Wild Child

Movie review by Joly Herman, Common Sense Media
Wild Child Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 14+

Too much teen drinking/bad behavior for Emma Roberts fans.

PG-13 2007 99 minutes
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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 7 reviews

Kids say

age 12+

Based on 58 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that teens will want to see this girl-bonding movie because of Emma Roberts' star appeal. And though there is a redemptive quality to the movie in the end, the damage is done by the very fact that her father would let her have unlimited Jimmy Choo's and Gucci ensembles in her closet to begin with. Although she proves to be a good kid after all, Poppy gets away with a whole lot of obnoxious behavior, which is the norm among her American friends.

Community Reviews

Analogstoy
Analogstoy Adult
July 1, 2021
age 13+

This is a comedy with a lot of cultural irony

Just read the review . This is not a movie that encourage consumerism, and it looks like girls about age 13 will be capable to see the obvious humour in it. Watch it with your kids and use it as an opening to discuss typical early teens challenges.

This title has:

Great messages
SBE91
SBE91 Adult
April 11, 2021
age 13+

Great Movie About Redemption of the Layers of Being Human

A movie with depth and, although predictable, quality acting. Definitely better suited for 13+, but there are some lessons to be learned here about friendship and growing as a person.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Poppy (Emma Roberts) wakes up one morning in her beautiful Malibu Beach bedroom to the realization that her new stepmother is going to be moving in. She takes action, inviting a gang of friends over to ravage the moving truck, stealing or vandalizing all of her stepmother's belongings. Then she jumps off a cliff into the ocean. Her father (Aidan Quinn), enraged and red-faced, berates her and sends her to England to an all-girl's boarding school. There she tries to get kicked out of school by breaking as many rules as possible so she that can get back to Malibu. Somehow her roomates tolererate her long enough to help her in her scheme to get expelled. In the meantime, the teens bond and become friends. When Poppy is brought before the school's Honor Court, she has fully come around to realize what true friendship means. But is it too late?

Is It Any Good?

The ending of WILD CHILD is satisfying, but only because Emma Roberts is bright enough to allow a redemption for her rotten character to shine through. Here is a girl so spoiled that she can't think straight. Don't parents in Malibu have boundaries too? Ostensibly, she has been acting the spoiled brat because her mother has died and she is mourning. But what excuse do her spoiled friends have?

Luckily, there is a world outside of Malibu populated with adults and peers who are emotionally balanced and loyal to one another. Does it take such an extreme life change to knock sense into a girl like Poppy? Does Poppy deserve the kindness that her peers at Abbey Mount prep school shower her with? These real-life questions hang over the movie, detracting from what could amount to an effective moral tale. However, we viewers can suspend our disbelief only so long before we question whether the means justify the end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about consumerism. Poppy and her American friends have everything that money can buy. Where do they get the money? Learn more about how kids spend money, and how the media targets teens to do so.

  • What do you think of the stereotype of rich, spoiled American kids? Is the portrayal of teenage life true to life in your community?

  • Poppy admits to having a "hole in her heart" since her mother died. How could her father have better addressed her misery? Was sending Poppy to boarding school the proper thing to do?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

For kids who love high school stories

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