Touchstone Pictures jumped into the Shakespeare fray at the end of the 1990s with their April release of 10 Things I Hate About You. This modern take on the Shakespeare play The Taming of the Shrew threw away the dialogue of Shakespeare’s England for the west coast.
The film would not only add to Julia Stiles’ movie resume as the queen of teen comedy at the time, but it would also introduce North American audiences to an Australian up and coming actor named Heath Ledger. As production rolled, the cast assembled for some cinema magic in Tacoma, Washington.
The Movie
Cameron James, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has just arrived in town to Padua High School where he must adapt to a new set of social rules. Making friends with Michael, played by David Krumholtz, Cameron sees Bianca, played by Larisa Oleynik, and falls in love. Cameron vows to win her love and will stop at nothing to secure a date with the seemingly untouchable Bianca who is also being pursued by the school heartthrob, Joey Donner played by Andrew Keegan.
Cameron becomes Bianca’s French tutor, and learns that she isn’t allowed to date unless her older sister Kat, played by Julia Stiles, dates too. Cameron and Michael concoct a scheme of convincing Joey to pay Patrick Verona, played by Heath Ledger, to go out with Kat so that Cameron can pursue Bianca. Joey thinks this will help him win over Bianca, but it really pits Cameron and Joey on a collision course for Bianca’s affection.
As the plan is put into action, we watch as the weeks go by, and learn more about Bianca and how she sees through Joey’s shallowness, and why Kat has such a hard edge and how that emotional wall she built after ninth grade starts to crumble when she is with Patrick. All events lead to the high school prom, where problems are solved, and duplicitous actions are revealed.
The Best
Where do I begin with all the greatness that this film exudes? From the opening song, to the final scene, 10 Things I Hate About You is one of those films that no matter when I watch it, it just makes me happy. The soundtrack is top-notch late 1990s with songs from Letters to Cleo, Save Ferris, Semisonic, and The Cardigans – this was the music I grew up listening to and loved.
Unlike a lot of high school depictions now, Padua High School had its diverse cliques, but it didn’t look like people were hating their life at school. This high school seemed like a great place to attend.
Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles are perfect in this film. They both pretend to be people that they aren’t and in being brought together, they found someone who brought out the best in them. You watch the dialogue and interaction between the two and you see the chemistry that exists between Stiles and Ledger and you cheer them on.
Larry Miller as Kat and Bianca’s dad is perfect comic relief, and in the moments when he interacts with his daughters you see a man who is desperately trying to remain relevant in his teenaged daughters’ lives.
There is a scene where Kat and her dad are discussing whether she will go away to Sarah Lawrence College, and the dad talks about how he will miss her, and he just wants to be part of her life. He mentions that Bianca still lets him play a few innings in her life, but Kat has kept him on the bench for a long time. This teen comedy has depths to its story. When most films of this genre are only focusing on the problems of the teen characters, we see a view from the other side of the teen life, the parent view. We watch as the characters navigate the highs and lows of high school, but we also get to see the pain of parenting and how when your kids get to be teenagers, they often push their parents away. While most of the time Larry Miller is the comic relief, this heartfelt moment of father and daughter quickly explains the worry that this single parent has. No one wants to be irrelevant in their child’s life.
Heath Ledger’s performance as Patrick Verona is another standout role that placed in the wrong hands would not only be forgettable but also bring down the film. The dynamics with Julia Stiles are entertaining and fun. Ledger also brings out the best in his other costars, namely Gordon-Levitt and Krumholtz. They find Patrick and want to help him succeed with Kat, and just when it looks bad for Cameron, Patrick gives him an uplifting speech that restores his confidence.
Heath Ledger has the perfect look for Patrick Verona. He’s a good-looking guy, but he has a hint of outsider to him that makes people think he is the bad boy. Ledger from the outset could be the guy that many have described of in rumors such as, “I heard he lit a state trooper on fire,” “I heard he sold his own liver on the black market for a set of speakers,” and “I heard he ate a live duck once.”
The Worst
If teen comedies are not your thing, then 10 Things I Hate About You is not for you. I feel like Allison Janney’s character Ms. Perky could have been used for more than what she is. She only has a few moments of screen time, but her interactions with Kat make her seem like the least real of all the characters in the film. Her antics are silly and unnecessary to the plot. If Ms. Perky was cut from the film, you would never notice.
Fun Facts
- This was Heath Ledger’s first American film.
- Julia Stiles and Andrew Keegan would also star in the drama O based on Shakespeare’s Othello.
- The cast had started shooting the film a week before Ledger arrived on set. While the cast had jelled wonderfully, everyone was concerned that Ledger may upset the balance. It turns out Ledger added to the harmony, and everyone got along well during production.
- All scenes were filmed in real locations, no sets were constructed for this film.
- The high school they filmed at is a real high school, Stadium High School, and was built in a remodeled railroad station hotel that was damaged in a fire.
- The scene at the end where Kat read’s her sonnet was a one-take scene.
- Josh Hartnett and Ashton Kutcher were both up for the role of Patrick Verona.
- This is screenwriters Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith first script. They would go on to pen the scripts for Legally Blonde and The House Bunny.
- Even the title of the film, 10 Things I Hate About You, when said allowed sounds like, The Taming of the Shrew. Give it a try.
- The Stratford house was recently up for sale for a measly $1.6 million dollars.
See It/Skip It?
See It. It’s a fun whimsical fairy tale of joy that will make you laugh and entertain you. For anyone who grew up in the 1990s, you will enjoy the trip down memory lane. For a movie that is now 21 years old, it holds up well, and continues to delight the viewers. Plus, it’s available on Disney+. Check it out and enjoy.
Director: Gil Junger
Production Company: Touchstone Pictures
Principal Cast:
- Julia Stiles as Kat
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cameron
- Heath Ledger as Patrick
- Larisa Oleynik as Bianca
- David Krumholtz and Michael
- Andrew Keegan as Joey Donner
- Larry Miller as Walter Stratford
- Allison Janney as Ms. Perky
Release Date: April 4, 1999
Budget: $30 million
Box Office Gross Domestic = $38,178,166
Worldwide = $53,478,166