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Review by Susan Granger
3½ stars out of 4
Geared toward teenagers, this updated version of Shakespeare's
"Taming of the Shrew" is fresh, sheer fun as the Stratford sisters -
vapid, beautiful Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) and crass, ill-tempered Kat
(Julia Stiles) - confront romance at Padua High School. Confounded by
her father's strict rules, Bianca, a sophomore, knows she cannot date
until her older sister, a senior, does so her wannabe boyfriend
(Andrew Keegan) bribes a sullen transfer student with an infamous
reputation, Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), to woo the notorious Kat.
The scheme becomes convoluted, of course, as the Bard of Avon leads
the students on a merry chase. "People perceive you as a heinous
bitch," observes the guidance counselor who spends most of her time
writing a sex novel. "I prefer 'tempestuous,'" tartly replies Kat,
who's reading "The Bell Jar." Screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and
Kirsten Smith retain Shakespeare's morals and complicated conventions,
while director Gil Junger keeps the pace fast, dodging cliches as
often as he can. Bright young actors with fresh faces from TV shows
enthusiastically strut their stuff as rebellious misfits, desperate
malcontents, and prospective prom queens, discovering the truth about
themselves and finding love amidst a surreal Tacoma/Seattle setting -
and handsome hunk Heath Ledger from Australia seems headed for
stardom. Above all, the music rocks, particularly "Save Ferris" and
the Boston-based band "Letters To Cleo," as the dastardly cynical
politics of high school are revealed. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1
to 10, "10 Things I Hate About You" is a witty, definitively cool
8. There's lots of sly, sophisticated, acerbic humor, even for
non-teens.
Copyright © 1999 Susan Granger
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out of 4
