... The visuals are pristine; contrasting the wide blue skies of West Coast America with the interminable greys of Britain, the open-plan lifestyle of California with the dark woods and shadowy staircases of an English boarding school. All of Poppy's American friends are primped, plucked and preened ... Read review
An ingenious and poignant experience, Francois Truffaut's fascinatingThe Wild Childis ... more
based on a real-life 18th-century behavioural scientist's efforts to turn a feral boy into a civilised specimen. In a piece of resonant casting that immediately turns...
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An ingenious and poignant experience, Francois Truffaut's fascinatingThe Wild Childis ... more
based on a real-life 18th-century behavioural scientist's efforts to turn a feral boy into a civilised specimen. In a piece of resonant casting that immediately turns...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Acclaimed Oscar nominated director Francois Truffaut has created an absorbing film about ... more
the true-life of a young boy found living alone in the woods of France in the 1700s. Using actual journal entries, Truffaut not only directed and co-write the scri...
At the National Institute For The Deaf and Dumb in Paris a barely clothed and dirty young ... more
boy is admitted. Found in a forest the child is unable to speak communicate or function in society. Christened Victor by the hospital staff his case is taken ...
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Sixteen year old Poppy Moore ( Emma Roberts Nancy Drew ) is a self-obsessed brat filthy ... more
rich and living in LA. After an over the top party goes spectacularly wrong her father ships her off to an English boarding school to clean up her act. All Poppy...
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Designed by former DKNY artist, Lolita, the Lolita collection has taken the USA by storm. ... more
Developed after a girls' night out, Lolita's fab-u-lous hand-painted glasses feature various patterns&designs and comes with a delicious recipe on the bottom. Both Wine&Martini glasses come in a protective Gift Box (pictured). Dimensions: 22cm
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: A glossy addition to the teen movie genre. Disadvantages: It's hardly original.
...boarding school in England in the hopes of straightening her out. She hates it, so starts a campaign of pranks with the aim of being expelled. Nothing seems to work, so she sets her sights on the headmistress' son Freddie because any girl caught fraternising will be sent to the honour court and then home. But just as it looks like Poppy's plan is working, she starts to realise that the school isn't so bad and begins to fall for Freddie
...so it stands out from the crowd. Director Nick Moore achieves this to a certain extent, opting to shoot the picture as a high-gloss teen movie. The visuals are pristine; contrasting the wide blue skies of West Coast America with the interminable greys of Britain, the open-plan lifestyle of California with the dark woods and shadowy staircases of an English boarding school. All of Poppy's American friends are primped, plucked and preened to the nth ... more
Poppy Moore is a spoilt rich girl from LA whose wayward behaviour goes too far. Her father sends her to an all-girls boarding school in England in the hopes of straightening her out. She hates it, so starts a campaign of pranks with the aim of being expelled. Nothing seems to work, so she sets her sights on the headmistress' son Freddie because any girl caught fraternising will be sent to the honour court and then home. But just as it looks like Poppy's plan is working, she starts to realise that the school isn't so bad and begins to fall for Freddie
In order for a formulaic genre film such as this to succeed, it's important to direct with verve so it stands out from the crowd. Director Nick Moore achieves this to a certain extent, opting to shoot the picture as a high-gloss teen movie. The visuals are pristine; contrasting the wide blue skies of West Coast America with the interminable greys of Britain, the open-plan lifestyle of California with the dark woods and shadowy staircases of an English boarding school. All of Poppy's American friends are primped, plucked and preened to the nth degree, while their UK counterparts are fresh-faced and the fake plastic Malibu Barbies are contrasted with less self-obsessed British schoolgirls showcasing a range of regional accents. Relationships are clearly marked out so we know what to expect from various encounters. Poppy's attempts to get herself thrown out are covered in a single montage that keeps everything snappy, but her pranks feel more playful than malicious. She and her new roommates of course bond over shopping (again shown in another montage) and her school spirit is increased through playing lacrosse (shown in training and playing montages). Thankfully Moore's previous career as a film editor stands him in good stead, keeping these sequences brief and fun. His sharp editing also keeps the pacing sprightly throughout the ninety-eight minute running time and keeps the gags fairly funny. However, it sometimes feels as though plot points have been excised for the sake of brevity or to keep the censors happy. For example, Poppy and her friends fail to buy alcohol but are then mysteriously hung-over after the social. But these are minor niggles and fans of the genre and indeed the targeted teenage girl audience will no doubt find lots here to like.
