Movie Review: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Genre: Teen Comedy  

Director: Gil Junger  

Starring: Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Allison Janney  

Running Time: 97 minutes  

Synopsis: Anti-social Kat (Julia Stiles) and her younger flirty sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) attend the same Seattle-area high school. Their over-protective father (Larry Miller) stipulates that Bianca can only see boys if Kat is also dating. Classmate Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his rival Joey (Andrew Keegan), a self-absorbed but rich teen model, are both desperate to get close to Bianca. They decide to pay bad-boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) for the trouble of trying to get Kat interested in dating.

What Works Well: This busy reimaging of Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew does not lack in ambition: multiple well-drawn characters energetically compete for space and time in pursuit of romance, high-school style. Most of the humour is sharp, Heath Ledger finds a highlight commandeering the public address system at the school's stadium, while Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are other future stars shining in early roles. The conceited Joey strikes impressive poses in pursuit of oily villainy, and the energetic soundtrack features an eclectic rock mix.

What Does Not Work As Well: The obstacles placed in the path of Kat and Bianca's happiness by their father are contrived mechanisms to activate the plot. Director Gil Junger has trouble finding and maintaining cohesive focus: Cameron is introduced as the initial protagonist, but is eventually sidelined in favour of Patrick, who is late to join the proceedings. Cliques are introduced for no useful purpose, while Allison Janney as the dismissive guidance counselor fades away completely.   

Key Quote:

Patrick (to Cameron): See, first of all, Joey is not half the man you are. Secondly, don't let anyone, ever, make you feel like you don't deserve what you want. Go for it!



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