10 Things I Hate About You

This wasn't the first time I had seen this movie and as one of my wife's favorites, it probably won't be the last.  Good thing it's a pretty decent flick.

A modern retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Ten Things I Hate About You takes place in high school.  New kid on the block, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is being shown the rope by new found allie Michael (David Krumholtz who will always be that elf from The Santa Clause).  He quickly espies Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) but woe is he to discover that she is forbidden from dating by her father (Larry Miller).  When the rules change on the stipulation that Bianca's older sister Kat (Julia Stiles) dates first, Cameron sees a glimmer of hope, despite the fact that Kat has no intentions of dating and is known as something of a shrew.  Wink wink nudge nudge.  Manipulating the despicable Joey (Andrew Keegan) who wants Bianca for himself, Cameron and Michael hire the only person deemed tough/crazy enough to take on Kat - Social outcast and bad boy, Patrick (Heath Ledger).  With all the schemes in place, the plot unfolds.  Even if you're not familiar with the source material, the outcome should be pretty obvious at this point.

For what the story lacks in originality - and really, how much originality do you want in a retelling? - it makes up for in charisma.  For most of the primary cast, this was their first movie.  They had some experience in television, but they were all relative newcomers.  For them, this was one big fun event and a new experience and it shows in how much fun they exude through the screen.  Heath Ledger especially shines, and it was his lunatic-like performance singing and dancing that convinced me that he could become a great Joker when everyone else seemed focused on him being a gay cowboy.

Throughout the story there are numerous nods to it's literary roots.  Whether it was direct (or direct sounding) lines of dialogue, or general references to Shakespeare.  Almost every character had a direct parallel to someone in the original as well.  This, along with the superb acting and general funness are what elevate this above a typical chick flick.  The inclusion of Letters to Cleo and Save Ferris is just icing on the cake.

Maybe not a masterpiece, but certainly worth watching.

**** (4/5 stars)