5 things we love about ‘10 things I hate about you’
Growing up, I’ve watched 10 things I hate about you perhaps one time too many. I loved the film – it has some easy pop-feminism, some great characters, and some brilliant actors, so what’s not to like, right? But does the film age well? Would I like it if I watched it again now?
The film is a high school romcom from 1999, directed by Gil Jugner. The premise is weird: a new kid in school (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is smitten by a pretty girl, but the girl is only allowed to date if/when her older sister does. And so, the boy and his friend devise an elaborate plan to get the older sister to go out with a guy. We have to remember that all this is happening in America – if this was India, where no school kids are ‘allowed to date’ anyway, the girl would just be doing a lot of 'group study' and 'exam preparation' and there wouldn’t be a movie at all!
Coming back to the question – does the film age well? As difficult as it is to admit, I still kind of like it. Rewatching the film, I noticed so many things that are problematic; the film is based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, which is about an ‘insubordinate’ woman, so the premise itself is distasteful. There aren’t really any good relationships between women for the most part in the film. And the characters would all be shocking if they were real people today – in fact, the character of Michael (David Krumholtz) is what we’d call an ‘incel’.
Despite these red flags, however, I enjoyed the rewatch. Here are 5 reasons why:
1. Heath Ledger: The actor plays Patrick Verona in the film – and frankly, in real life, that would be a person we’d all be rallying against. He takes money from someone to trick and gaslight a girl into dating him. At the moment you think he is going to have his redemption, he’s tempted by more money. He doesn’t even apologise properly and it’s the girl he’s been horrible to who has to make things right between them…But Heath Ledger and his dimples are so charming that I don’t really blame Kat (Julia Stiles) for falling for him. He’s supposed to be the ‘bad boy’, but when Patrick smiles that smile with his eyes, the viewer instantly wants to give him a chance.
2. Julia Stiles’s dialogues – and her eye roll: Kat is the angsty teenage feminist – and the film doesn’t completely make fun of her for it, nor does it let her get away with too much ‘white feminism’ (Thank you Mr Morgan). That said, Julia Stiles as Kat has the best eye rolls ever, and I find the sarcastic dialogues she mouths amusing even now. I’ve always felt her delivery of “I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby” is perhaps what every Indian masala film heroine needs to tell the stalker hero.
3. The poem: I have never been asked to write a poem as homework in school, and when I was younger, I thought, wow, what is this school. And being asked to ‘interpret’ a Shakespeare poem in your own words? Whattawow. The titular poem – a declaration of love by a girl to a boy, an act of bravery by an 18-year-old in a room full of teenagers – is quite moving.
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 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
4. The song: And equally brave – if less surprising – is the song that Patrick sings for Kat in the football field. I would one day love to be that guy – singing and dancing cutely and embarrassing myself in front of 100 people if that means I can bring a smile on the face of the person I love. (Yes, ok, enough cheese, Raga.)
“Let me love youuuuuuuuu!”
5. Bianca’s punch: For most of the film, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is selfish and irritating – and I do want to punch her for it. But at some point, we realise she’s just a teenager, and has potential to be a better person. However, the punch she throws at Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan) is epic, and truly an empowering moment. You go girl!
Watch the film on Hotstar.