I'll readily admit to not expecting much of Touchstone Pictures' "10 Things I Hate About You" before viewing it. After all, any film with a title like that is ripe for such wording to be used in a negative way about it, and this one seemed like it would be yet another stereotypical, bland and tasteless teen comedy concoction. Thankfully, my concerns turned out to be unwarranted.
Although it's not perfect and might not become one of the quintessential teen romantic comedies, its smart writing (courtesy of first-timers Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten Smith), winning performances and an upbeat, soundtrack-driven tempo clearly makes it one of the best films of this genre to come down the pike in quite some time.
While it may sound like any number of similar plotted films that have been recently released hoping to make a quick buck off cash holding teens, this film is the equivalent of trying a standard meal at a new restaurant. Sure, you know what you're getting, but if it's prepared with the right amounts of care and diligence, the end result can be quite sumptuous.
Awkwardly named after a touchingly sweet poem read near its conclusion, the film sets itself apart in several ways from those other recent genre entries. Unlike films such as "She's All That" and "Varsity Blues," this one manages to entertain a much wider audience than its given target range. While the multilayered plot -- despite being a variation of the classic "The Taming of the Shrew" -- isn't particularly spectacular and is mostly predictable, the more mature and intelligent way in which it's executed provides a strong foundation from which everything else can stem.
That particularly relates to the richly drawn characters and situational humor that arises from their behavior and goals. While the characters played by Julia Stiles ("Wicked") and Heath Ledger (the TV series "Roar") could have been written as the usual teen stereotypes and the performers could have done their roles by rote, the opposite is true.
Playing two outsiders whose reputations somewhat unjustly proceed them, Stiles and Ledger bring a certain depth and even an innocence to their smartly written characters that easily sets them apart from typical lead roles found in such movies. When the chemistry between the two finally develops in a pleasant and realistic fashion, you won't be able to help from smiling as they finally hit it off together.
The second tier of performers is good, but clearly not as superbly defined as their counterparts. Although the character played by Andrew Keegan ("Independence Day") is the stereotypical lech and could have used more comic refinement, the ones played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (TV's "3rd Rock From the Sun") and Larisa Oleynik (TV's "The Secret World of Alex Mack") are decent in their construction and the performers inhabit them in likeable and personable ways.
The true scene stealers, however, come from a trio of performers who've been given the best material with which to work. Daryl Mitchell (TV's "Veronica's Closet) is quite funny as the wisecracking high school teacher who has a low, but comic threshold for Joey, and David Krumholtz (who was easily the funniest thing in "The Slums of Beverly Hills") is quite good as Cameron's faux confident friend.
It's Larry Miller ("Pretty Woman"), though, as the girls' extremely overprotective father who steals the show. While his is also something of a stereotypical character (the single, cautious father), the writing is sharp enough and his performance is just right so that you don't mind the lack of originality. From telling Kat that his auto insurance doesn't cover PMS after she purposefully smashes Joey's car, to making Bianca wear a pregnancy simulator vest to remind her of the potential consequences of dating, Miller gets the best lines and elicits the biggest laughs.
It's all of that supplemental comedy material -- as helmed by veteran TV director Gil Junger (making his feature film debut) -- that really helps the film be a winning success. While there's the obligatory but enjoyable soundtrack, some plot elements that don't always ring true -- particularly those involving the whole matter of Joey paying Patrick exorbitant sums of money to date Kat -- and some moments where the film partially flounders, for the most part it feels fresh and is always enjoyable.
Finally, when Patrick breaks into a musical like moment where he serenades Kat with the number, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" as accompanied by the school's marching band, your heart will certainly melt as easily as Kat's and your smile will be as big as or bigger than hers. That's what romantic comedies are all about, and for that reason we recommend this one.
As far as the disc itself, the supplemental materials are lacking (with just a lone theatrical trailer), but the picture (despite some problems with compression-related pixelation) and sound are quite good.
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