild Child: The Movie Soundtrack Party Album is a soundtrack album by the film of the same name, released in the United Kingdom and Australia on 18 August 2008. In the United States, the soundtrack wasn't released.[20]
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