Wild Child

When I first saw the trailer for Wild Child I automatically thought, oh dear not another movie made about a spoilt American rich kid. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and went to see it anyway.

The movie is all about a 15-year-old girl called Poppy Moore, ever since her mother died when she was 11 she has given her dad hell and topped it off by giving her new step mother a ‘Malibu’ welcome on the day she moves in. The moment her step mom’s clothes arrive, her friends off load the truck and cause havoc. Her dad feels this is the final straw and sends Poppy to boarding school in England.

Poppy arrives at Abbey Mount Boarding School for Girls thinking this is all a trick her dad is using in order to ‘straighten out her ways,’ little does she know this is permanent. Poppy stays and soaks up the glory, even if it is trying to get ‘the latest seasons ‘marni’ dry cleaned after her trunk of clothes was left in the typical English whether, torrential rain. Within the first week, she is trying to pull every string to get kicked out and sent back home, but little does she know that she is failing on her own. Her room mates think she is from planet Mars, but have persuaded one another to help her get out. She finds it hard to fit in as there are a lot of strict rules to follow and a hierarchy to follow. Harriet, the head girl, is clearly threatened as Poppy is not afraid to stand up to her unlike the other girls in the school. Poppy soon realises that Harriet has a weak spot, Freddie Kingsley, the headmistress’s son! This is the only way she can get expelled from the school.

During a fire drill, Poppy accidently walks into Freddie’s’ bathroom, she doesn’t know who it is and assumes that it is a male teacher. The next day after a small brawl in a P.E lesson, Harriet is heart-broken to realise that Freddie knows who Poppy is, from that day forward, Poppy has to ‘hook up’ with Freddie in order to get expelled. But as the story unfolds and Poppy gets to know Freddie, she soon realises that he is the reason she wants to say.

She becomes a true Abbey Mount Girl and grows up. She is in the computer suite sending an email to her ‘best friend’ Ruby from back home in Malibu, while she is waiting for the time to come when she is whisked off on a secret date with Freddie, as she is told Freddie is waiting for her, she accidently leaves her emails logged on, Harriet uses this against her and edits an email Poppy wrote before she got to know her room mates (now close friends) and uses this to turn them against her.

Poppy is so mad, she rings Ruby from the phone in the school kitchen and its playing with her ‘ I <3 L.A’ lighter in the process and sets the curtain on fire, and quickly puts it out and runs back to her room. She soon hears a smash and the kitchen is in fire, and she thinks she has done this along with Freddie and her room mates. She admits it to Mrs. Kingsley and is sent to honour court where the rest of the school determine her future at the school. Harriet asks all the questions to make it look as if Poppy has done it, and puts her foot in it and it is soon revealed that Harriet did it, and Harriet is soon expelled from the School.

In my opinion, this is the perfect story of a teen romance and friendship and really shows the audience that even someone as out of control as Poppy can turn their life around and make the best of what they have. Mrs Kingsley knows Poppy as soon as she meets her, she reads her like a book and, in my opinion, takes all the credit for the turn around, but to me, its finding out what true friendship is and realising money cannot buy you love nor friendship, your personality and time are what ‘buys’ friendship, I think this sets an example to teenage girls by showing you can be yourself around anyone and have the confidence to do so.

It sets a fine line between love and war but also keeps in with a subtle bitch fight, Poppy finds this a walk in the park and has to stay one step ahead and keep Harriet on her toes. Harriet sees this as a clear challenge and doesn’t like to lose and as predicted she gets the biggest act of karma in movie history.

To end this huge review off, I strongly recommend this to anyone!