10 Things I Hate About You

For the television series, see 10 Things I Hate About You (TV series).
10 Things I Hate About You

Promotional poster
Directed by Gil Junger
Produced by Andrew Lazar
Written by Karen McCullah Lutz
Kirsten Smith
Starring Heath Ledger
Julia Stiles
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Larisa Oleynik
Larry Miller
Andrew Keegan
Gabrielle Union
David Krumholtz
Susan May Pratt
Music by Richard Gibbs
Cinematography Mark Irwin
Edited by O. Nicholas Brown
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Release dates
  • March 31, 1999
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English
French
Budget $30 million
Box office $53.5 million[1]

10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy-drama film. It is directed by Gil Junger and stars Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The romantic comedy screenplay was written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith.

The film, a modernization of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, is titled after a poem written by the film's female lead (played by Stiles) to describe her bittersweet romance with the male lead (played by Ledger). The film was released March 31, 1999, and it was a breakout success for stars Stiles, Ledger and Gordon-Levitt.[2][3][4]

Plot

Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a new student at Padua High School, is given a tour of the school by Michael Eckman (David Krumholtz), an audiovisual geek. During the tour, Cameron notices the beautiful and popular Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik), and he is immediately smitten with her. Michael warns Cameron that Bianca is shallow and conceited, and that her domineering father does not allow her to date. However, Michael does inform Cameron that Bianca is looking for a French tutor.

At the Stratford residence, Bianca's outcast older sister, Kat (Julia Stiles), is in conflict with their overbearing father (Larry Miller), who wants Kat to attend college nearby despite her acceptance to Sarah Lawrence College. Bianca is also fighting with their father regarding his strict no dating rule. Kat's aversion to dating prompts their father to come up with a new rule, to Bianca's fury: Bianca can only date if Kat is also in a relationship. Cameron starts tutoring Bianca (despite knowing little French himself). After Cameron makes an attempt to ask her out on a date, she informs him of her father’s rule. This motivates Cameron, with help from Michael, to find a boy who is willing to date Kat.

Cameron suggests Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), another outcast who is just as ill-tempered as Kat. Cameron tries asking Patrick for his assistance, but Patrick scares him off. Michael suggests that Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan), an affluent student and model who also wants to date Bianca, pay Patrick to take Kat out. Patrick agrees, but Kat wants nothing to do with him. After a little effort, Patrick gets Kat to attend a party with him.

At the party, Bianca sees Cameron but is dragged away by Joey. He poses and tries to please her when Bianca realizes he is just obsessed with himself. Kat starts table dancing after getting drunk and hits her head on the chandelier, collapsing off the table and into the arms of Patrick who takes her outside. They talk on the swingset; however after Kat throws up on his shoes, Patrick takes her home. She unsuccessfully attempts to kiss him after he drives her home, then slams the car door in his face and storms off. Cameron admits his feelings for Bianca, and they kiss in the front seat of his car. The next day, Patrick attempts at apologizing because he realises he is starting to like Kat but fails, but eventually wins Kat over with a performance of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in front of her entire soccer team. After sneaking Patrick out of detention (by flashing the teacher), the two go paintballing and fall into a haystack, where he kisses her; however, when Patrick later asks Kat to prom, she becomes suspicious and the two fight.

Bianca tries to convince her father to let her attend the prom, but he refuses because Kat is not going to the prom. When Bianca confronts Kat, it is revealed that Kat previously dated Joey and they slept together once since "everyone was doing it." She tells Bianca that her feelings of isolation from her fellow students dated from that incident and that she would never again do anything just because it was the popular thing to do.

Bianca and Kat end up going to the prom with Cameron and Patrick, respectively. Joey is furious to learn that Bianca has gone to the prom with Cameron, and confronts Patrick about the "arrangement" in front of Kat. Kat is very angry at Patrick when she discovers the truth and leaves him at the prom. Joey subsequently confronts Cameron about manipulating the "deal" for himself and knocks him to the floor, but Bianca punches Joey numerous times for using her, for hurting Kat's feelings, and for punching Cameron. Bianca and Cameron share another kiss and leave Joey lying on the floor in pain.

