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Movies / On DVD / Wild Child
Wild Child

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Wild Child (2009)

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:8

Rotten:14

Average Rating:4.6/10

Consensus: More mild than wild. This tween comedy mess falls flat on its face due to poor characters, poor direction and poor jokes.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for some crude sexual content, language and drinking - all involving teens.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:15-08-2008

Synopsis: Nicholas Moore directs this tweeny bopper fish-out-of-water comedy starring Emma Roberts. Poppy (Roberts) is a spoiled Malibu brat, and the film opens with her wreaking havoc on her stepmother's... Nicholas Moore directs this tweeny bopper fish-out-of-water comedy starring Emma Roberts. Poppy (Roberts) is a spoiled Malibu brat, and the film opens with her wreaking havoc on her stepmother's moving-in day. Her father (Aidan Quinn) decides he's had it with her wild ways and promptly packs her off to an English boarding school. Poppy arrives at Abbey Mount with blond extensions, a designer wardrobe, and plenty of attitude, and she is furious when she is forced to follow the school's strict code of conduct. She is determined to find some way back to sunny Malibu. She soon befriends her roommates, a loyal, fun-loving troop of girls, who agree to help her come up with a way to get kicked out of school. They devise a scheme for Poppy to get caught fooling around with the headmistress's (Natasha Richardson) son, Freddie (Alex Pettyfer), but things soon go awry when Poppy's rival Harrier (Georgia King) tries to step in and foil her plan. Poppy is forced to make some big changes, and decide what it is she truly wants. Emma Roberts is perhaps best known as the niece of Julia, and her wide smile is indeed reminiscent of her superstar aunt's, as is her feisty charm and likeability. This film is loud, silly fun, and it manages to send forth some very positive messages without sucking all the joy out of being a teen. It does touch on sex and underage drinking, so it might not be for the lower tween set. But for the older crew--this one is sure to be a sleepover favorite. [More]

Starring: Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Shirley Henderson, Aidan Quinn

Starring: Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Shirley Henderson, Aidan Quinn

Director: Nick Moore

Director: Nick Moore
Screenwriter: Kate Kondell, Daisy Donovan, Lucy Dahl
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Diana Phillips
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for Wild Child

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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A project broad-based enough to make tween competitor Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging feel arthouse.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/18/08
Fionnuala Halligan
Fionnuala Halligan
Screen International

Bright and silly, with just enough wit and intelligence to make it watchable, this British-American teen comedy doesn't break much new ground, but is pretty entertaining while it lasts.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
08/15/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Despite a shaky start, Wild Child is actually a surprisingly entertaining teen flick, thanks to likeable performances and a script that highlights the importance of friendship. Worth seeing.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/15/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

It may be manna for teen girls but any kind of critical eye will find it about as convincingly made as the last St Trinian’s movie. It is played, though, with lively abandon.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
08/15/08
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

On balance, gouging one's eyeballs with a chopstick would be more fun than watching this crummy tween comedy about a Californian princess.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
08/15/08
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

The types are such extremes that the partisans in the audience will continue to hate American brats and English snobs respectively, rapprochement between two sets of caricatures seeming unlikely.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
08/15/08
Martin Hoyle
Martin Hoyle
Financial Times

WILD? More like mild, unless you think short skirts and “horse face” put-downs are outrageous.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
08/15/08
Sun Online

Shame on Iggy Pop for letting them (ab)use his anarchy-anthem ‘Real Wild Child’ in a girls’-own flick that is so paltry it makes the recent St Trinians addition look like Picnic At Hanging Rock.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
08/15/08
Matthew Leyland
Matthew Leyland
Total Film

Unless you’re fourteen and female, look away now. There’s absolutely nothing for you here.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
08/15/08
Elliott Noble
Elliott Noble
Sky Movies

A tweenie comedy with an uplifting American-style sports movie awkwardly bolted on, it's a mess - far inferior to the recent Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
08/15/08
David Gritten
David Gritten
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

All amiable enough, but still a bit tame compared to, say, Clueless, or Lindsay Lohan's Freaky Friday remake.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/15/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s Mean Girls meets Malory Towers and as such it’s strictly for a tween girl audience.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
08/15/08
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The sort of film that real too-cool-for-school teens wouldn't be seen dead watching, Wild Child is aimed at those younger than its protagonists. Loud and obnoxious, like its lead character, it deserves to be expelled.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/15/08
James Mottram
James Mottram
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This celebration of mid-Atlantic compromise is one for the youngest and most forgiving of teenage girls.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
08/15/08
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Clumsy direction means most jokes fall flatter than the paper-thin plot.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/15/08
Anna Smith
Anna Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie falls apart when it tries to explain why Poppy's been sent to this school. And the Spartacus moment at her school "trial" for misconduct is so cringe-worthy you want to die.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
08/14/08
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext

Mildly entertaining and utterly innocuous...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
11/23/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Gerald Peary
Gerald Peary
Boston Phoenix

Competent if mechanical helming debut by editor Nick Moore.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/18/08
Leslie Felperin
Leslie Felperin
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What begins as tedious teen comedy/drama about a Californian brat turns out to be a surprisingly agreeable popcorn flick.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
09/19/08
FILMINK (Australia)
 
 
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