10 Things I Hate About You Review
by Alex Fung (aw220 AT FreeNet DOT Carleton DOT CA)April 6th, 1999
10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (Touchstone - 1999)
Cast: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, Andrew Keegan
Screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten Smith
Produced by Andrew Lazar
Directed by Gil Junger
Running time: 97 minutes
Note: Some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers. Be forewarned.
-------------------------------------------------------------
When recently asked why I continue to bother with the mostly
disappointing influx of recent teen films, I responded that I was looking for the next CLUELESS. From its broad outline and sunny veneer, veteran TV sitcom director Gil Junger's feature film debut, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, would appear to be a worthy successor but falls decidedly short of the mark.
Like CLUELESS, which reworked the plot from Jane Austen's "Emma" and transported it into a modern high school setting, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU is a liberal adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy "The Taming Of The Shrew" set in the teen scene of the 1990s. Unlike the Amy Heckerling picture, which breezily redid Austen without drawing overt attention to itself, this picture not only winks at the Bard, but gives a full-out bow to its antecedent -- with characters named Stratford and Verona attending Padua High, dialogue excerpts lifted directly from his plays, sonnet writing and a peripheral character obsessed with Shakespeare, it's hard to miss the connection even if the picture's tagline wasn't "How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways."
Using the play as a jumping point, the picture introduces Stratford sisters Katarina (Julia Stiles) and Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), whose attitudes towards the social scene are at polar extremes -- Bianca's bubbly and wildly popular, while tempestuous Kat is a hard-line feminist who's indifferent to peer acceptance. Much to Bianca's dismay, both of them are forbidden to date by decree of their overprotective father (Larry Miller), who tweaks the longstanding rule at the beginning of the picture to allow her to date once her older sister finds a suitor as well. "But she's a mutant!" Bianca cries. "What if she *never* dates?" Anxious to woo Bianca, two dueling suitors -- narcissistic model Joey (Andrew Keegan) and nice guy Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) -- embark on a scheme to set up the notoriously hostile Kat with a new boyfriend, and resort to the outlawish new bad boy in town, Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger).
The reworking of the story becomes rather creaky at times, and the teen film formula providing the support for this revised tale is glaringly apparent; to the beat, we can count on the requisite disposable party scene, the prom sequence, and the heartwrenching break-up and warm fuzzy reconciliation scenes to make their
appearances; it's all inevitable material played in routine fashion. 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU also mildly suffers from being preceded by a few months by SHE'S ALL THAT, another teen film with a familiar, virtually identical plot (suitor is bribed to date unpopular heroine, with expected repercussions).
The film is also rather slack in its setup. While Kat's proudly nonconformist nature and disdain for the teen social sphere is wonderfully established in her wordless opening scene, the rest of the characters aren't particularly well-drawn before the mechanics of the plot kick into action. In terms of its narrative, there's nothing remotely surprising in 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU -- all of the characters get their just desserts, even the goofy comic relief sidekick (David Krumholtz), so satisfaction with the storytelling lies solely with how engaging and sympathetic the players are drawn. The rebellious disposition of outsider Patrick is especially sketchy and unconvincing (rumours abound that he once ate a live duck sans beak and feet -- umm, sure), and that his misunderstood character is clearly a kind and gentle soul from the outset undermines interest in the early scenes of courtship between the supposed mismatched pair.
Nonetheless, it's almost certainly the romantic angle between the two leads which carry the film, far moreso than the broad, scattershot and often juvenile comedy which typifies the remainder of the picture. Stiles, who has the movie's plum role as the "shrewish" Kat and turns in a noteworthy performance brimming with intelligence, has nice chemistry with the likeable Ledger, and the relationship which emerges between their seemingly-disparate characters is entirely predictable yet appealing. After setting the wheels in motion, the uncompelling romantic triangle involving Joey, Bianca and Cameron (whom the film gives misleading prominence at the outset) fades into the background as the volatile courtship between Kat and Patrick develops. Also solid are the always-dependable Allison Janney in a glorified cameo as an unconcerned guidance counselor, and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, who's very funny as the literature teacher
exasperated with Kat's biting insights.
The picture is also supported by a terrific, jubilant pop soundtrack dominated by songs from Letters To Cleo which imbues much energy into the aggressively-likable film. It's also a nice (and somewhat disorienting) coup to feature an ensemble cast in a teen movie comprised largely of actual teen actors -- after watching endless groups of early- and even late-twentysomethings assuming these roles in other likeminded pictures, it's a refreshing bit of casting. 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU is a high-spirited, effervescent movie full of life which, while not quite as touching as it's meant to be nor nearly as funny as it ought to be (the outtakes during the credits are as amusing as anything in the film itself), is a pleasant, if totally forgettable, diversion. CLUELESS, it ain't, though.
[ ** 1/2 (out of four stars) | Alternate Rating: C+ ]
- Alex Fung, April 03, 1999
email: [email protected]
web : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/
--
Alex Fung ([email protected]) | http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/ "X-FILES fans come up to me in malls expecting me to be able to fill them in on the whole conspiracy. Half the time I have no idea what they're talking about." - Martin Landau
More on '10 Things I Hate About You'...
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
