# Wild Child (film)
**Wild Child** is a 2008 teen comedy film directed by Nick Moore and written by Lucy Dahl, in which a spoilt 16-year-old Malibu girl, Poppy Moore ([Emma Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-roberts)), is sent by her father to a strict English girls' boarding school after one prank too many[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/wild_child/) • [2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/94157/). It was produced by [Working Title Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/working-title-films) with [StudioCanal](https://www.edgepedia.org/studiocanal) and Universal Pictures, released in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2008, and runs 98 minutes[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/wild_child/) • [2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/94157/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Nick Moore's directorial debut; first produced screenplay by Lucy Dahl, daughter of Roald Dahl[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/17/4) |
| Lead cast | Emma Roberts (Poppy Moore), Natasha Richardson (headmistress Mrs. Kingsley), Aidan Quinn (Poppy's father), Alex Pettyfer (Freddie), Shirley Henderson (Matron)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008678-wild_child) |
| Release | UK 15 August 2008; Netherlands 14 August 2008, with later releases through 2009 in Sweden, Finland, Spain, and Italy[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/wild_child/) • [2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/94157/) |
| Certificates | 12A in the UK; PG in Australia (mild sexual references and coarse language); PG-13 in the US[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/wild_child/) • [5](https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/wild-child) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008678-wild_child) |
| Box office | $21,972,336 worldwide, all from international markets; the UK contributed $9,524,380[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1024255/) |
| Reception | 40% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 25 reviews, against a 62% audience score; 6.1/10 on IMDb from about 69,000 votes[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008678-wild_child) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024255/) |
| Filming | Cobham Hall, a school in Kent, stood in for the fictional Abbey Mount[8](https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/filmed-in-kent/tag/emma-roberts/) |
## Spoilers
### Story
Poppy Moore lives a pampered life in Los Angeles with unlimited credit cards and, after trashing her father's home to "welcome" his new fiancée, is sent to Abbey Mount, a conservative girls' boarding school in England[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/wild_child/) • [5](https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/wild-child). Unwilling to accept the regime of early curfews, stern matrons, and mandatory lacrosse, she misbehaves deliberately in the hope of being expelled[2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/94157/) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024255/). After weeks of obnoxious behavior she becomes friends with her roommates, played by [Kimberley Nixon](https://www.edgepedia.org/kimberley-nixon) (Kate), [Juno Temple](https://www.edgepedia.org/juno-temple) (Drippy), Sophie Wu (Kiki), and Linzey Cocker (Josie)[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/wild_child/) • [5](https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/wild-child). The Australian Council on Children and the Media's review notes that the film touches on grief and bullying, and that Poppy's mother had attended the same school[5](https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/wild-child).
## Origins and production
**The screenplay** was Lucy Dahl's first produced script[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/17/4). According to an account in *Prospect*, she based the story on two formative experiences: her expulsion at 15 from the all-girls boarding school Abbot's Hill in [Hertfordshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/hertfordshire) after starting an accidental fire, and later raising her own teenage daughters in Los Angeles, where she remembered how "girls at that age can be so horrible to each other"[9](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/40816/how-2000s-boarding-school-drama-wild-child-became-a-hidden-cult-hit).
Nick Moore, the film's director, was a longtime film editor whose credits include *Notting Hill*, *The Full Monty*, and *Love Actually*; *Wild Child* was his first film as director[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/17/4). Producers were Diana Phillips, Tim Bevan, and [Eric Fellner](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-fellner), with Chris Seager as cinematographer and Michael Price composing the music[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/wild_child/) • [2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/94157/).
## Filming locations and setting
The fictional Abbey Mount school was filmed at Cobham Hall in Kent[8](https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/filmed-in-kent/tag/emma-roberts/). Despite the Kent location, the film appears to be set in northern England: the girls have Northern accents, and excursions were shot at [Robin Hood's Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-hoods-bay) on the [North Yorkshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-yorkshire) coast, where Poppy and Freddie escape for a day, and in Haworth, West Yorkshire, where a makeover scene was filmed in a Cancer Research charity shop called The Souk[10](https://tonistanger.medium.com/the-use-of-juxtaposition-in-wild-child-2008-20af4d70c2bb). Reviewers noted this as an unusual choice for an American-backed film, which typically centers London or received-pronunciation England[9](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/40816/how-2000s-boarding-school-drama-wild-child-became-a-hidden-cult-hit).
