Sweet and very funny

Rating: Null/10 (6 August 1999)

I like this film a lot. Admittedly it does have its faults. The first fifteen minutes or so are a bit disjointed and shaky until it settles down into the main story but it has an infectious joie de vivre that makes it hard to dislike. Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith's script contains a great number of quotable lines which, while perhaps not up to the standard of Mr W. Shakespeare, are memorable enough in their own right (I particularly liked the line "I know you can be overwhelmed. I know you can be underwhelmed. But can you be like just whelmed"). I can't help feeling though that certain scenes have been cut out to keep the film down to its relatively brisk running time. This is one instance where a film would have benefited by being longer. Certain elements of the plot do seem rather rushed (after Kat's character has been initially established as the scary shrew, she does seem to thaw rather quickly under the influence of Patrick Verona, and when she discovers she has been the victim of a bet, she doesn't seem to be as particularly upset as she would have a right to be) and a certain amount of time is taken to introduce Alison Janney's Miss Perky which suggests she will be one of the major supporting characters, only for her to disappear after the opening sequence (a pity as there was much more comic mileage left in her). There are certain scenes shown as outtakes at the end which never made it into the main body of the film itself but I'm not sure if they were ever intended to be(stay to the end of the credits. they're hilarious).
But like I said, I like this film a lot. It succeeds despite its flaws and although a lot of the dialogue is good, I think the reason for its success is down to the actors. I can't say I'd heard of any of the actors and actresses in this before but they all give great performances. Contrary to some of the reviews I've read, I think Larisa Oleynik does a great job as Bianca. I've never seen The Secret World of Alex Mack so she is new to me but she manages to create a character that is both selfish and shallow but sympathetic as well. You can understand why she is as she is. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Krumholtz and Susan May Pratt also do well in their respective roles. Larry Miller is just hilarious as Mr Stratford and reminds me a lot of Den Hedaya who played Cher's father in Clueless. Admittedly it helps that he gets a lot of the best lines but he doesn't come across entirely as the stereotypical spoilsport father. If I was in his position, I'd be worried too.
But the two revelations in this film are Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles. When I first saw the trailer for this film, I had my doubts that Ledger's Verona would be a character that I would particularly like. Happily, I was wrong. Although his character also seems to change rather too quickly from the rebellious loner prepared to drill holes in Cameron's French book one minute to one allowing himself to be seen with Cameron and Michael in the school canteen the next, Ledger invests his character with a lot of charm and his rendition of Can't Take My Eyes Off of You is the undoubted highlight of the film. By the end, you really want him to succeed. I predict great things for Heath Ledger after this.
Even better though is Julia Stiles. Although she, like Larry Miller, gets most of the best lines in the film, she knows how to deliver them to their best advantage. She's a marvelously expressive actress and very attractive (but thankfully not in an obvious way). Watching her reminded me of when I first saw Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2. You get the feeling of having discovered an unknown who you just know is going to be a big star in the future.
She, like the film itself, is terrific.