Wild Child (film)

Wild Child is a 2008 teen comedy film directed by Nick Moore and written by Lucy Dahl. The film stars Emma Roberts as a rebellious American teenager sent to a strict English boarding school, alongside Natasha Richardson, Shirley Henderson, Alex Pettyfer, and Aidan Quinn. Supporting performances are provided by Georgia King, Kimberley Nixon, Juno Temple, Linzey Cocker, and Sophie Wu.

The screenplay follows Poppy Moore, a privileged and self-absorbed teenager from Malibu, California, who is sent by her widowed father to the fictional Abbey Mount School in England. Initially resistant to the school’s rules and culture, Poppy eventually finds friendship, maturity, and a deeper sense of self.

Produced by Working Title Films and distributed by Universal Pictures, Wild Child was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2008. While it received mixed critical reviews upon release, the film emerged as a modest box office success and has since developed a cult following, particularly in the United Kingdom.^[2][3][4] It was the final film appearance of Richardson before her death in 2009.

Sixteen-year-old Poppy Moore is a wealthy 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, a strict all-girls boarding school in England. Upon arrival, she clashes with head girl Harriet Bentley and is assigned to a dormitory with four other girls—Kate, Josie, Kiki, and Jennifer "Drippy" Logan. Initially alienated, Poppy begins to bond with her roommates while attempting to get expelled through a series of pranks.

Poppy discovers that her late mother once attended Abbey Mount, which causes her to reflect on her own behavior. With help from her roommates, she devises a plan to befriend and seduce Freddie Kingsley, the son of the headmistress, believing that breaking this rule will lead to expulsion. However, her relationship with Freddie becomes genuine, and she gradually integrates into the school community. She also discovers a talent for lacrosse and becomes captain of the team, leading them to the finals for the first time in decades.

Tensions rise when forged emails appear to show Poppy insulting her friends and using them for personal gain. As her friendships unravel and Freddie turns away from her, Poppy accidentally causes a fire while playing with a lighter. Although she quickly extinguishes the flames, Harriet later reignites the fire to frame her. Poppy takes responsibility and prepares to be expelled.

During the school’s Honour Court hearing, Poppy’s friends uncover evidence implicating Harriet, who confesses under pressure and is expelled. Poppy is exonerated and reconciles with her friends and Freddie. Abbey Mount wins the lacrosse championship, and Gerry, impressed by his daughter's transformation, supports her decision to remain in England. The film ends with Poppy and her friends reunited in Malibu, having formed lasting bonds.

Principal photography for Wild Child took place in England, with filming locations chosen to reflect the fictional Abbey Mount boarding school. Interior scenes were shot at Cobham Hall, an independent school located in Kent.^[5] The exterior of the school was filmed at Balls Park, a Grade I listed building in Hertfordshire.^[6]

Additional filming occurred across various locations in Yorkshire.^[6] Scenes were filmed at 82, 84, and 117 Main Street in the village of Haworth, as well as at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, also located in Haworth.^[7][8][9] Further production took place in Harrogate and at Robin Hood's Bay, a fishing village situated on the North Yorkshire coast.^[10][9]

Wild Child was released in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2008. It debuted in fifth place at the UK box office, earning $2.2 million (£1.2 million) from 359 cinemas, with a per-theatre average of approximately $6,118. By its fourth weekend, the film had dropped to twelfth place. As of November 2008, it had grossed $8.2 million in the United Kingdom.

In Australia, the film opened on 18 September 2008 in 93 cinemas, debuting in fourth place with $315,114.^[11] It experienced a 60 percent increase in its second week, grossing $566,918 and moving to sixth place, before falling to eleventh by 16 October.^[12] As of November 2008, Wild Child had earned approximately $3.3 million (A$4.2 million) in the Australian market.^[12][13]

The film also saw varied performance in other international territories. It performed well in the Netherlands, grossing $1.6 million, but had limited success elsewhere. Its total worldwide gross amounted to approximately $22 million.^[1] Although Universal Pictures had originally scheduled a North American theatrical release for the summer of 2009, this was later cancelled in favor of a direct-to-DVD release.

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Wild Child holds an approval rating of 38% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's consensus reads: "More mild than wild, Wild Child mess falls flat on its face due to poor characters, poor direction and poor jokes."^[14]

British tabloids and major outlets offered mixed to negative reviews. The Sun awarded the film two out of five stars, summarizing it as “more like mild” and criticizing its humor. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw similarly rated it two stars, describing the characters and plot as "amiable enough, but still a bit tame" in comparison to genre staples such as Clueless (1995) and Freaky Friday (2003).^[15] David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph characterized the film as "a mess," faulting its predictable twists and deeming it inferior to Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008).^[16]

Other critics responded more favorably. Urban Cinefile praised the film for its energy, humor, and relatability, noting that "the characters are appealing" and the story possesses "an honesty about it." In Variety, Leslie Felperin found the screenplay by Lucy Dahl "puts more emphasis on character development and plot mechanics than the recent, slapstick-laden, girls’-school-set St. Trinian’s (2007)," while also crediting its "surprisingly affecting" message of female friendship.^[17] Conversely, The Age's Jack Wilson argued the film focused excessively on "cruelty and humiliation" and that its protagonist ultimately "does little more than exchange one form of snobbery for another."^[18]

Wild Child was released on DVD in the United Kingdom on 8 December 2008.^[19] The Australian home media release followed on 15 January 2009. In the United States, the film bypassed a theatrical release and was released directly to DVD on 17 November 2009.^[20]

Wild Child: The Movie Soundtrack Party Album was released exclusively in the United Kingdom and Australia on 18 August 2008. It features 17 tracks, including “Shut Up and Drive” (Rihanna), “Let Me Think About It” (Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand), and “About You Now (Radio Edit)” (Sugababes). The soundtrack was not officially released in the United States.^[22]

Track listing

Other songs non-included

The following songs appeared in the film or its trailers but were not included on the official soundtrack album due to licensing restrictions:

• "Angels" – Robbie Williams
• "Black Gloves" – Goose
• "Chasing Pavements" – Adele
• "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" – Belinda Carlisle
• "I Got It from My Mama" – will.i.am
• "Real Wild Child" – Everlife
• "Roadkill Morning" – Children of Bodom
• "Set 'Em Up" – Imran Hanif
• "You Think I Don't Care" - Jack McManus
• "Surrender Your Groove" – Geri Halliwell
• "Toxic" (instrumental) – Britney Spears

• Wild Child at IMDb