10 Things I Hate About You
Directed by Gil Junger
Screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kristen Smith
Based upon the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, and Andrew Keegan
94 minutes. Rated PG-13. Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1. 1999
    Now, when you go to see this movie, and the first things you hear are the opening chords to a rather terrible remix of "One Week," by the Barenaked Ladies, don't get up and leave. I promise you, this movie get a lot better, real fast.
    This is, of course, the first of six films based in some way on a Shakespeare play to be released this year (I don't know about you, but I am really...well, not looking forward to, but very curious about Bill Murray playing Polonius in Hamlet). This one, an updating of The Taming of the Shrew, takes Shakespeare's play and dumps it in a Tacoma, Washington high school setting. And no, it doesn't break any molds. But it is a thoroughly enjoyable film that evoked almost non-stop laughter from moi, and it manages to be touching, too (indeed, surprisingly enough, the film's most touching moment comes from the reason for it's boneheaded title). Just like Shakespeare, huh?Levitt, Ledger, Stiles, and Oleynik
    And just like Shakespeare, sort of, the plot is thus: Cameron, the new kid in school (played by Third Rock From The Sun's Gordon-Levitt) is at once smitten with Bianca Stratford (the cute-as-a-button Oleynik). He is dismayed to learn, however, that her father won't allow either of his daughters to date (partially because he's an OB who delivers babies from 15-year olds every day, but mainly because he's afraid of being left on the sidelines as his daughters grow up). The rule, however, is soon amended: Bianca may date, just as soon as sister Kat (Stiles, who also stars in the aforementioned Hamlet and in the Othello-based O later this year) does. Tiny problem: no one likes Kat, and the feeling is mutual.The talented Ms. Stiles, ladies and gentlemen!
    Now, wait. That's not quite true, and that's where I was surprised. The characters in this film are a whole hell of a lot more rounded and realistic than I expected them to be. Kat is not the complete bitch she appears to be (to her classmates and to us, in the trailers). Cameron is not just interested in Bianca because she's adorable. Bianca is not a complete airhead (although her commentary to a friend near the beginning of the film - "There's a difference between like and love. I like my Skechers, but I love my Prada backpack!" - gave me pause). The father is not just some one-dimensional asshole who doesn't want his daughters to be teenagers. And the brave soul who accepts the task of "taming" Kat (Ledger) is not the psycho he appears to be. The villain of the film (Keegan), true to Shakespearian form, is just who you expect - a low down dirty bastard who pays Patrick (Ledger) to date Kat just so he can bone Bianca - but all the villains in Shakespeare's comedies were pretty one-dimensional, and there's no reason for the filmmakers to change that here.Ledger and some rent-a-cops
    The highlight of this film is the 18-year old beauty who plays the "annoyed" heroine, Julia Stiles. Stiles plays her character with immense talent, giving Kat a real personality, and making her more than a shrew to be tamed. Her poise, her facial expressions, and her strong voice lend Kat and this film real power. Her deadpanned humor makes the audience laugh, and when she shows her "true" self, the self she's buried beneath the shrew, the audience beams Levitt and Oleynik (poor guy)(I know I must have had a rather silly grin on my face). And when she cries, we want to cry along with her, because by then we're so invested in her character that we feel wounded just as much as she does. I mean, this girl Stiles impressed me. She was the main reason that, after I got home from the film, I dusted off the tape I had made for my mom of NBC's miniseries The '60s, which Stiles also starred in. She was the only reason I kept watching it. My God, that was a horrible miniseries. Every single character was a cliche, and the film had no point. But I digress. My point is, Stiles was good enough to make me sit through four hours of hippies and Black Panthers and Vietnam vets dropping LSD at Woodstock. Here we have a true talent, one that helps make 10 Things... a great film.
    At any rate, the film is more than your typical "teen" flick (see my review of Cruel Intentions to see what I think of labels like that). Yes, it's predictable. And franky, the script in places fails. Many lines that would have, should have fallen flat were saved by the talented Ms. Stiles. But the predictability of 10 Things I Hate About You in no way whatsoever takes away from the enjoyment I received from watching it. My main gripe is that, while the characters were well-developed, it seems there were things missing from the film that could have been included, mainly in developing the characters and their relationships with one another in greater detail. I wouldn't mention this, but they did a good job with what they did include, so I think if they had put just a little more effort into the script, then this could have been a truly great movie. My only other gripe is that the sloppily framed 1.85 x 1 picture doesn't properly exploit the beautiful Washington scenery. You can barely tell the film was shot on location in Tacoma.
    Bottom line: The second film in a row that I've seen expecting more than the average viewer, and gotten more than I expected. Fun script, great acting, real characters, and Julia Stiles. I'm content!
    My grade: B+
    My advice: Die-hard Shakespeare fans, beware. You won't like this anymore than you liked Luhrman's ...Romeo + Juliet. But for those of us open to new things and fresh takes on stuffy, sexist plays, come one, come all.
Get the movie poster!