The next morning, Kat and Bianca's relationship appears to have improved drastically as Bianca attempts to comfort her older sister. Their father allows Kat to go to Sarah Lawrence College. At school, Kat reads a poem she wrote for English class, titled "Ten Things I Hate About You," revealing her true feelings for Patrick. After school, Kat finds a guitar in her car for the band she told Patrick she wanted to start, that Patrick bought her with the money that Joey paid him. He admits the truth and says that Joey paid him to take out a "really great girl", but he messed up because he fell for her. Kat forgives Patrick and the two reconcile with a kiss.

Cast

  • Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona, described by a New York Times reviewer[5] as a "rough-edged outsider" and "teenage rebel" who hangs out at a pool hall, smokes cigarettes, and drinks. He speaks in a partly Australian dialect (often lapsing into American) because he lived in Australia until he was ten. The character is based on Petruchio, the male lead of The Taming of the Shrew, and his last name is a reference to Petruchio's hometown of Verona.[6]
  • Julia Stiles as Katarina "Kat" Stratford, the "shrew" in the film. Kat is a proud, unsociable, nonconforming feminist who listens to Riot Grrrl music and reads books such as The Bell Jar. She is against dating and often "sneers at the idiocy of teenage social life". The New York Times called this "a breath of fresh air in the stifling materialistic atmosphere of today's Hollywood teenage movies". She was accepted into Sarah Lawrence College, which her father initially refused to let her attend. Kat is based on Katherina Minola in The Taming of the Shrew. Her last name is a reference to Shakespeare's home town of Stratford-upon-Avon.
  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cameron James, who, like Patrick, pursues a Stratford sister. In contrast to Patrick, who is seen as intimidating and manly, Cameron is seen as sweet and delicate. He is a new kid, has a father in the U.S. Army, and befriends Michael and Patrick. He is based on Lucentio from The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Larisa Oleynik as Bianca Stratford, Kat's younger sister and foil. Seen as a superficial "Valley girl" type; she is good looking, wears designer clothes and is popular in school, though she eventually falls for geeky new kid Cameron as opposed to the school's most popular guy, Joey. She is based on Bianca Minola in The Taming of the Shrew.
  • David Krumholtz as Michael Eckman, an audiovisual geek who is delegated the task of showing Cameron around. He quickly becomes Cameron's best friend and helps him scheme to win Bianca. He is based on Tranio from The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Andrew Keegan as Joey Donner, a self-absorbed male model who formerly bedded Kat and makes a bet that he can do the same with Bianca. He is based on Hortensio and Gremio from The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Larry Miller as Dr. Walter Stratford, an OB/GYN and single father. He is an overprotective father, believing that his daughters will have sex, do drugs, and drink as soon as they are not under his supervision. His character is based on Baptista from The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Susan May Pratt as Mandella, a Shakespeare aficionado whom Michael, dressed as William Shakespeare, takes to the prom. She is Kat's best friend. She may have been loosely based on Biondello from The Taming of the Shrew, because of her involvement with Michael, the Tranio counterpart.
  • Gabrielle Union as Chastity Church, Bianca's selfish and treacherous best friend. She is based on the Widow from The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Daryl Mitchell as Mr. Morgan, the English literature teacher. He is an imposing teacher who, for the most part, seems to keep his classroom under control through sarcasm.
  • Allison Janney as Ms. Perky, the school's guidance counselor and a writer of erotic literature. She makes many sexual comments and innuendos throughout the film.
  • David Leisure as Mr. Chapin, the detention teacher and the girls' soccer coach.
  • Greg Jackson as "Scurvy", one of Patrick's friends. May have been loosely based on Grumio, Petruchio's lackey and sidekick in The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Kyle Cease as Bogey Lowenstien [sic?], a golf enthusiast (hence his nickname) and member of a clique of aspiring MBAs.
  • Kay Hanley and Michael Eisenstein, members of Letters to Cleo.
  • Monique Powell and Brian Mashburn, members of Save Ferris.

