10 Things I Hate About You (movie)

10 Things I Hate About You
Touchstone Pictures, 1999
Directed by Gil Junger
Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik
Rated PG-13

Summary:
Ten Things I Hate About You is a modern, creative take on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Sisters Kat and Bianca are as different as night and day: Kat is jaded and cynical while Bianca is constantly bouncy and never has a mean word for anyone. But though all the boys in the school want to date Bianca, she’s forbidden from going out with any of them. Her father has declared that Bianca can’t date until Kat does—and Kat has no intention of doing so. When one of Bianca’s admirers hires a boy to woo Kat, everything becomes a tangled and hilarious mess.

Review:
Combining a Shakespearean plot with a great cast is a recipe for success, and it definitely does the trick here. Heath Ledger is beautiful and perfect as Patrick, seducing Julia Stiles’ Kat. The two play their roles excellently, and also have amazing chemistry. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is hilariously awkward, and it’s easy to hate overly-chipper Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) from her first scene. I love this movie, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves great teen movies, Julia Stiles fans, Heath Ledger fans, and anyone forced to read Taming of the Shrew.