10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You
Touchstone Pictures, 1999
Directed by Gil Junger
Starring Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Based on William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew

Plot -Cameron arrives as a new student at Padua High and is given a tour by Michael, a geek-type who immediately fills Cameron in on the school's various scoops that any student should know.  The two become fast friends, and even though Michael warns him against her, Cameron instantly falls for the school's most popular, beautiful girl, Bianca Stratford.  Cameron has a chance to get near her right away in that she needs a French tutor, and Cameron steps right into the role.  Bianca will have none of Cameron, though, and only has eyes for the hunk of the school, Joey.  Cameron is desperate to date Bianca; Bianca is desperate to date Joey, and Joey is after Bianca as well.  Then central issue is that Bianca's father won't let her date until her older sister, the Shrew, Katerina, dates as well.  This will never happen, as Kat is bitter and aggressive and has sworn off boys altogether.  Michael and Cameron hatch a plan to use Joey to bribe the school's mysterious outsider, Patrick Verona, into asking Kat out so that Bianca will be free to date.  True in this way to the Shakespearean inspiration for the story, twists of allegiance and betrayal follow until disaster strikes.  Cameron and Patrick are left to figure out how to unlace their webs of deceit.

Critical Evaluation - The film is a whole lot of fun, filled with sympathetic characters, a wonderful villain in Joey, and a compelling cat-and-mouse romance.  Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger perform the roles of Shrew and Bad Boy with enough acid-tongued wit to carry off their characters' reputations, but with just the right amount of growing affection to keep viewers rooting for them.  The pacing is good, moving from scene to scene easily while not feeling rushed.

Reader's annotation - Bianca is popular and gorgeous and so is Joey, but Bianca can't date until her acerbic sister, Kat, also dates.  Who on earth can be convinced to get close enough to Kat to call it a date, so that Bianca is free?

Information about the author - Gil Junger, director, was trained at the University of Texas Austin's Radio, TV, and Film School, and went immediately to Hollywood working as a gofer.  He directed TV shows such as Dharma and Greg, and The Golden Girls.  He was nominated for an Emmy based on his direction of the Ellen show where Ellen DeGeneres comes out as a lesbian.  10 Things I Hate About You was his first film, followed by Black Night (2001) and If Only (2004).
Genre - Comedy/Romance
Curriculum Ties - English literature.  This film could be a wonderful introduction to reading The Taming of the Shrew, as an example of Shakespeare's works' enduring ability to be adapted for modern times, and as an introduction to the twists of deceit and scheming.
Filmtalk ideas - 

1. Show the scene in which Kat announced her acceptance to Sarah Lawrence, Bianca's ride home with Joey is revealed, and their father lays down the new dating law.
2. Show a clip from the scene in which Cameron and Michael convince Patrick to try to ask Kat out.

Viewer level - PG-13.  This seems reasonable, except for some of the 13 and 14 year olds who might not have experience with films including sexual humor and teenage drinking.  Suited well to YA audiences.

Challenge issues - Sexual tension, sexual humor, cursing, teenage drinking and references to teenage drug use

Challenge defense ideas:

• Librarian must view the film carefully and include it as a resource intended for teens 17 and above only.
• Librarian greets students and regularly discusses their viewing choices; she provides individualized, age-appropriate guidance in film choice.
• Explain the ways in which the librarian accompanies and guides younger students looking for films, and knows students well as individuals.
• Explain that the film is an important coming of age story full of the protagonist's growing knowledge that growing up is her own job.
• Keep the film reserved for 17+ age students.

Why I included this film- YALSA includes this film in its 2009 Fabulous Films for Young Adults, under the theme, "Coming of Age Around the World."  The film belongs on library shelves not only for its ties to Taming of the Shrew, but for its commitment to showing strong, intelligent young women and men making mistakes and learning enough from those very mistakes to emerge as fuller, more compassionate people.