10 Things I Hate About You

For this year’s “Valentine’s Day Movie Review,” I thought I would review a movie that I saw most of in my sophomore and junior year of high school, but didn’t see the whole way through until a few years back. That is the teen romantic flick, “10 Things I Hate About You,” released in 1999, which is still a classic after it was first released.

This year marks that it has been 21 years since the film was released in theaters. The film is just as fun to watch today as it was back then. Danielle Solzman credited in her review, “I credit this–of course–to the chemistry between leads Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger.  They are but one equation in this ensemble-heavy film.”

This modern-day adaptation of Taming of the Shrew takes place in Washington State, where we find out fast that Bianca Stratford (the beautiful Larisa Oleynik) cannot date unless her older sister, Kat (Julia Stiles), starts. There are some screwball comedy elements that start here because new student Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls in love with Bianca but Bianca has a crush on Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan). Cameron doesn’t let that interfere when he becomes friends with Michael Eckman, played by David Krumholtz, and the two make a plan. This requires making Patrick, played by the late Heath Ledger, date Kat. All of this is because of the rules set by Kat and Bianca’s father, Walter Stratford, played by Larry Miller. This is obviously easier said than done. Strangely enough, Kat is the one student who doesn’t date.

What happens is that Patrick gets paid to date Kat. Eventually, Cameron and Michael go to Joey. Basically, Joey’s paying Patrick money to date Kat so that he can date Bianca but doesn’t know that Cameron is hitting on Bianca. Solzman noted, “It’s good that screenwriters Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith only take the gist of a Shakespeare classic. This allows for the writers to have some flexibility with how they tell the story.” It doesn’t get really insane with following every character. The resolution is why this film stays a high school comedy classic.

Solzman admitted, “One of my favorite moments is when Patrick–in an effort to woo Kat–serenades her by singing Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” with the help of the school’s marching band. Because he ends up in detention, Kat helps break him out by flashing the teacher. This latter part probably doesn’t hold up under 2019 standards but the film is two decades old.”

Which makes viewers ask on whether we watch the film with a current view or not? Solzman answered, “My vote is likely no because of when it was written.” There’s a good chance that students will do crazy things when they fall in love. Obviously it wouldn’t go as far as flashing a teacher. However, if it means to get your boyfriend out of detention, this means that anything can happen.

Great performances from an ensemble cast make “10 Things I Hate About You” a great teen comedy romance.

If you haven’t seen this film, it’s a good watch for today. You should find this movie and see it because you will have an enjoyable time watching. It might be difficult to see it since Heath Ledger is no longer alive, but it’s a good way to honor his memory. Definitely check it out and see for yourself, because I think people will love it.

Happy Single Awareness Day to all the single people out there, like myself. I know people might be wondering when I will start saying “Happy Valentine’s Day,” but that I can’t answer. Whenever I get married, which I don’t know when that will happen, I might start saying it then, but as of right now, I won’t since I’m not a fan of this holiday. I think I might have said “Happy Valentine’s Day” a few times in the past, but I would have to go back and see my past reviews to know for sure.

Anyway, stay tuned on Monday to see what I will review for my yearly “President’s Day Movie Review.”