Production

Many of the scenes were filmed on location at Stadium High School and at a house in the Proctor District of Tacoma, Washington. The prom sequence was shot over three days in Seattle.[7]

Costume designer Kim Tillman designed original dresses for Larisa Oleynik and Julia Stiles as well as the period outfits for Susan May Pratt and David Krumholtz. Gabrielle Union's snakeskin prom dress is a Betsey Johnson design. Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's vintage tuxes came from Isadora's in Seattle.[7]

The primary tagline is an allusion to a poem written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning from her Sonnets from the Portuguese collection. ("How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.") Another tagline is a spoof from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet ("Romeo, Oh Romeo, Get Out Of My Face.") and another is a line from The Taming of the Shrew that is spoken in the film by Cameron ("I burn, I pine, I perish!"). The original script was finalized on November 12, 1997.[8]

Release and reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $8,330,681 in 2,271 theaters in the United States and Canada, averaging $3,668 per venue, and ranking number two at the box office (behind The Matrix). It grossed a total of $38,178,166 in the United States and Canada and $15,300,000 in other territories, about $53,500,000 worldwide. The film had an estimated budget of $16 million and is considered a moderate financial and critical success. On October 12, 1999, the Region 1 DVD was released. In the box office, the film is number ten in teen romance, 18th in high school comedies, and ranked 96th in comedies.[9]

Critics

The film received generally positive feedback from critics. Geoff Andrew from Time Out praised the film's leads, stating "Stiles grows into her character, and Ledger is effortlessly charming".[10] Roger Ebert gave the film two and a half stars out of four, claiming "I liked the movie's spirit, the actors and some of the scenes. The music, much of it by the band Letters to Cleo, is subtle and inventive while still cheerful".[11] Brad Laidman from Film Threat said the film was "Pure of heart and perfectly executed".[12] Ron Wells, another critic from Film Threat expressed "Of all the teen films released this year, this one is, by far, the best".[13]

Entertainment Weekly listed the film at #49 on its list of Best High School Movies.[14]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film got a 61% from critics, based on 61 reviews. The critical consensus on the site was "Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger add strong performances to an unexpectedly clever script, elevating 10 Things (slightly) above typical teen fare."[15]

Awards and nominations

In the year the film was released, the lead actors Gordon-Levitt, Stiles, and Oleynik each received Young Star Award nominations for Best Actor/Actress in a Comedy Film. The movie was nominated for seven Teen Choice Awards: Film Breakout Performance (Stiles), Film Choice Comedy, Film Funniest Scene (featuring Krumholtz), Film Sexiest Love Scene (featuring Stiles and Ledger), Film Choice Hissy Fit (Gordon-Levitt), Film Choice Sleazebag (Gordon-Levitt) and Soundtrack of the Year. More notably, the film's casting directors Marcia Ross and Donna Morong won "Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy" at the Casting Society of America in 1999. In 2000, Stiles won the CFCA Award for "Most Promising Actress" for her role as Kat Stratford (tied with Émilie Dequenne in Rosetta) and an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance. The same year, Ledger was nominated for Best Musical Performance for the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

