10 Things I Hate about You is a beloved romantic comedy movie released in 1999, directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles as school shrew Kat Stratford and Heath Ledger as unruly bad boy Patrick Verona.
The movie centers on Kat and Bianca Stratford, Bianca who is not allowed to date until Kat does. Kat is uninterested in what others think of her, especially boys, so what will the future hold for Bianca? A series of bad choices, miscommunication, and commissioned pining leads to a senior year experience that Kat would have never expected.
Here are 10 things to love about this movie, to counter Kat’s 10 things that she hates about Patrick:
1. Tacky and Predictable
This movie has that tacky 90s feeling, where everything is a little too much: its dramatic, colorful, and exciting. The stereotypes are played up in the plot, and characters go through plotlines that have been seen time and time again, for good reason.
2. Funny
Even though 10 Things I Hate About You is a “rom-com”, it doesn’t only lean into romance. It heavily relies on the “com” moments and ongoing bits. There are some bits that can be overused in the media, but at the point in time this movie was made, it is funny, and it plays into the previously mentioned tacky and predictable parts of 90s movies.
3. Adapted from a shakespeare play
“The Taming of the Shrew” is a play written by Shakespeare which truly is the original story of “10 things I hate about you”. The movie is a loose interpretation of the play, but the main idea has stayed the same. It generally follows a local unmarried woman who strikes the fancy of a man who eventually courts her and they get married. Similar, except for the marriage part, to Kat and Patrick in 10 Things I hate About You.
4. Music
The indie type music in the movie gives a 3d element to Kat. In every scene, there is thoughtfully chosen music that fills out the scenes and makes it feel like a lived-in area and gives each character not only personality but also serves as an avenue for cleverly placed character interaction.
5. Outfits
All of the outfits feel like a snapshot of the 90s, a time capsule of the past. It may be unrealistic that the girls are wearing full makeup and heels in high school, but it’s generally cute and realistic. The outfits also feel like a window to the souls of multiple characters.
6. Crazy Cars
These teens have crazy cars, unheard of in reality. Because of the overall realistic grounds of the movie, the unrealistic cars give the movie a 90s vibe full of slightly over dramatic and played up stereotypes.
7. The acting performances
Every actor gave this movie their all. Adding to the experience of highschool, the actors starring in this movie were similar ages to their characters. The performances given make the jokes land and heartfelt moments even more heartwarming.
8. Kat and Bianca’s character development
At the beginning of the movie, the girls feel very ‘pick me.’ However, after heartfelt connections and self exploration, Bianca and Kat Stratford come out as fully developed characters that are multi-faceted and have a romance that makes sense.
9. Captured Teenage Spirit
Even throughout the cast, this movie served to capture the rebellious spirit of teenage years. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Julia Stiles said, “I was kind of an angsty teenager at times and I felt like it was finally like somebody had captured that voice.”
10. Rewatchable
From experience, this movie can be rewatched time and time again. It doesn’t matter if you’re bored on the train, lonely during a quiet summer break, or at a slumber party full of the closest friends, this movie is perfect to watch again and again.
With less and less rom-coms coming out, movies like 10 Things I Hate About You become a staple in the movie night routine. When life gets hectic, we can all benefit from just hanging around and watching our favorite movie, so why not have it be this one?
