By AMBER FURST
“10 Things I Hate About You,” which opened in theaters Wednesday, is a fun, romantic comedy adapted from Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew”.
This version takes place in modern day Seattle, where the unfriendly Katarina Stratford does not care what anyone thinks. On the other hand, her younger sister Bianca, is only concerned with her own popularity.
The main obstacle in Bianca’s life is that she is not allowed to date until her older sister does. This a problem since the last thing Kat wants to do is date high school boys.
Several of Bianca’s suitors are determined to take her out and they plan to pay a boy who is not intimidated by Kat to take her out.
Enter Patrick Verona, a mysterious bad-boy who accepts the offer and will not take “no” for an answer.
What saves this movie from being a silly high school movie is Shakespeare. Like the “Taming of the Shrew”, “10 Things” is a clever love story that is filled with interesting characters.
One think I found refreshing is that everyone looked young enough to be in high school. That is not to say that this film is entirely realistic.
There are the extreme stereotypes that add humor to the situation, much like a Shakespeare play.
It is always interesting to see a great piece of literature that is hundreds of years old easily adapted to modern day life.
Nothing seems unusually old fashioned, even the fact that Mr. Stratford is determined to keep his pretty daughters from dating in high school.
One thing that I have found to influence whether or not a high school film will be enjoyable is the soundtrack. This film succeeds in entertaining and includes songs by Letters to Cleo, Save Ferris and George Clinton.
Kat, played by Julia Stiles, is opinionated and not a people person, but still manages to be likeable. She does not want to be held down by what others expect of her and is therefore an outcast.
As Kat, Stiles is lovely to watch and you can see her transformation from “shrew” to “sweet”.
Heath Ledger is Patrick, a student who is as misconceived as Kat. Ledger is a relatively unknown Australian actor who is perfect as the sometimes-scary, sometimes-charming Patrick.
One piece of advice: stay for the closing credits. There are out takes from the filming that are just as enjoyable as the film itself.
