10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

10 Things I Hate About You

For all its hip dialogue and contemporary ideologies, "10 Things I Hate About You" uses a plot so ancient that the very thought of it conjures up images of studio executives passing out scripts made of papyrus scrolls. Amazingly enough, thanks to a few smart touches and a competent cast, the film retains an undeniable charm that is felt throughout most of the movie.

The chemistry between Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger is the high point of the film. Their romance is genuine and effective and at times I wished that their characters would head out for the horizon instead of staying locked down to the conventions of the story, which remains frustratingly faithful to the traditional boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl formula. Simultaneously, the screenwriters have also found time to incorporate an assembly line of scenes found in almost every other high school romantic comedy including an obligatory party sequence and an emotional climax at the prom. The only moment of pure originality finds Ledger's character dancing across the bleachers of the school's football stadium whilst professing his love for the Stiles character.

All of this is allegedly based on William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", but it is more or less used as a crutch and a platform for a series of not-so-subtle winks at the camera. For example, most of the action takes place at the fictitious Padua High School and the two leads are named Patrick Verona and Katarina Stratford. The whole effect feels contrived and the picture would have been better off without it.

Nevertheless, we still have Stiles and Ledger at the center and complimenting their performances is a breezy soundtrack and a few praiseworthy supporting players, including Allison Janney as a horny high school counselor and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as a passionate English teacher who raps the words of Shakespeare to great effect. Imagine if the writers had taken a cue from the Mitchell character and turned the project into a Shakespeare-inspired rap musical. That would have been interesting! November 19, 2008

One for the Collection

This fun little flick, a modernization of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, is definitely one of the better 90's teen flicks. Instead of using stereotypical cliques as a crutch like many similar films, this movie plays with the ideas of stereotypes in order to create this successful and highly entertaining satire that can work on both the straight forward level and the satirical level. All in all, it's a good watch. Definitely the best of the "guy gets paid to go with girl and ends up falling for her" movies.

There's a lot going on in this movie. From the use (perhaps overuse?) of music, to the clever and self-aware references to Shakespeare, to the subtle turns the characters make, to the performances of these actors that, subsequent to this movie, would really blow up, there is pretty much something here for everyone to enjoy. It's a really light flick, with a lot of dialogue that will stay in your head for days. And I can't help but add how great Heath Ledger was, even then. It would be years later that he delivered the career defining performance as The Dark Knight, but the raw talent here is enough to impress so much that seeing the man perform is actually very bittersweet.

I'd have to revisit all those 90s gems and flops to see if this was really the crown jewel of 90s teen-flicks, but it is at least AMONG the best. Definitely something that should be owned on DVD.

8/10 November 14, 2008

Artificial

The movie is just a vehicle for Heath Ledger to do a hokey, unrealistic singing/dancing routine on stadium bleachers. Skip it. November 14, 2008

Hilarious

This movie fits well within the genre of teen comedy, along with Clueless (which I also love). This movie is hilarious, and it is a romantic comedy. It's probably better enjoyed by the younger generations as this movie is set in high school but still, it's one of the movies you can just pop in and enjoy. If you've ever seen (and liked) Clueless, then this is a perfect movie for you. November 14, 2008

10 Things I hate about you

I love this movie and I had it on VHS and it stop working so I bought it in DVD. It is a classic. October 11, 2008

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