Expected Nickelodeon, got MTV.

Rating: Null/10 (20 June 2000)

I didn't really expect to like this movie. While I love Shakespeare updates, I've pretty much gotten tired of bad teenager movies. However, I was pleasantly surprised: this is a really good movie. It mixes spot-on cultural references with fairy tales. Larisa Oleynik and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are already familiar to TV viewers, but they manage to play believable teenagers that *aren't* their familiar characters. And Heath Ledger absolutely blew me away with his gravelly speaking voice (sort of like a young Russell Crowe) and a generally adult demeanor. It's easy to understand how he could tame the Shrew.