## Reception
British critics were largely negative on release. [Anthony Quinn](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-quinn) in *The Independent* wrote that "gouging one's eyeballs with a chopstick would be more fun" than watching the film, and criticized both Moore's direction and Dahl's script[11](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/wild-child-12a-897261.html). Philip French in *The Observer* called it "a surprisingly dispiriting film" and compared its premise to the 1942 MGM film *A Yank at Eton*[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/17/4). Peter Bradshaw in *The Guardian* gave it 2 out of 5, finding it "amiable enough but still a bit tame" compared with *Clueless* or *Freaky Friday*[12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/125514/wild.child). *Screen International*'s Fionnuala Halligan judged the film slick but aimless, and predicted word of mouth would not be strong[13](https://www.screendaily.com/wild-child-2007/4040165.article). On the aggregate Rotten Tomatoes site the critics' consensus called it "more mild than wild"[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008678-wild_child).
Audience responses were warmer than the critics'. The Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter stood at 62 percent against the 40 percent Tomatometer, and the film holds a 6.1/10 rating on IMDb[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008678-wild_child) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024255/).
**Box office.** The film grossed $21,972,336 worldwide, entirely from international markets; [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists no US theatrical release[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1024255/). The UK was by far the largest market at $9,524,380, followed by Germany at $2,533,905 and Australia at $3,259,776[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1024255/). *Prospect* reports that its disappointing box office saw it go straight to DVD in the United States[9](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/40816/how-2000s-boarding-school-drama-wild-child-became-a-hidden-cult-hit).
## Later cult status
More than a decade after release, the film found a second life. In late October 2019 it climbed into Netflix UK's top 10 most-watched rankings, and *Prospect* described it as a "hidden cult hit", crediting teenage viewers' enthusiasm for Dahl's depiction of casual teen cruelty, school drudgery, and brief love affairs[9](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/40816/how-2000s-boarding-school-drama-wild-child-became-a-hidden-cult-hit). Retrospective pieces have also emphasized its portrayal of female friendship; *Stylist* marked the film's 15th anniversary with an appreciation of that theme, and noted that [Natasha Richardson](https://www.edgepedia.org/natasha-richardson)'s performance as the headmistress was one of her final roles[14](https://www.stylist.co.uk/entertainment/film/wild-child-teenage-friendship/814443).
## References
1. [Wild Child, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/wild_child/)
2. [Wild Child, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/94157/)
3. [Wild Child review by Philip French, The Observer / The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/17/4)
4. [Wild Child, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008678-wild_child)
5. [Wild Child movie review, Australian Council on Children and the Media](https://childrenandmedia.org.au/movie-reviews/movies/wild-child)
6. [Wild Child, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1024255/)
7. [Wild Child (2008), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024255/)
8. [Wild Child (2008), Kent Film Office](https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/filmed-in-kent/tag/emma-roberts/)
9. [How 2000s boarding school drama Wild Child became a hidden cult hit, Prospect Magazine](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/40816/how-2000s-boarding-school-drama-wild-child-became-a-hidden-cult-hit)
10. [The use of juxtaposition in 'Wild Child' (2008), Toni Stanger, Medium](https://tonistanger.medium.com/the-use-of-juxtaposition-in-wild-child-2008-20af4d70c2bb)
11. [Wild Child (12A) review by Anthony Quinn, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/wild-child-12a-897261.html)
12. [Wild Child review by Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/125514/wild.child)
13. [Wild Child (2007) review by Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/wild-child-2007/4040165.article)
14. [Wild Child at 15: an ode to teen female friendship, Stylist](https://www.stylist.co.uk/entertainment/film/wild-child-teenage-friendship/814443)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2007 to 2008 › Released in 2008*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license