10 Things I Hate About You Review
by Bob Bloom (cbloom AT iquest DOT net)April 10th, 1999
10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 2 stars out of 4. Starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger
"10 Things I Hate About You" is a simplified and simplistic adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew."
Set at upscale Padua High School, the story revolves around the Stratford sisters, Kat and Bianca.
Kat is the school witch, a senior who hates guys and lives by her own convictions. Bianca is a sophomore, the belle of the school, a popular girl every guy wants to date.
But there's no catch. As in the original, Bianca can have nothing to do with the opposite sex until Kat is wooed. In other words, until Kat gets a date, Bianca must sit at home and wait.
The movie deviates from Shakespeare in several aspects, most notably giving Kat a valid psychological reason for her disdain of boys.
And while "10 Things I Hate About You" is not as intellectually stimulating nor as bawdy as the original, it has enough to satisfy young viewers and give them a sampling of the Bard's wit and style.
A cast of basically unknown young actors breathe life into this 90-plus minute confection, led by Julia Stiles as Kat and Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona, the bad-ass student hired to tame "the shrew."
The movie lacks weight. It's a fast-food film, easy to digest, but nothing remarkable or memorable.
"10 Things I Hate About You" follows in the wake of "Clueless" and "Cruel Intentions" making the classics palatable for younger audiences. Whether it stimulates young viewers to the point of actually reading the originals is problematic.
Older audiences may find the proceedings juvenile, but "10 Things I Hate About You" is a fun date movie for the under-25 crowd.
The only reason Shakespeare would roll over in his grave is any lack of credit for inspiring this update. Well, that's Hollywood.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at
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