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DVD REVIEW: Wild Child (12), new on DVD through Blockbuster.
The decent loving girl deeply hidden inside an LA brat gets a chance to flourish when she's sent to school in Blighty.
16-year-old wild child Poppy (Emma Roberts) is self-obsessed and spiteful back home, spoilt, frustrated and horrible.
But once she arrives at a posh school for very British young ladies, it isn't long before she's learning a thing or two about friendship and the things that really count in life – a thoroughly enjoyable premise for this surprisingly-delightful film.
Much of the fun is in the UK-US culture clash, but there's plenty of heart as well to this film which gives it a depth which genuinely sucks you in.
Poppy's dad hasn't exiled her to any old school – and as the reason he chose this one emerges, so we see Poppy winning over the locals and so outing the loving child concealed within the wild one.
It's all actually pretty touching in the end, with the showdown built around a mystery fire followed by a sports tournament in which Poppy manages to be both a natural leader and one of the girls, having conquered the bullies and stopped being one herself.
Natasha Richardson gives a lovely performance as the headmistress, strong but humane; and Aidan Quinn bookends the tale well as Poppy's dad.
But it's Poppy's film – thanks to Emma Roberts who turns in a great performance as the brat with the heart, the girl from hell who learns to love and discovers along the way just who exactly she is.
It's packaged as a film for the teen girlies, but in that respect Wild Child sells itself short. Its appeal goes much wider – a first-class family film which not even my 12-year-old son sniffed at, though he'll probably hate me for saying so!
Phil Hewitt
DVD rental supplied by Blockbuster. For details of other new DVD releases see www.blockbuster.co.uk.
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Weather for Chichester
Tuesday 14 February 2012
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