Viciously quotable and by far the funniest teen comedy

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2006)

On his first day, Cameron (Joseph Gordon Lewitt) falls head over heels for the most popular girl in school, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) who seems to quietly reciprocate his feelings. The problem is that Bianca is not allowed to date until her older anti-social sister Kat (Julia Stiles) does because their father is overbearing and, let's face it, pretty mental. Determined to win Bianca over, Cameron thus sets up a payment-plan for the school badboy- and outcast Pat (Heath Ledger) to take her 'difficult' sister out. So begins a romantic piece of characters, promises and hidden intentions, all escalating to an enjoyable teen mess.
Classic Shakespearean stories typically translate well on screen. 10 Things I Hate About You is one of them, but it is glazed with a lush modern High School movie coating. The result is a sensationally creative comedy that keeps you laughing and engrossed throughout. It features some viciously quotable dialogue, in particular from the quick mouth of Julia Stiles' character but also the token black teacher who is fed up with white prissy students in his class never having any 'real' problems. The film occasionally falls prey to predictable sappiness, especially toward the end, shifting to Hollywood auto-pilot. I don't want to use the word 'cliché' here because as far as teen comedies go, 10 Things I Hate About You was made just before the grand influx of similar-natured films, making it fairly original. However, yes, it does feature some very recognizable teen scenarios.
10 Things I Hate About You can proudly boast of being Heath Ledger's claim to fame, in his original Aussie accent. This film also welcomes a refreshingly funny Julia Stiles, vaulting her into the world of respectable films. On some basic level, teen comedies nearly always satisfy me. But 10 Things I Hate About You is not only satisfactory, but it is excellent. 8/10