The screenplay by Lucy Dahl is a basic fish-out-of-water story at heart. You are under no misapprehension as to what the eventual outcome will be from the outset. You know the bad girl from the States will turn herself around, find real friends at the boarding school to replace her superficial ones from LA, fall in love and make a real go of things - and so it pans out. We go through the usual cycle of ups and downs that show Poppy being brattish, sullen about being sent away from home, lonely, homesick and finally fitting in and becoming popular. However there are some gaping plot holes. There is no preamble so we have no idea why Poppy is the way she is or how bad her behaviour has been previously. The film could have done with a few scenes to establish the character instead of a belated expository conversation that sets her up as troubled rather than spoilt. But her "me, me, me" attitude is all we know of her initially. You can predict the run-ins with the bitchy head prefect and the shrewish matron. So as a contrast the headmistress has to be warm and caring.
The characterisation is perhaps overly simplistic as Poppy's troublemaking is symptomatic of bereavement. All her Californian friends are slutty fakes, while her new classmates fall into the usual categories; Kate is the nice girl archetype, Kiki is the brains, Drippy is the ditzy one, Harriet the school bitch with cronies that don't really like her and Charlotte and Jane are there to make up the numbers. The teachers are well-meaning but behind the times and Poppy's father is never developed beyond a plot device. The dialogue is maybe the only surprising aspect of the screenplay, as there is a handful of references to sex and an unusual amount of swearing for a film aimed at young teens and tweens. But I suppose it makes it more relevant to today's teenager and reflects the way they speak, so it works.
Emma Roberts is doing well to head up her second feature in as many years as Poppy. She deals well with the character's transformation from snotty brat to model schoolgirl, making her irritating at first before redeeming her in the eyes of the viewer. So she's a believable heroine for the youngsters the film is targeting. Her timing is good and she does a good job of conveying the role's insecurities and bravado, gradually making her more sympathetic as the movie progresses.
Natasha Richardson is warm but displays a dry sense of humour and a knack for sarcasm as the headmistress of the boarding school, which stops the character from feeling like a goody-two-shoes. Kimberley Nixon, who plays Kate is a likeable foil to Roberts, coming across as a nice girl with a strong sense of who she is and the fresh-faced looks to match. Georgia King camps it up slightly as the hateful Harriet, which works because the head girl is such a pretentious cow. She has the rather horsy looks of the stereotypical aristocracy and the cut-glass accent and overdone hairdo to match. She appears bitchy and brittle, being one of those girls that bullies others because of a lack of self-esteem. Juno Temple does ditzy well as the oddly named Drippy and Sophie Wu is likeable as Kiki.
Alex Pettyfer hasn't got much to work with as love interest Freddie, but pushes the heartthrob envelope enough to get the teens swooning. Shirley Henderson feels miscast as Matron. I think the part was originally intended for an older actress and despite her waspish turn, it feels as though Henderson is pushing too much. Nick Frost is also going a bit OTT as über-camp hairdresser Mr Christopher, which is little more than a chewy Scots accent and a big ginger moustache. Meanwhile Jason Watkins and Daisy Donovan try their best with underwritten roles as the amorous French and PE teachers respectively.
The original music by Michael Price relies heavily on the string section of the orchestra to relay emotions. The film opens with dark rising strings and harps underlaid by deep piano that suggests the kind of trouble Poppy is about to get into. The school is represented by sweeping strings and chimes, French lessons by predictable accordion, loneliness by melancholy piano and the most serious incident of the film by tense strings and drums. Heroic acts are accompanied by sweeping strings and brass and an act of self-sacrifice by sad cellos and piano. As a score it has its own internal consistency, but it sits at odds with the other soundtrack choices. This includes a grab bag of recent hits such as Rihanna's "Shut Up and Drive", Nelly Furtado's "Say it Right" and Adele's "Chasing Pavements" which fit the target audience and style of the movie. But the girly version of Christopher Otcasek's "Real Wild Child" is a crime against music.
"Wild Child" is a film that will find its greatest favour with its intended demographic of young teens. It's a fun stab at the teen movie genre with enough action and non-threatening totty to entertain all but the most jaded fourteen year-old girl. The performances are also lively enough to stop accompanying adults nodding off. It is by no means original, but I have seen far worse versions of similar stories and it may become something of a guilty pleasure on DVD.
Advantages: Great movie for teens - some good one liners. Disadvantages: Maybe a bit too girly?? Therefor limited audience.
