Moviereviews.org Review
10 Things I Hate About You
By Mac VerStandig
critic@moviereviews.org
http://www.moviereviews.org
3 Stars (Out of 4)
September 20, 1999
Available for Rental - October 12, 1999
10 Things I Hate About You is an update of the classic play, The Taming of the Shrew. That said, drop any pre-conceived notions of what Shakespeare's work is supposed to be like and welcome yourself to Padua High School, home of a student counselor (Allison Janney) who obsesses over the male penis; a slightly too hip and racist African-American English teacher (Daryl Mitchell); a new kid named Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt); a model named Joey (Andrew Keegan), the subject of Cameron and Joey's crushes; Bianca (Larisa Oleynik); and Bianca's sister - the shrew (Julia Stiles in a marvelous performance)- whose name is Katarina, Kat for short.
With movies about high schools similar to these running through projectors like water down the Nile, it would be quite easy to write off 10 Things I Hate About You as just another doltish comedic-romance. Yet, you must realize that the story is timeless, and a few hundred years later it is equally as witty and comical as when Elizabeth gleefully looked on, groundlings below and stuffed brassieres on stage.
The first reminder of the original scribe can be found in Katarina and Bianca's last name: Stratford. Their family is run by Walter Stratford (Pretty Woman's Larry Miller), a doctor who is all too familiar with teenage pregnancy and guards his children accordingly. In what he thinks to be a moment of ironic humor, the family "no dating" policy is amended to "Bianca can date...when [Katarina] does." With prom just ahead, Bianca's fate is grim; unless, of course, she can tame the shrew. Don't think this mission to be a simple one, as Bianca kindly points out, her sister "... is a particularly hideous breed of loser."
Getting Katarina to date is complex and oftentimes confusing. When Cameron, who likes Bianca, learns of her father's new rule, he is quick to consult a friend for advice. The scheme they dream up is to fully exploit "someone with money." In this case, that is Joey - the other guy with a crush on Bianca. Cameron's friend, a loser by teenage verdict, convinces Joey to pay someone who has enough guts to take the shrew out. The solution lies no farther away than the second blatant reminder of the master scribe: Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger). This Verona is far from fair; rumor has it that he previously laid his scene in prison. Moreover, Katarina openly opined to the aforementioned English teacher that "Hemingway was an alcoholic who hung around Picasso, hoping to nail his leftovers." The laws of high school cinema inexorably turn Patrick and Katarina into Romeo and Juliet.
Providing a constant reminder of the fact that this isn't exactly what Shakespeare had in mind are the elements obligatory to a high school comedy: A party polluted with liquor, a best friend's betrayal, and prom. It is the latter that has become infamous for closing films like Drive Me Crazy, American Pie, Never Been Kissed, Carrie, She's All That, and Can't Hardly Wait. Yet surely even these practices have roots in Shakespeare; Falstaff was a drunk, Romeo and Juliet met at a party, and Caesar learned about loyalty the hard way.
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