Review: Wild Child (2008)

Directed by: Nick Moore | 120 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Emma Roberts, Alex Pettyfer, Natasha Richardson, Juno Temple, Nick Frost, Aidan Quinn, Kimberley Nixon, Shirley Henderson, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Johnny Pacar, Vanessa Branch, Kelsey Sanders, Daisy Donovan, Sonia Rockwell, Sophie Wu, Selina Cadell , Shelby Young, Linzey Cocker, Thomas Kijas

Welcome to the teen movie of 2008! “Wild Child” is super fun! Emma Roberts is a very pretty and nice girl, even more beautiful than her aunt Julia Roberts. Julia got her niece to act, because little Emma often came to visit her aunt’s sets. Both can play nice and clumsy girl well. Emma has become known to young teens as the not so popular Addie Singer from the Nickelodeon series “Unfabulous” (2004). Emma is certainly fabulous, she will be an even bigger star in the future than she already is. She clearly enjoys playing the “Wild Child” here as Poppy Moore and playing a different role.

Poppy is a platinum blonde Malibu princess who only cares about stuff. One of them that is in the MTV program “Sweet Sixteen”. When her father (small role for Aidan Quinn) sends her to a boarding school for girls in England, she thinks: “Oh my God, how am I going to survive here without internet and telephone coverage! What about those dirty bacteria from other people? ” Poppy accidentally smears herself with her sanitizing fluid. And she also adapts the dapper school uniform to her own style, because that really doesn’t work. She wonders if it’s Hogwarts where she ended up! What fun to watch the clash between the American Poppy and the English students! Especially the front man Harriet (Georgia King) cannot air or see the rebellious Poppy. That Harriet even has a few lackeys chasing her, what a bossy chick.

Fortunately, Poppy has nice roommates. These girls act really nice. Crazy Drippy (Juno Temple), nerdy Kiki (Sophie Wu), sporty Josie (Linzey Cocker) and understanding Kate (Kimberley Nixon) are a fun bunch of British girls. Headmistress Mrs Kingsley (Natasha Richardson) also takes care of Poppy (Richardson looks a lot like Emma Thompson here), she realizes that Poppy is a sweet girl inside. So it turns out to be not that bad at Abbey Mount boarding school, especially since the handsome son of Mrs Kingsley is here! The charming Alex Pettyfer played a teen spy in “Stormbreaker” (2006), here he acts very well with Emma Roberts. He’s so good that he can get out of any situation, even if Poppy bumps him.

“Wild Child” is very comical because of Poppy’s pranks, her roommates and Harriet (especially when this one thinks she is Keira Knightley) but also the crazy teachers and that red-haired girl who has to do everything for Harriet. The screenplay by Lucy Dahl (daughter of Roald Dahl) is cleverly put together, good twists and turns, good dialogues with very smart expressions. There are also nice sing-along songs. Actually, “Wild Child” is the “Clueless” of 2008. It’s all about clothing, parties and teenage language, but also about friendship and finding your place. For all girls (young or not so young) “Wild Child” is a very nice movie to watch!