10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Directed by Gil Junger
On the first day at his new school, Cameron instantly falls for Bianca, the gorgeous girl of his dreams. The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to date until her ill-tempered, completely un-dateable older sister Kat goes out, too. In an attempt to solve his problem, Cameron singles out the only guy who could possibly be a match for Kat: a mysterious bad boy with a nasty reputation of his own.
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7 films that influenced 10 Things I Hate About You
What critics say influenced 10 Things I Hate About You
Very loosely based on (maybe even just inspired by) William Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew, one thing that 10 Things has going for it is a teriffic ensemble cast of teens.
Yes, yes, it’s a remake of Shakesepeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, but Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah’s screenplay is anything but a complimentary nod to the Bard.
Although similar in plotting (ok, darn near identical), "10 Things I Hate About You," a modern-day version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" ("She's All That" got its inspiration from "Pygmalion"), is an infinitely superior film in every department, from the smart direction by first-time feature director Gil Junger to the charming and well-written screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith to the striking ensemble cast, who give the best group of performances in a teen comedy since 1985's "The Breakfast Club."
''10 Things I Hate About You'' may be the cheekiest ''literary'' update yet -- a post-riot grrrl gloss on ''The Taming of the Shrew,'' with Shakespeare's plot twirled around devices that have become clichés, virtually overnight, in the new teen comedies: the guy who struggles to land a girl in order to win a bet; the ingenue -- in this case Kat's younger sister, the button-nosed Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) -- who's a virgin to everything but consumerism.
As it is, this very loose adaptation of the Bard's stage play, "The Taming of the Shrew" (done "Clueless"-style), is a definitely a cut above the current crop of teen-oriented comedies, thanks to an appealing cast of fresh faces, as well as a surprisingly literate script.
"10 Things I Hate About You" -- a "Clueless"-spawn remake of "The Taming of the Shrew" -- while an above average entry in the recent pool of teen-targeted pics, is sorely lacking in this arena.
Although similar in plotting (ok, darn near identical), "10 Things I Hate About You," a modern-day version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" ("She's All That" got its inspiration from "Pygmalion"), is an infinitely superior film in every department, from the smart direction by first-time feature director Gil Junger to the charming and well-written screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith to the striking ensemble cast, who give the best group of performances in a teen comedy since 1985's "The Breakfast Club."
Then Freddie Prinze, Jr. starred in "She's All That," a retooling of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion," and then we got "Cruel Intentions," based on "Dangerous Liaisons."
Lately in the teen movie column, we have seen many classics of literature: "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" ( Cruel Intentions ), "Pygmalion" ( She's All That ), and now Gil Junger's 10 Things I Hate About You.
Although similar in plotting (ok, darn near identical), "10 Things I Hate About You," a modern-day version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" ("She's All That" got its inspiration from "Pygmalion"), is an infinitely superior film in every department, from the smart direction by first-time feature director Gil Junger to the charming and well-written screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith to the striking ensemble cast, who give the best group of performances in a teen comedy since 1985's "The Breakfast Club."
The irony should not be lost on the fact that David Fincher's Mank, a dramatized feature about the writing of one of Orson Welles's greatest films, Citizen Kane (1941), is being released by the streaming giant Netflix.
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Coming off the heels of the recently released "Cruel Intentions," a teenage version of Choderlos de Laclos' "Dangerous Liaisons," "10 Things I Hate About You" offers up its own modernized high school-set rendering of a classic, this time with Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew."
Then Freddie Prinze, Jr. starred in "She's All That," a retooling of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion," and then we got "Cruel Intentions," based on "Dangerous Liaisons."
Combined with Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet , 10 Things I Hate About You makes the bard fun and accessible by giving the story a modern spin.
It's another update of Shakespeare for the MTV generation (whoever the hell they are) and although not as stylized and brilliant as its predecessor, Romeo + Juliet, it still manages to succeed with a charming sense of clumsy cuteness.
First, "Clueless" took on Jane Austen's timeless story "Emma" and updated it for the present day.