10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999)

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999)

Tagline: Romeo, Oh Romeo, Get Out Of My Face.

(Comedy, Romance, When You Are a Teenager Everything Is the End of the World) [PG-13]

I still maintain that he kicked himself in the balls.

In this one a girl named Bianca isn’t allowed to date until her ultra-independent sister Kat starts dating. Cameron really wants to date Bianca and gets talked into paying someone to do it. The candidate chosen is an off-putting bad boy named Patrick. This ode to “The Taming of the Shrew” can only end in heartache right?  

First off, I am not a big Shakespeare guy, but there are quite a few references to his work in this and this isn’t the only film that has to do with Shakespeare that Julia Stiles is in. She was also in “O” and HAMLET and if you did hard enough I am sure you can find some other Shakespeare connections in her resume. I consider myself a Julia Stiles fan, but looking back, this is the only movie I have reviewed with her in it. So I guess I am really not that big of a fan. When it comes to “teen movies” this thing shines. I have been reviewing a slew of them as of late and this is right up there in the top 3 or 4. 

I think there is something about guys that likes a girl that is a bit contrary and I think that is at least part of why Kat resonates with so many people. I can only assume that girls also like a girl with a bit of spunk and pushback against the system as well. Kat is that character, but she isn’t so hardcore that she doesn’t see a good thing. I think that is actually a great lesson in life in general. Sometimes just seeing what makes a person more than all the hype, can allow you to really get to know them in a light no one else sees them in. Then maybe they share that side of themselves with others allowing them to grow as a person. Patrick and Kat both bring that out in each other in this film. Patrick is masterfully played by Heath Ledger (A KNIGHT’S TALE) who takes on the role not really as duplicitous but layered. We get to see these characters grow over the course of the film, but that isn’t the only thing going on here. 

I liked Larisa Oleynik (ANIMAL AMONG US) in this as Bianca, but her character isn’t given as much depth as some of the others. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is solid as Cameron, but again his character really isn’t given much of a chance to breathe in this. I think for me the more endearing story was actually hardly touched on between Michael (played by David Krumholtz from SERENITY) and Mandella (played by Susan May Pratt from DRIVE ME CRAZY). I don’t know why, but I think I was rooting for these two more than any other potential couple in the film.  

Regarding the pacing, I thought this movie moved along fine and there really aren’t any unnecessary scenes. The humor isn’t over-the-top crass and the script is actually intelligent. This is some commentary out there about how well the cast got along off set and that certainly carries through on screen. When it comes to the soundtrack we also got a pretty solid effort from Letters To Cleo who contributed 4 songs, but we also get the like of Salt-N-Pepa, The Thompson Twins, and even Joan Jet which really put this thing over the top. 

Overall this is another one of those high school teen movies that remind me of one of the more chaotic, intense, wild, fun, dangerous, exhilarating, maddening, depressing, and joyous 4 years of my life. That alone is enough to give this thing a 6 out of 7. I can’t see anyone not liking this unless they just can’t get into some of the humor or have some sort of vendetta against Julia Stiles. Or perhaps they just got over a bad relationship and just don’t want to be reminded about the ups and downs of relationships and what it might take to get someone’s attention in today’s world. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF TOUCHSTONE PICTURES AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.