Wild Child DVD box set: the importance of friendship

Emma Roberts (niece of Julia) stars as Poppy, a spoiled Malibu teenager whose widowed father (Aidan Quinn) finally cracks and sends her to an isolated boarding school in England after her latest bout of bad behaviour. Naturally, Poppy's an instant outsider at the school and quickly makes an enemy of stuck-up head girl Harriet (Georgia King), but the headmistress (Natasha Richardson) takes a shine to her and encourages her to give the school a chance.

However, Poppy still wants to leave and bonds with her four roommates (Kimberley Nixon, Juno Temple, Sophie Wu and Linzey Cocker) when they agree to help her get expelled. But will her burgeoning friendships and a blossoming romance with the headmistress' son (Alex Pettyfer) change her mind?

For the most part, the girls in Wild Child DVD box set are as interchangeable and nondescript as LEGO building blocks. Emma Roberts comes across well on the screen (and looks so much better as a brunette), but she could have been much more had there been some meat to her role. Aside from knowing Poppy’s mother died, there isn’t anything else linking us to her. Same goes for all the other girls — I figure it was a gift that the writers gave the girls names at all. They are all little more than one-dimensional playthings for Poppy to bounce antics off of and act silly with, which led to a few moments that were best left on the cutting room floor. One involved the absolute worst attempt at sexy dancing I’ve ever seen in my entire life — I felt sorry for the girls after being subjected to it.

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. It’s worth seeing.

Reblogged from http://jennyyu.edublogs.org/2013/01/16/wild-child-dvd-box-set-the-importance-of-friendship/