...However, after it being on the telly over and over for the best part of the day, it grew on me and I began to appreciate its merits. Perhaps I was a little judgemental to start with, but as my daughter laughed and danced to the movie, I began to relent a little and get caught up in the fun myself. ==***What's it all about? ***== The basic plot is about a teenage American rich girl (Poppy), who is driving her father to distraction with her 'wild' ... ...behaviour under control. He takes the decision that the only option is to send her to an English boarding school; the same school her mother attended as a young girl. To say she is not happy is an understatement; she quickly ruffles some feathers and does not make a good first impression. The girls begin to warm to her a little and decide to give her some serious help in her quest to get expelled and hopefully get that plane ride home. Ultimately ...
LAURALILIA 17.04.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Wild Child (DVD)
Advantages: Great teen girly, romantic comedy Disadvantages: too short!!!
...jumping of a cliff into the sea.
Her father decides he has had enough of her behaviour and decides to send her away to boarding school in England. Poppy depises her father for sending her away, and as soon as she gets there she decides she wants to get out and back to LA.
The 4 girls she shares a room with decide to help her get out, as the don't like her and will help get rid of her. They decide that the only way to get out, is for her to be expelled, ... ...the headteachers son Freddie (Alex Petyfer). So they start there plan at the school dance, but there is one girl trying to sabatage it, Harriett. Harriett has a really big crush on Freddie so will do anything to sabatage it. By this time Poppy has been made captain of the La Crosse team and is working her way the the La Crosse finals.
Poppy has arranged a date with Freddie and rushes off to met him, without logging off her email. Harriett decides ...
bluemini127 23.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Wild Child (DVD)
Advantages: Fun, girly movie with good quality acting. Defo for the girls Disadvantages: Very predictable, still fun to watch
...Frost, Georgia King.
The story, directed by Nick Moore, starts out with a typical young American girl causing trouble for her father and his partner as she feels her dad has forgotten about her deceased mother. It is clear from the beginning that Poppy Moore is a self loving, selfish, shallow young girl with issues - which her father soon realises, and after one prank too far, he decides to send her to boarding school in England, in hopes she will ... ...little if any respect to the girls at the school, and instantly focuses on her route out of the school back to her normal life. With numerous confrontations with the head girl, Poppy decides she will make her a target to getting her expelled, so she persues the headteachers handsome son (the head girls obsession) in order to frustrate her. After a few days, Poppy soon makes friends with her room mates, and they decide to help her out of the school, ...
angel01laura 15.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Wild Child (DVD)
Advantages: light hearted fun Disadvantages: not for guys!
Wild Child is the teen rom-com released August 15th 2008 starring Emma Roberts (Julia Robert's niece) & the star of previous film Nancy Drew & Nickelodeon show Unfabulous. At only 17, she's already an established actor which is of course aided by her families brilliant reputation, she's also a singer & her debut album was released in 2005. Wild Child is directed by Nick Moore. It's rated 12 & runs for approximately 98 minutes. I was a bit sceptical ... ...was told it was good. The film is based around Poppy Moore played by Emma Roberts of Nancy Drew a spoilt teenager living in LA with her wealthy father. After she throws a wild party at her fathers house that's gets out of control her dad decides this is the last straw & sends her off to a boarding school in England. On arrival she is shocked at the culture difference as she is not allowed her laptop or even her mobile phone to contact her best friend ...
Great_reviewer07 11.01.2009 (31.01.2009)
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...english kids can relate as the main character is american but the school she goes to is english and has a mixture of nationalities e.g irish etc. The story line is a bit over the top but is a kind of extreme reality. For example many parents split up and the child doesn't like mum or dad's new partner and so does not talk or ignores the new 'step' mum or dad. This happens quite alot in our society and so i think this film sort of hits home. It also ... ...expensive clothes as the main character at the beginning is a spoilt brat but by the end she shops in place such as charity shops. It is an all girls school and the girl likes the boy but they can't be together kind of a bit like romeo and juliet apart from they don't kill themselves ! This is any Wild Child teenagers dream film. It is now available on DVD and isn't that expensive from places like play.com or amazon etc. This DVD is a great present ...
Taylor0255 08.03.2009
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Advantages: Entertaining, music you will always sing alone to Disadvantages: NONE
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Advantages: Best of the Blade movies Disadvantages: They made Trinity
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DVD Description
A touching and philosophical film, set in the 18th century and based on the diaries of real-life French doctor Jean Itard. Itard fought authorities for the right to take charge of the social and intellectual education of a wild child--a young boy who somehow had managed to survive, alone and uncared for, in nature. Although most of the medical establishment felt that the child, who could not speak and often exhibited violent behaviour, was hopelessly retarded, the tenacious Itard, with techniques sometimes kind and frequently cruel, managed to prove them wrong.
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