cbcoope Review of 10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

10 Things I Hate About you follows teens that are trying to fall in love.

[7/10 · 24 February 2014]

Is it possible for a movie to hire actors that are too good for their roles? If so, then 10 Things I Hate About You did this. Gil Junger directs this 1999 Touchstone teen romance that follows the love adventures of 4 teens. The plot line is nothing too different from every other teen romance movie and is quite predictable. The actors, however, were charming, engaging, and lovable. Their wonderful portrayals brought the seemingly worn out plot line to life and left the audience feeling happy and filled with warm fuzzies. The dialogue and one-liners added humor and made the movie enjoyable for everyone watching. The story follows the classic chick flick plot line and doesn't stray too much. While it is quite predictable, viewers still find themselves drawn in and excited when things work out. The standout actors in this film are Joseph Gordon Levitt, Heath Ledger, and Julia Styles. Joseph Gordon Levitt portrays the adorable Cameron, the new kid who falls for the popular, beautiful Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). He is cute, sweet, pure hearted and very easy to love. Ledger and Styles, on the other hand, play the "scary" and misunderstood teens. Styles gracefully embodies her "heinous bitch" character but is immediately liked by the audience because of her sass and wit. The same goes for Ledgers character, Patrick. This fierce Australian boy is surrounded by mystery and rumors, which causes the students at Padua high to be very afraid of him. He plays the bad boy role well but in a way that leaves room for later in the movie when his character is seen as a respectful, kind guy. Andrew Keegan, who plays Joey, and Larisa Oleynik playing Bianca have much easier characters but also portray them well. Joey simply has to be the handsome, popular jerk and Bianca is the ditsy cute girl who eventually gives up her selfish ways. Its no surprise that this film racked up seven nominations for awards based on actors performances (IMDb). The actors were excellent, and it was obvious to everyone who saw the movie. Having such good actors, however, may have hurt the film. Viewers are forced to see the actors change their minds with almost no prompting. The plot does not address why Bianca suddenly changes her mind about Cameron, or why Patrick eventually falls for Kat. All that the viewer sees is that these teens now magically have feelings for people that they were originally using for their own selfish gain. As Robert Ebert said in his review "Sometimes it's a mistake to have acting this charming; the characters become so engaging and spontaneous, we notice how they're trapped in the plot" (Ebert). If you ignore the over used plot structure, however, you see a great movie. The story has a lot of heart and some great one-liners. The dialogue in the movie is fantastic with the sexual innuendo and sassy retorts. For example; in English class when Kat and Joey were arguing Joey asked the teacher "Mr. Morgan, is there any chance we could get Kat to take her Midol *before* she comes to class?" to which Mr. Morgan fired back "Someday, you gonna get bitch-slapped and I'm not gonna do a thing to stop it." What makes this line even better is that it is foreshadowing because at the end of the movie Joey does get bitch-slapped and not a single person helps him after. Even the sisters' outrageous father is hilarious when he is telling them what not to do when they go to a party; "No drinking, no drugs, no kissing, no tattoos, no ritual animal slaughtering's of any kind. Oh, God, I'm giving them ideas" (10 Things 1999). While some of the lines are a bit wacky, they give the movie character and help it stand out from the thousands of other films in the genre. It is these moments that really make the viewers fall in love with the characters and become invested in the story. When a movie is quotable, people talk about it more, mention the quotes whenever possible and thus they want to watch the movie again to hear the funny lines. Overall, the movie, while being very predictable, has a lot of heart. The witty dialogue and the fantastic performances make 10 Things I Hate About You a memorable and enjoyable movie. I would give the movie a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Anyone can find something they like about this movie. Guys, if your girl is going to force you to watch a chick flick this one might not be quite as dreadful as some of the worn out, sappy ones out there. 10 Things I Hate About You has romance, but also comedy and a positive vibe.