Why wasn't Shakespeare this much fun when I was in school?

Rating: Null/10 (10 September 2001)

Ok, I confess. I'm a bit past my high school days and I actually did find Shakespeare fun and interesting back then. So then, do I expect 10 Things I Hate About You to be as enduring as the Bard's classics? No. Is it one of the best 'teen flicks... no scratch that... one of THE best flicks I've stumbled across in a while? Yes. Here's why... It wasn't the twists and turns in the plot. Any self respecting, John Hughes loving movie-goer could navigate this thing like a high school senior sneaking from study hall to the mall. It wasn't that the director presented the images in unique and novel ways. Smart, knowing and in no way distracting from the real goodies. This movie was great because we knew exactly where it was going, how it would get there and it still remained a joyous ride. The entire cast was fresh and fun and delivered lines we've heard before in a new voice. It used the fact that this was familiar territory to combine unnecessary expository scenes into a shorthand that allowed us to spend more time on the fun parts. The only weak scene in the movie was the obligatory falling-in-love-set-to-music montage, and even that wasn't horrible as it was offset by one of the coolest get-the-girl scenes to date as the high school troublemaker woos his woman with the assistance of a 60's love song and the school marching band. Oh, and it didn't insult it's audience, from the teens to the post (well honestly, post-post) teens like myself. To use the vernacular, the soundtrack rocked! Some 80's gems like Madness coupled with some 90's Ska and a pretty cute remake of Nick Lowe's Cruel To Be Kind. If I was a real critic I could probably find a lot of blowhard reasons not to like this movie. Fortunately, for an average guy like me, I can't find one thing I hate about 10 Things I Hate About You.