clever mix of light hearted humour, depth of character, and a satirical take on popular american culture

Rating: Null/10 (29 January 2002)

From the opening chord of the Barenaked Ladies tune "one week", it appeared that once again I was about to waste an hour and a half of my life on yet another straight-off-the-hollywood-production-line-sure-fire-big-money-winner-"teen" -movie. Thankfully, as it turned out, I was wrong. Gil Junger's "10 things I hate about you" is something of a refreshing departure from your average american teen romance. Loosely based on Shakespeare's "Taming of the shrew" (loose being the operative word, don't expect for a long time another classic reworking like that of Luhrmann's 1995 effort "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet"), writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith cleverly capture the Bard's often piquant humour and bawdiness, all the while incorporating their own satire and modern take on the story.
"But she's a mutant! what if she never dates?" exclaims an obviously exasperated Bianca Stratford. You see, Bianca is in the position of not being allowed to date until her anti-social, non-conformist ("heinous bitch is the term used most often," states the guidance counsellor) older sister Katarina does. This poses a huge problem for Bianca, who is the beautiful, often ditzy sophomore that dumb model Joey Donner and shy yet sincere Cameron James both desire as the object of their affection. Enter resident bad-boy Patrick Verona who then joins the fold as the one hired to "tame the shrew" - Katarina.
The mostly young cast make sure that their characters all rise to their written potential, while also managing to add the charm and constant good looks of american youth(?! - obviously we're missing out in australia). Julia Stiles hits the target as the strong-willed Katarina, embracing her whole heartedly and confidently bringing across her dry humour and "hate the world" attitude without over-acting and ruining the character. Heath Ledger is perhaps to "pretty boy"-ish to be take overly seriously as the rebel, however he charms his way into the audiences' heart with his natural charisma, easily conveying both side of Patrick with distinction (plus, how could one look past that thousand-watt smile?!). The two lead characters are confidently and professionally backed the whole way by an eclectic cast, providing a strong character base to play with if the story was to end up in the quagmire.
Cynics would say it was to be expected, but I would genuinely say that the most impressive revelation comes from the "elder" players in the cast - Allison Janney, Daryl Mitchell and Larry Miller. In a rare, although not entirely unheard of, and unusual twist (think Jack Nicholson in "One flew over the Cuckoo's nest"), all three seem perfectly cast. Although obviously well written, you are still able to sense the way in which each of them have discovered the particulars and peculiarities of their respective characters and worked them to the forefront for all to see and enjoy. Their one-on-one scenes with the central characters produce some of the funniest dialogue of the movie and add a whole new dimension to both the film itself and the acting, in the way that the entire cast are quite content in playing off each other.
As the title, young cast and genre casting exhibit, this is a film that is aimed squarely at a teenage market. However, its clever mix of light hearted humour, depth of character, first rate casting, satirical take on popular american culture and its Shakespearean origin make it a film that you can watch with your friends, sibling, parents and grandparents alike. Although not a life altering, Oscar deserving film, it does stand out from the ever-the-same movies of its kind as fun, thoughtful, fresh and well put together.
And what are the "10 Things I hate about you"? You'll have to watch to find out.