10 Things I Hate About You (Film)

Junger, Gil (Director). 10 Things I Hate About You.

Touchstone Pictures. 1999.

Viewer’s Annotation

Bad boy Patrick Verona tries to win unlikeable Kat, so that Cameron can date Kat’s very likeable sister Bianca—all under the nose of the girls’ over protective, paranoid father.

Cast

Heath Ledger:  Patrick Verona

Julia Stiles:  Kat Stratford

Joseph Gordon-Levitt:  Cameron James

Larisa Oleynik:  Bianca Stratford

Storyline

Kat Stratford is such a shrew!  Actually, she’s just a beautiful girl at Padua High School who doesn’t put up with anything or anyone—and she’s the one person standing in the way of fellow student Cameron being able to date Kat’s younger sister Bianca.  Because of their hyper-paranoid father, Bianca can’t date until Kat does (and Kat has no interest in that!).  Cameron devises a plan to get Kat to date—he convinces mysterious Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to pursue Kat.  Based on The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare, 10 Things I Hate About You is a relevant remake, steeped in Shakespearean allusions and humor.

Critical Evaluation

As an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You has a lot going for it—it’s based on a timeless, classic comedy, for one.  The dialog is cleverly funny in a lot of places.  Unfortunately, the dialog also sinks into crude talk which seems unnecessary for what would otherwise be a high-quality film.  The casting is the strength of the film, particularly Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles as Patrick and Kat.  Their chemistry is electric no matter what emotion they portray--from anger to passion.  Stiles beautifully portrays the shrew, Kat.  Her interactions with just about everyone, but especially her teacher, are sharp and funny—making her come across as a strong, willful young woman instead of as a pitiful out-of-control wretch.  Kat’s confrontation with Patrick in class condenses all their chemistry into one heart-wrenching scene.

Genre

Romantic comedy

Curriculum Tie-ins

English Literature

Drama

Rating

PG-13

Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas

Crude sex-related humor and dialog

Alcohol and drug-related scenes, all involving teens.

• Be ready with a copy of the library’s selection policy.
• Be familiar with similar works in the collection.
• Refer to ALA’s Intellectual Freedom resources.

Why I included this work

The Taming of the Shrew is a favorite Shakespearean play, and seeing the adaptation may encourage viewers to see the other.

The movie was nominated for five Teen Choice Awards: 

• Film Breakout Performance (Stiles)
• Film Choice Comedy
• Film Funniest Scene (featuring Krumholtz)
• Film Sexiest Love Scene (featuring Stiles and Ledger)
• Soundtrack of the Year

Great Quote from the Book:

"Walter Stratford: Hello, Katarina. Make anyone cry today?
Kat Stratford: Sadly, no. But it's only 4:30"