Soundtrack album

10 Things I Hate About You
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released April 6, 1999
Genre Rock
Label Hollywood
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [16]
No. TitleWriter(s)Performer Length
1. "One Week" (originally performed by Barenaked Ladies)Ed RobertsonBarenaked Ladies 2:54
2. "I Want You to Want Me" (originally performed by Cheap Trick)Rick NielsenLetters to Cleo 3:25
3. "F.N.T." (from Great Divide, 1996)Dan Wilson, Jacob SlichterSemisonic 3:29
4. "I Know" (contains an interpretation of "Shout", written by O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, and Rudolph Isley and originally performed by The Isley Brothers)Michael Holton, Miré Molner, Brian MashburnSave Ferris 2:52
5. "Your Winter" (from Fortress, 2000)Ken Block, Jett Beres, Andrew Copeland, Ryan Newell, Mark Trojanowski, Bill SmithSister Hazel 4:39
6. "Even Angels Fall" (from Key of a Minor, 2000)Tom Whitlock, Jessica Riddle, Kim Bullard, Penny FramstadJessica Riddle 3:27
7. "New World" (from Leroy, 2001)Leroy MillerLeroy 3:02
8. "Saturday Night"  Rodney Jerkins, Marti Sharron, Dan SembelloTa-Gana 4:26
9. "Atomic Dog" (from Computer Games, 1982)George Clinton, Garry Shider, David SpradleyGeorge Clinton 4:44
10. "Dazz" (from Good High, 1976)Ray Ransom, Edward Irons, Reginald HargisBrick 3:24
11. "The Weakness in Me" (from Walk Under Ladders, 1981)Joan ArmatradingJoan Armatrading 3:32
12. "War" (from "My Favourite Game", 1998)Peter Svensson, Nina PerssonThe Cardigans 3:57
13. "Wings of a Dove" (1983)Carl Smyth, Graham McPhersonMadness 3:00
14. "Cruel to Be Kind" (originally performed by Nick Lowe)Nick Lowe, Ian GommLetters to Cleo 3:01
15. "One More Thing"  Richard GibbsRichard Gibbs 3:01
Total length:
 49:59

Adaptations

In June 1999, the Scholastic Corporation published a novelization of the story, adapted by David Levithan.[17] The story is retold as it is in the film with each chapter written from the point of view of either Bianca, Cameron, Kat, Patrick, or Michael.

In October 2008, ABC Family ordered a pilot episode of 10 Things I Hate About You, a half-hour, single-camera comedy series based on the feature film of the same name. Larry Miller is the only actor from the film to reprise his role in the television series. The director of the film, Gil Junger, directed many of the episodes including the pilot while the film's music composer, Richard Gibbs, also returned to do the show's music. The series was adapted and produced by Carter Covington.[18] The show premiered on July 7, 2009,[19] and lasted 20 episodes.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 10 Things I Hate About You at Box Office Mojo
  2. ↑ Aames, Ethan. "Julia Stiles on "The Omen"". Cinema Confidential News. June 5, 2006. Retrieved on October 28, 2006.
  3. ↑ Eisenbach, Helen. "10 Thing We Love About Julia Stiles". Manhattan File Magazine. January 2000. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
  4. ↑ Maher, Kevin. "Heath Ledger- The Accidental Hero". Times Sunday Magazine. October 14, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
  5. ↑ Holden, Stephen (31 March 1999). "10 Things I Hate About You (1999) FILM REVIEW; It's Like, You Know, Sonnets And Stuff". The New York Times Company. The New York Times. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  6. ↑ SparkNotes Editors. "SparkNote on The Taming of the Shrew". SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Write-up on CinemaReview.com. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Internet Movie Script Database". Imsdb.com. November 12, 1997. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  9. ↑ "10 Things I Hate About You (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  10. ↑ "10 Things I Hate About You Review. Movie Reviews - Film - Time Out New York". Archived from the original on September 21, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  11. ↑ Ebert, Roger. "10 Things I Hate About You". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  12. ↑ "10 Things I Hate About You". Film Threat. Archived from the original on September 21, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Current Movie Reviews, Independent Movies". Film Threat. Archived from the original on September 21, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  14. ↑ EW Staff (September 22, 2012). "50 Best High School Movies | Photo 1 of 50". EW.com. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  15. ↑ "10 Things I Hate About You (1999)". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  16. ↑ Peeples, S. 10 Things I Hate About You review allmusic.com. Retrieved on May 17, 2011.
  17. ↑ 10 Things I Hate About You. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0439087309.
  18. ↑ Nguyen, Hanh. "ABC Family Greenlights '10 Things I Hate,' 'Ruby' Pilots." Zap2it.com. October 8, 2008. Retrieved on October 8, 2008.
  19. ↑ "ABC Family: 10 Things I Hate About You". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.

External links

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