She's Hardly a "Wild Child". More Like a Spoiled Brat.

Where's Mrs. Garrett when you need her?

I now realize that joke has sailed over the heads of at least a generation, maybe more, of people.

:: sigh::

The Story:

Spoiled girl Poppy (Emma Roberts) is driving her widowed dad (Aidan Quinn) up the wall.  When her latest stunt pushes him over the edge, he ships her off to an English boarding school to learn some manners.  The headmistress, Miss Kinglsey (Natasha Richardson) has her work cut out for her, because Poppy has no desire to be there, and is going to push the limits and try to get expelled.  However, the more she pushes, strange things begin to happen, and Poppy is on her road to discovering some things about herself, and her family, that will change her forever...

Hopefully for the better.

Well, this movie is only 5 years old, so we've returned to more recent cinematic history.

Don't get too comfortable, if you've learned anything reading these reviews, I'm all over the map with what gets viewed. : )

First, this is a bittersweet movie to watch because it is Natasha Richardson's last performance.  She was a great actress who suffered a terrible skiing accident that robbed the world of decades of more of her work.  She comes from the Redgrave line of actresses, so you know you're getting quality whenever she was onscreen.

Second, there are movies that men, by design, are not the target audience for.  If I was single, or had only boys or no children, the odds of me watching this, or a thousand other teen girl comedies would likely have never entered my head.

Lucky for me, I have some wonderful girls, and I get to watch this, and other films like it with them.

Like all genres, there are some that absolutely stink up the joint.  Then there are classics that I could watch anytime, say Clueless or Mean Girls for example.

Then you have a little charmer like this one that falls short of greatness, but rises well above putrid. :)

Much of that credit has to go to Emma Roberts, whom I enjoy as an actress as much or more than I dislike her Aunt Julia for doing the same profession. : )

She plays a spoiled brat really well, but not one that is so far gone that you cannot believe the change of heart she has as the movie goes on.

To have a totally unlikeable lead character would have done this movie no good, and she balances the role nicely with that of her goody two-shoes version of Nancy Drew that she had done previously.

Yes, I've seen that one too, but that's a review for another time.

: )

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Watched it again for the first time in five years.  I knew I had seen it before, but it was like watching it for the first time.  Not rushing out to buy it, but I suspect I'll see it again in a few years as the next girls in my house get older.  No objections. :)