10 Things I Hate About You



I know it's a teen flick but I totally digged this movie. Totally.

The Plot: The Stratford Sisters are the exact opposites of each other. Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is a sweet, peppy sophomore, who 'happens to like being adored', while older sister Katarina (Julia Stiles), a senior, is described by her schoolmates as a 'heinous bitch'. When newcomer Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) spots Bianca from the crowd, he's mesmerized. The problem is, the sisters' paranoid obstetrician dad has this rule that Bianca can date only if her sister does, and that's good as...never. Cameron and his loyal pal then devise a plan to have both sisters attend the prom by asking rich, airhead Joey (Andrew Keegan), who wants to ask Bianca out too but only to 'nail' her, to pay loads to school rebel Patrick (Heath Ledger) for the latter to date Kat. Patrick rises to the challenge and the movie begins.

The Review: It's your typical high school: campus heartthrob, Narcissistic model, pleasant geek, mysterious rebel, angst-driven feminist, and guy-next-door newcomer. What made the movie overwhelming were the repertoire of wit and sarcasm, and the charming ensemble of actors. Katarina Stratford was convincingly and expertly portrayed by Julia Stiles. She just blew me away. And her chemistry with Heath Ledger was so pure that they made such a good on-screen couple. I first saw Larisa Oleynik in this Alex Mack series, so it came as a surprise seeing her in girly clothes when I was so used to seeing her in boyish attire. Nevertheless, she was refreshing. The plot may be formulaic of teen flicks: boy-meets-girl, boy-bets-he-can-get-girl, boy-unexpectedly-falls-for-girl, and of course, prom nights; but what makes a hackneyed plot worth the watch is how its movie rises above the rest. 10 Things I Hate About You didn't rise...it soared.

The Poem:

I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it that you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

The Rating: 8/10.

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